As they say, some things happen for a reason.
Samantha Hillstrom and Jeniffer Tripucka met on Facebook to talk about something that they had both been going through – taking care of blind dogs.
Hillstrom had Finn, a senior dog, who lost his vision.
Meanwhile, Tripucka had Beau, a Pomeranian mix who was blind from a very young age.
Little did they know, this meeting would be the difference between life and death.
Tripucka was fostering some puppies who were rescued from Iowa.
The dogs were taken from a puppy mill and as we all know, conditions and care in those places do not meet acceptable standards.
But it was only the first part of their challenging journey.
After being transferred to a shelter, Beau and his siblings were facing euthanasia as there was no demand for adoption.
Tripucka then logged on to Facebook to ask for advice.
“Jen and I live in neighboring towns,” Hillstrom said, as quoted by Metro UK. “I said I would be happy to share tips with her on how to take care of a blind dog. I rescued Finn as a senior knowing he was fully blind.”
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Hillstrom was more than willing to share her knowledge and expertise when it came to raising a blind dog.
They specifically talked about a “halo” device that makes blind dogs aware of their surroundings like obstacles or inaccessible places.
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Through all these calls, Hillstrom always carries Finn and Tripucka always shows off her foster dog Beau.
Since then, the women have become friends.
Since seeing Beau, Hillstrom just knew she had to adopt him.
Adopting Beau would mean he’d be going to a family that was well-versed in taking care of dogs like him and most of all, they would save him from being put down.
Four days after she applied to adopt Beau, her application got approved.
Beau stayed with Tripucka for around six weeks.
Then, he moved to his new forever home with Hillstrom.
However, just 36 hours after receiving Beau, tragedy struck.
Finn passed away peacefully. Hillstrom said to Metro UK, however, that Finn’s final act of love for her is to bring Beau into their lives.
“‘If I was never Finn’s mum and I never learned how to take care of a blind dog and care for Finn, I never would have been able to take care of Beau,” she said.
She also shared that it felt like “these things happen as they’re supposed to.”
Beau is now living happily with Hillstrom.
Hillstrom described the little dog as “wonderful” and “very smart.”
He also learned to recognize commands, map his way around the house, and become more independent.
“I never set out to adopt one blind dog, and I certainly never set out to adopt two blind dogs,” Hillstrom said to Metro UK.
“But what anyone with a dog will tell you is they find who they want in a family.”
This only goes to show that if you plan on owning a pet in the future, please take time to consider contacting your local shelter for pets who are up for adoption.
Watch how a blind dog became the key to saving another.
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