Blind dog looks out for the ones he loves

The day began like any other. Volunteer Dan Fishbein leashed up an adorably blocky-headed dog named Moogan for a leisurely stroll along the sandy trails at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Small dust devils flitted along the trail and yellow flowers bobbed in the wind as they meandered down the path, with Dan avoiding any sharp branches or sticks Moogan could accidentally run into.

“I’m always focused on where his head is because he tends to barrel into things, and I don’t want him to get hurt,” says Dan. You see, Moogan is blind, but that doesn’t stop him from smelling the flowers and enjoying life — or from alerting Dan to a camouflaged rattlesnake coiled on the trail in front of them.

Moogan originally came to the Sanctuary from a shelter as a large, extra-bouncy, extra-playful pooch who thrived with more room to play and run. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means working together with shelters to save pets like Moogan.

Moogan loved the wide-open spaces of the Sanctuary, meeting new people, and playing endless games of tug-of-war with his best friends. Then something inexplicable happened. He suddenly started to lose his sight.

[Blind dog can still find his favorite things]

A vet exam at Best Friends Animal Clinic revealed he had a degenerative eye condition known as “sudden acquired retinal degeneration.” It was a mystery. There was no obvious cause, like injury or illness, for the sudden onset of this condition. There was also no effective treatment or cure.

Veterinarians prescribed eye medication to slow the degeneration, but it could only do so much. Moogan’s vision slowly diminished until he was only able to see shadowy shapes. Naturally, this was a bit frightening for the playful pooch, but over time, he adjusted to his new normal with his fun-loving spirit intact.

“He is pretty much completely blind now, but he gets about the world pretty comfortably, considering,” says Ben ORiordan-Tingley, one of Moogan’s caregivers. “Moogan's a very affectionate, gentle, playful guy. He loves his toys, sometimes flinging them into the air.”

In fact, it turns out this blind dog is an excellent interior decorator. He'll often redecorate his room, using his design skills to arrange his toys and blankets in a style that could only be described as “ruff-stic.”

Moogan’s called the Sanctuary home for several years now, living a life filled with love, toys, and treats from his favorite caregivers and volunteers. Among them is Dan, who has known Moogan for many of those years. They developed a strong bond during that time and are close friends.

Now the two are even closer, ever since the day they were out walking and Moogan noticed and brought Dan’s attention to a coiled rattlesnake that Dan didn’t see.

[Lessons from one blind dog led adopters to another]

“We were walking along, and Moogan sort of turns to the right, so I look down to my right foot, and there is a rattlesnake all curled up,” says Dan. “I gently pulled him away and thanked him, because I could have easily walked right into that snake.”

“I felt fortunate and a little surprised,” marvels Dan. “I take a lot of dogs out, and who would have thought it would be Moogan, the blind dog, who saves me from walking into a rattlesnake. He got extra treats that day.”

These days Moogan gets a lot of treats. And not one, not two, but three cozy beds in an office at Dogtown Headquarters. And all the attention he could ever ask for. OK, so he might be a tad bit spoiled, but he deserves it.

“He's an old dog and he's disabled, and he's very sweet,” says Dan. “He gets excited when people come in, and he’s sure easy to meet.”

While Moogan doesn’t play with his toys quite as much as he once did, he’ll still root around in his blankets to find his favorite ball and continues to hone his interior design skills. Nowadays, he’s content to meander along the Sanctuary trails with his favorite caregivers and volunteers, enjoying the scents of the flowers and, sometimes, nosing out trouble.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.