Xander, a blind pug who lives in Oregon, might just be the most inspirational dog you'll meet. The one-year-old pug, who lost his eyes in an accident, has been raising spirits as a therapy dog.
Rodney Beedy, who adopted Xander in January, said that he and the people at the Klamath Animal Shelter spotted the pug's potential almost right away. "'He'd make a really good therapy dog. Look at his temperament', they told me," Rodney told the Huffington Post.
Rodney, who owns seven other pugs, said that he wasn't sure if he could handle another dog but after talking it over with his wife, Marcie, and showing her the dog it was an easy sell. "She just fell in love with him," Rodney added.
One of the groups that Xander has been working with is Klamath Lake Cares, a group that helps children who have suffered abuse.
"We're bringing Xander in to let him comfort them before they start in on the investigation or a doctor sees them," Rodney explains.
He also does work, visits to daycares and schools, with the local chapter of the Hands & Words Are Not For Hurting Project.
“If I was blind and in a crowd of people on top of me I would be freaking out. He has no qualms whatsoever. He has a good stable temperament, ” Rodney explained to the Herald and News, a local paper in Klamath Falls.
And it seems that Xander isn't just good with kids. Rodney recalls a recent visit to a retirement home where Xander sat with a woman who was recuperating. "He was laying on the bed and she was coughing. If you give a dog a kiss your whole face will be full of slobber. He just has this way of giving you a little kiss. Kinda like telling you that everything is going to be fine," he said.
At home, Rodney points out that Xander is just like any of his other dogs. "He doesn't act like a dog that has no sight. He runs around here and does different things just like a sighted dog. He goes in and out of the doggie door. He figured that one out in one night," he explained.
