Dog Talk: The small, furry miracle of Pickles the blind pup

Pickles started off living on the street, hungry, blind and helpless to defend herself. But she's now living a pampered life with a loving forever family. Photo: Nikki Pirinyuang

When Daisy was brought to the Paws animals shelter in Subang, Selangor, back in October last year, she had been attacked and had lost her eyesight.

As it is super hard to place even healthy dogs, pets who have a health problem or disability tend to killed. It's not out of cruelty; there are simply thousands of unwanted dogs.

Daisy lucked out because her personality captured the heartstrings of the shelter workers. They fixed her up and then asked for help finding a home.

Well, it worked!

Today, the little dog is living in the lap of luxury in a condo in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Renamed Pickles, she eats gourmet meals cooked by a service that caters for dogs, and has a choice of beds as well as a toy chest of her own.

Best of all, she is adored by her family, the Pirinyuang sisters, Nikki and Dee.

"We were actually in mourning for Pixie Dust, our dog who passed away aged 16," Dee confesses. "She was a rescue and, in the last three years, she had all the usual old-dog issues like bad hearing, glaucoma, being a little stiff and slow, and of course fussy with food. It conditioned us."

"It was at the back of our minds that one day we'd adopt an older dog, one who needed special care," Nikki explains. "When we heard about Pickles, Pixie was just gone. It was the boyfriend who sent the piece, but as his garden was too dangerous, we said let's look."

Both sisters were a bit nervous about their visit to the shelter, not certain what to expect.

"They let her out of her cage and she walked out like a boss, shaking with nerves but also determined to talk to the other dogs," Nikki remembers. "It was love at first sight. We said, that's it, we'll take her home."

But it wasn't as easy as the sisters expected.

"Agnes Lim, the assistant shelter manager, grilled us," Dee giggles. "It was only after an in-depth interview where we told her about Pixie Dust and proved that we were financially capable of supporting a pet that we passed."

Daisy was renamed Pickles as she's long and barrel-shaped. The initial P is in tribute to Pixie Dust. The little dog enjoyed being with the girls straight away but getting her settled took some doing.

"She stuck to our ankles and followed us closely," Nikki recalls. "But we saw that the change in texture, from walking over tile and then onto rug, freaked her out."

The girls spent time just leading Pickles around, so she could orient herself. Then they watched as she explored by herself.

"She would return to the same spot all the time, and then map," Dee explains. "It took her a few days to figure out how the rooms are laid out and where all the furniture is."

To help her, the girls were careful to leave everything in place. Even today, a year since Pickles moved in, they are careful about furniture. Nothing moves so Pickles can move around easily.

Toilet training was an issue as well because Pickles is nervous about walking outside. Noise startles her and so does the presence of passers-by. So the girls take her on very short walks, and they've also helped her by creating a doggy loo of her own in the apartment.

"We put potty pads in various places but she kept missing," Nikki explains. "Then we sat down and thought that texture cues really work for her. We got in a small patch of artificial grass and Pickles understood that this was the bathroom area. We placed the potty pad on top."

Another issue with shelter dogs is that they tend to be pretty good roughhousing with dogs but they may not be perfectly socialised to playing with humans.

Pickles was happy and friendly but a bit rough. The sisters had some claw marks, and they had to be careful about certain movements, like coming too close to Pickle's face.

However, over the weeks, Pickles began to be gentle and show affection. "She kisses and nibbles my nose," Dee laughs.

Pickles has dog friends of her own and is very good about playing with them. She especially loves going out to restaurants and cafes if she can sit with her family. However, there aren't many human visitors to the apartment and, when I went to visit, Pickles' reaction was interesting.

At first, the little dog was afraid. We met over a year ago so, to her, I was a new visitor. Thankfully, a few minutes of sniffing and quiet chat was enough to settle her. But interestingly, after about half an hour, she began to bully. She was a little growly, a very little bit nippy and appeared to be a little over-territorial.

For non-pet people, these little issues blow up and become bones of contention. But for the sisters, it's a quirk that they're already planning to quietly train Pickles out of. That is the kind of mentality that makes this adoption such a miracle.

On average, it takes a socialised shelter dog a few weeks to settle into a new home, and a few months to become comfortable. After all, if you look at it in human terms, you're looking at picking a person out of a massive jail complex with hundreds of others sharing their space and transporting them instantly to a totally different environment. It may be better in many ways, but it's unsettling.

With a differently abled dog, the task is much more difficult. Nikki and Dee put in hundreds of hours to help Pickles make the transition – and the effect of their hard work is startling. The little dog is happy, healthy and even more miraculous as she can play fetch!

"It took ages," Dee giggles. "We started off by playing tug and working out the puzzle kongs that are filled with treats. But all dogs play fetch and Pickles needs exercise. So, I picked a toy that has good audio effects. I taught Pickles to wait, we have total silence and when I throw it, she goes for it by picking up on the sound of the bounce."

Another sign of their adoration is Pickles' pyjama wardrobe. Nikki is half laughing and half self-conscious as she explains. "Pickles was a bit shivery at night and with her having a thin coat, we thought PJs were a sensible option." And then, not quite looking me in the eyes,"She has a summer and winter collection."

So there you go. Pickles started off living on the street, hungry, blind and helpless to defend herself. But thanks to a series of lucky breaks, and a boatload of work by a multitude of kind people, she's now living a pampered life with a loving forever family. It's a small, furry miracle.

Wishing you all a pawsome New Year!