International Blind Dog Day Date in the current year: August 23, 2024

Animals can be disabled just like humans. While severely handicapped animals rarely survive for long in the wild, disabled pets can have a long, healthy and happy life if properly cared for. Caring for a blind dog may be challenging, but animals are highly adoptable, and it is totally possible to give a blind or visually-impaired pup a good quality of life.

Dogs can go blind for a number of reasons. One of the most common causes for the loss of eyesight in dogs is age-related glaucoma. Other causes include cataracts, eye infections, injury, progressive retinal atrophy, and SARDS (suddenly acquired retinal degeneration syndrome). Certain dog breeds are more prone to certain eye conditions that may cause blindness than others.

Although blind dogs and, by extension, their owners do experience certain challenges, it is important to keep in mind that dogs are less reliant on eyesight than humans, and their other senses, primarily hearing and smell, can compensate for the loss of eyesight. Blind dogs can find their way around, they don’t fall or crash into furniture all the time, and they can be as playful and affectionate as sighted dogs. At the end of the day, every dog is different, and the way your dog behaves depends more on its personality than on the quality of its eyesight.

A common misconception about blind dogs is that they are expensive. However, the cost of taking care of a blind dog depends on the reason for blindness. Treating the underlying cause will cost you money, and some diseases and conditions are indeed expensive to treat, but if the dog is already blind and nothing can be done about it, your pet won’t require any more veterinary care than a sighted dog.

International Blind Dog Day was created in 2017 by Sarah Horne, a dog-lover from Cambridgeshire and the proud owner of Shammy, a blind Jack Russell terrier she had adopted from a rescue. Horne wanted to increase awareness of blind dogs, dispel the common misconceptions that surround them, and encourage people to adopt disabled dogs that are less likely to find a new home.

How can you celebrate International Blind Dog Day? If you’re a proud owner of a blind or visually-impaired dog, buy your four-legged friend a new toy or treat and share their pictures on social media with the hashtag #InternationalBlindDogDay to raise awareness of the observance.

If you’ve been meaning to adopt a pup, here is your cue to open your home to a disabled pet. However, you should keep in mind that pet adoption, especially when it comes to adopting blind or otherwise disabled animals, shouldn’t be done on a whim. Do your research and make sure you can commit to taking care of a pet that has special needs.

If you can’t or don’t want to adopt, that’s totally okay. You can still celebrate International Blind Dog Day by donating to a charity that supports blind dogs (for example, the Blind Dog Rescue Alliance) and spreading the word on social media.