Two rescued dogs — one completely deaf, and the other completely blind— have become an inseparable pair after meeting at a Tehachapi, Calif., animal rescue organization, and their adorable story is taking the web by storm.
Eve, a Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, was found by a postal worker in a Bear Valley snow drift when she was just 9 weeks old. She ended up at Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, an all-breed organization dedicated to finding homes for dogs in need. That Eve didn’t succumb to the elements is a miracle in and of itself, Eve’s rescuers say.
“It was amazing that she hadn’t frozen to death or been eaten by wildlife because we live in the middle of the mountains,” Marley’s Mutts Executive Director Zach Skow tells the Huffington Post.
Her survival is made even more amazing because Eve is deaf, she’s missing one eye, and her vision in the other eye is limited.
Because Eve is a special needs dog, it proved extremely difficult to place her in a home. Unsure of her surroundings, Eve spent her days chasing shadows. Skittish, she also had a tough time interacting with other dogs. Though the Catahoula mix was initially adopted shortly after her rescue, Eve’s disabilities proved too challenging for the family and she was returned to the rescue.
“Let’s face it, disabilities in the canine world are very misunderstood,” Skow says.
After she was returned, Skow and the rest of the Marley’s Mutts crew wondered if Eve would ever find the forever home she deserved. Could she learn to thrive despite her disabilities, learn to trust other people, other dogs?
That’s when a very special Border Collie mix named Dillon came into the picture. Two-year-old Dillon, who is completely blind, was abandoned at a nearby boarding facility before he was rescued by Marley’s Mutts. Dillon, down in the dumps after being left behind by his first family, found a new lifeline when he met Eve.
“As soon as Dillon ran into her — that’s literally what happened — they became best friends,” Skow explains.
Skow says he was shocked at the immediate close bond between Eve and Dillon.
“I thought their disabilities would separate them,” he tells ABC affiliate KERO 23 News of Eve and Dillon, “but from the beginning they just clicked.”
Together, Eve and Dillon help each other, Skow tells Express.
“Their abilities to help each other rather than hamper themselves seemed to bring them together and get the best out of them,” he explains, “it is amazing to see just how they work.”
“They are perfect for one another in the way they watch out for one another,” Skow adds of Eve and Dillon. “Each has never been more at ease than when they are together.”
Eve and Dillon had found each other, but the twosome still needed to find their happy ending — a family. Marley’s Mutts took to their Facebook page, hoping a quick post would help the bonded pair find the perfect home.
Shelley Scudder was visiting the Marley’s Mutts Facebook page one day on recommendation from a friend. That’s when she saw Eve’s photograph.
“A co-worker of mine showed me a picture of Eve and by the fourth day I said ‘OK, I’ve got to meet this dog,” Scudder says.
Then she learned of Dillon, the dog who’d become a best friend to Eve, and she knew the two would have to be adopted together. Scudder already had two dogs at home, but after talking with her fiancée and 11-year-old son, she decided to pay a visit to Marley’s Mutts. The rest, as they say, was history. Eve and Dillon were adopted together July 17, and Scudder says she couldn’t be happier to have added these special dogs to her family.
“I think they’re going to enjoy their lives together here,” she tells ABC.
Sources: ABCNews.go.com, Express, KERO 23 News, Huffington Post
