Nala Rose was an otherwise healthy puppy, but at just a few weeks old, they were considering putting her down. Unfortunately, Nala Rose was born without eyes. She had eyelids, but no eyes, and consequently things weren’t looking good for her.

The breeder said she had never had anything like that happen. She and her husband decided to put the puppy down because they didn’t think she would have very good quality of life and they didn’t think anyone would want her without any eyes.

Before taking the tiny pup to the vet, they reached out to Joan Wiegers, a volunteer with the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. She explained that because Nala Rose was born that way, she would never know the difference. The breeder made the decision to surrender her to Weigers who took her in and began caring for her as a foster dog.

Once Nala Rose was old enough to go to a forever family, Weigers took her to an adoption event. “My mom was holding her and when I came back from picking out food for our other dog, she was going over adoption papers. When we first got her we didn’t really know much about where she came from until her first vet checkup with us,” said Jayden Radtke, Nala Rose’s human sister.

At the pup’s first vet visit, the family was shocked to learn that if Nala Rose hadn’t been taken in by the rescue that her breeder was going to have her put down. Nala Rose has settled into the family very well and they say she’s doing amazing.

She has a dog sister that acts as her guide dog, and the family has found a way to make sure that Nala Rose can find someone if she needs them. “We put bells on Ellie’s collar so Nala can hear her walking and follow her. When we first brought her home, my little sister made bracelets with bells on them for everyone to wear so she could hear us too,” explained Jayden. “Her hearing is really good, though, so when you walk anywhere you can be she is following you if Ellie’s not around.”

The family says that Nala Rose thinks she is a big dog and she’s never been intimidated by bigger dogs. She just runs around and plays with them. They say she likes to play outside and isn’t the least bit shy. She has no problem walking up to people or other dogs and introducing herself.

Jayden says that most people don’t even realize Nala Rose is any different than other dogs because her hair hides her face. She says that Nala Rose is so happy and healthy that there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with her.

The family says they can’t imagine life without the little furry pup now and just thinking about what would have happened to her if they hadn’t adopted her makes them sad. “We were heartbroken to think about what might have happened to her. It is so sad that some people don’t think pets with disabilities can have a good quality of life and be happy. We can’t imagine her living a better life than she is now.”