12/3/18Showing 1-34 of 344687 visitsAlbum by TerryPhotos by Terry
1 10-year-old Yates came to rescue blind from severe glaucoma, cataracts, and lens luxation, all of which had combined to damage his eyes so badly that they needed to be removed.
2 Yates's surgery to remove those painful eyes was on December 7.
3 Recuperating from the surgery.
4 Yates is just a little fellow, weighing 12 lbs.
5 "Thank you for rescuing me!"
6 He will play with a soft toy, shaking it vigorously to "kill" it, but loses interest after short while.
7 Click for a video of Yates playing with a toy. Sorry it is sideways; I can't get the video to load vertically.
8 Yates gets along great with other dogs.
9 He enjoys exploring around the yard on a sunny day, and doesn't have trouble navigating rocks, bushes, and other obstacles.
10 Yates is reliably house trained as long as you remember to take him out on a regular schedule, since he does not "ask" to go outside. He may resist going out in the yard when it is raining, but he so loves walks that he'll gladly go out on a leash, and then he will promptly anoint bushes and mailboxes.
11 Yates has learned to navigate the stairs in his foster home, both the carpeted and uncarpeted ones, and even the exterior deck stairs.
12 It did take him quite a while to get the courage to try the stairs, but with encouragement and slow, deliberate repetition, he has mastered them and now trots up and down with almost no hesitation.
13 Since the steps are about as big as he is, going down requires lots of testing with his nose and whiskers. Unfamiliar stairs in a new environment will require patient introduction, encouragement, and supervised practice.
14 Just enjoying the sunshine
15 People watching him run around in the yard and climb the stairs often don't even notice/realize that he does not have any eyes!
16 He is really a little love bug who enjoys being held. He will jump straight up into the air in front of you to get your attention, and hoping that you will catch him in the air. He'll also easily jump up onto your lap when you invite him.
17 Yates and his foster brother Cortland enjoy patrolling the back yard together and getting into barky gab fests with the little terrier who lives in the yard behind us.
18 Just chillin' on the couch. The eyes may be absent, but the ears are constantly patrolling for input.
19 Don't be fooled by his small size. He can leap right into your lap -- or even into your arms while you are standing up.
20 Yates is a gentle soul. He met a bunch of little kids recently and thought they were great, particularly the girl who kept petting him and the littlest boy whose fingers tasted yummy.
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27 Yates enjoyed going to Rat Terrier Jamboree and meeting dozens of other Ratties and new people.
28 He confidently walked around the field to confidently check everything out.
29 Much of the time he stayed near me, following me around by scent and sound, even when I wasn't paying any attention to him.
30 We entered the egg race competition, and won third place!
31 When he got tired, he asked to be picked up because he apparently wasn't sure where to curl up for a nap.
32 So he fell asleep in my arms!
33 Click for a video.
34 It doesn't take eyes to see that you and Yates were meant to be together!
