When we committed to pull Guinness from the shelter, we knew he was mostly or completely blind, but we didn't realize until after we got him that he is also hearing impaired. While can detect clapping and hear loud high pitched noises, he has a hard time telling where the sound is coming from. But he is resilient and curious, so he gradually learns a new environment. And his sweet, calm, low-key nature gets him by just fine! For questions about Guinness, please EMAIL ME For information about adoption or to apply to adopt, please visit the New Rattitude website.
Date(s): 06/20/25. Album by Terry. Photos by Terry. 1 - 36 of 36 Total. 7142 Visits.
1 Say hi to Guinness.
2 When the shelter said they needed help with a sweet little blind gentleman, we knew he had to come to New Rattitude.
3 Guinness is estimated between 9 and 10 years old.
4 His shelter records say that he weighed 12.6 lb. on intake 6/7/25, but just 9 days later he weighed 11.0 lb. Clearly he wasn't eating at the shelter. When he first got here, he was having a tough time keeping food down and was totally uninterested in eating. Once we learned he had coccidia and began treating for that, he got over his extreme nausea and he turned a corner.
5 He started eating eagerly after a few days, and he now (as of 7/24/25) weighs 14 lbs., which is a good weight for his frame.
6 Back in June when he first got out of the shelter, he was friendly with the other little dogs in his temporary foster home.
7 Once he got here, he immediately began exploring, going until he touches an obstacle then turning and continuing a different direction, like a Roomba.
Download MPEG4 8 Click the Download link for a right-side up video of him curiously but cautiously exploring a new environment.
9 A thorough ophthalmology exam unfortunately found that Guinness has virtually no retinal activity, so even removal of his cataracts wouldn't be able to restore vision.
10 But his eye pressures are within normal limits, he has decent tear production, and he is stable, so there is no need for any treatment other than on-going monitoring at his regular annual exams.
11 We quickly noticed that he did not respond to most sounds and noises and realized that he is hearing impaired.
12 He will alert to high pitched noises and clapping but has a hard time determining what direction the sound is coming from.
13 Trying to figure out what that noise was.
14 Guinness doesn't act particularly concerned about his lack of vision and poor hearing. He just explores slowly, with mild curiosity and a sweet, gentle demeanor.
Download MPEG4 15 Click the Download link for a rightside up video of Guinness climbing the deck stairs. He was pretty quick to master coming up, but took longer to get familiar enough with the stairs to brave going down them on his own.
16 He will often just stand there staring into space and thinking.
17 And when he is tired of standing and thinking, he will just calmly lie down wherever he happens to be.
18 Or he will find a couch and make himself comfortable. He has no trouble jumping up onto or off of a couch on his own.
19 First backrub session with his new foster dad. He decided this was something he would love to get used to!
20 Unsurprisingly, Guinness had a couple of housetraining accidents in his first couple of days here. But once he learned his way around the house and got used to our regular outdoor schedule, he has been very reliable.
21 At his regular vet exam, everything checked out very well, including heart/lungs, teeth, bloodwork, and urinalysis. So after he gets some more weight back on he will be in great health, despite the vision and hearing challenges.
22 Guinness is a quiet, low-key guy who accepts life as it comes. He likes his naps, some calm exploring of the back yard, and occasional cuddles.
23 When you can't find him, it's because he has burrowed his way under any covers he can find.
24 Mr. Calm-Cool-and-Collected hanging out in the sunroom.
25 At night he will put himself to bed in his crate and proceed to burrow under his blankets. He'll also seek out his crate during the day for naps.
26 Guinness has excellent house manners, never getting into anything he shouldn't. He isn't an escape risk. He seldom begs for food.
27 And he virtually never barks!
28 When it's dinner time, he smells the cooking and comes to the kitchen.
