@opalthedoublemerle/InstagramThis blind and deaf dog has proven, once and for all, love knows no bounds.
Meet Opal. She’s an eight-month-old double Merle rescue pup from Double J Dog Ranch, and she now lives at home with her two humans in Spokane, who she loves very much, even though she can’t see or hear them.
But Opal has her own super dog senses, despite being differently abled to the other dogs on the block.
Although Opal was born both deaf and blind, due to improper breeding, her special abilities mean she can do a lot of the things other dogs can’t do and enjoys a great relationship with her humans.
If anything, their bond is stronger because of Opal’s condition, and it’ll defy all your expectations.
For example, Opal can actually sense when her dad is driving down the road on his way home, way before he even arrives on their drive, and she can sniff him out.
Too good to be true? Well, Opal’s mum, Christine Bray, posted a video of the daily reunion online for everyone to enjoy.
Bray wrote how it’s Opal’s ‘favourite part of the day’, adding:
She waits in the front yard and waits to either feel or smell his car. [I don’t know] how she can tell the difference, because neighbor [sic] cars pull up and she doesn’t care.
She then smells him and goes crazy. It’s very sweet!
A lot of people are calling Opal an ‘angel’ for her dedication to her family, and Bray herself says Opal has helped them so much, calling her a ‘life saver’.
Bray and her partner bought Opal earlier this year for just $100 from a rescue centre, who’d taken her in after bad breeding left her with disabilities.
Now, the couple share wise warnings with their online community about how breeding Merle to Merle can cause serious and life-threatening issues for pups. Opal has even experienced an anxiety attack because of her condition before.
Aside from her deaf and blindness, Bray is concerned Opal might also suffer neurological issues, and her baby girl is going to see a vet specialist in November to determine her health, adding her ‘life span will most likely be short’.
In a heartfelt post on Facebook, Bray wrote:
I love my Opal so much. She is so loved and will continue to be spoiled her whole life. Yesterday she went to a new park and despite her disapproval of the rain, she had an amazing time. So love seeing her happy.
The feeling is clearly mutual between man and man’s best friend, in this case.
You can watch the video, posted to Opal’s very own Instagram account, below:
As in America, according to Bray, puppy farming is also an issue here in the UK. UNILAD investigated the mass-breeding and illicit trading of innocent young dogs on our shores.
RSPCA Chief Inspector, Ian Briggs, told UNILAD:
I’ve worked for the RSPCA for 24 years now and I’ve never seen an area of animal crime explode in the way that puppy farming has over the last five years. There are more and more people getting involved and it just seems to be feeding the demand for these dogs.
It’s run very similar to drug dealing except without the risk, and nearly quite as lucrative. Because if you bring in hundreds or thousands of dogs throughout the year and you can sell each one for anywhere between 500 and a thousand pounds for a minimal outlay that’s high profit and that’s what drives this business.
The consequences are devastating, as you can see in the footage below:
Thankfully, Parliament passed Lucy’s Law – introducing an immediate ban on the sale of puppies by pet shops and other third-party commercial dealers and means puppies can only be bought from rescue centres or reputable breeders where the puppies are always seen with their real mothers – on May 21 earlier this year.
If you have a story to tell, contact UNILAD via [email protected].
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.