Meet Opal: a deaf and blind dog who loves her parents more than anything in the world.
Eight-month-old Opal was born blind and deaf due to inbreeding.
Soon after she was born, Opal was surrendered to a shelter. The shelter didn’t think anyone would adopt a dog with Opal’s disabilities, and so they reached to a local rescue group, Double J Dog Ranch. The group agreed to take little Opal in, and she went to a foster home.
Photographer Christine Bray and her husband Forrest saw a photo of Opal on Double J Dog Ranch’s Facebook page, and they quickly fell in love with the sweet pup.
Christine and Forrest adopted Opal and brought her home. The sweet dog quickly settled into life in the house. She loves exploring local parks with her parents, and she also enjoys simply hanging out at home and chewing her favorite toys.
While Opal loves both her parents, she’s especially close with her dad, Forrest. Every day, she stands in the front yard and waits for him to get home from work.
One day, Christine filmed this ritual. She explained that Opal can feel the vibrations in the ground when the car pulls into the driveway. She can also smell Forrest as he gets out of the car.
As soon as she senses Forrest, Opal goes ballistic!
As Forrest walks into the yard, Opal jumps up and down and starts barking happily. She’s so excited to have her dad home!
“She waits in the front yard and waits to either feel or smell his car,” Bray wrote on Instagram. “Idk how she can tell the difference, because neighbor cars pull up and she doesn’t care. She then smells him and goes crazy. It’s very sweet!”
Opal and her dad are both always exhausted after their busy days. As soon as Forrest comes home, he and Opal take a nice nap together.
The video of Opal waiting for her dad quickly went viral. Everyone was amazed by the way Opal could sense his car. They were also moved by her loyalty to her dad.
Christine hopes that Opal’s story will show people the dangers of inbreeding. On her Facebook page, she wrote:
“I love my Opal so much. But as I am doing more research on Double Merle’s, blind and deafness is not the only issue. Many of them have neurological issues and I believe Opal has this issue as well…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.”
Opal is a sweet dog who won’t let anything get her down! If you’d like to see the video of Opal sensing her dad, check it out below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo8QHS5HIxl/?taken-by=opalthedoublemerle
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