Sparkle

About Sparkle (Siberian Husky) in Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Sparkle is waiting for you at Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Looking to adopt a dog that adds a bit of glitz and glam to your life.. meet Sparkle! Sparkle is an 8 year old husky mix gal who has stolen the hearts of volunteers and staff members. Upon entry to the Shelter, staff observed that Sparkle seemed to have trouble seeing her environment and would bump into things. Our medical team has been overseeing her care and consulted with a local ophthalmologist who determined that Sparkle is functionally blind. Although she appears comfortable at the moment, she may need both of her eyes surgically removed in the future. Because of this, Sparkle needs a very special adopter that will commit to her and her needs in the future. Our clinic team is available to talk to any potential adopter moving forward. More about our girl Sparkle.. She has gone on a sleepover with a volunteer who reports: `Although Sparkle certainly doesn’t see well (if much at all), she never seemed stressed being in a new environment. She spent a long time (~1hr) just exploring the room, sniffing every last corner. She did occasionally bump into walls/furniture, but quickly got better at navigating the space. Sparkle definitely kept a mental map of the area. For instance, she had to go up a couple steps to enter the house, which involved some hesitation on her first attempt. After that first time, she happily went up/down without any assistance. She only ever made it halfway-up the in-house staircase, but I also didn’t spend much time practicing it with her. Hopping on/off couches and beds was no trouble at all. In general, she did great at navigating the house. She happily followed me around, and knew very well the position of her water and toys and could locate them independently. Her lack of vision did not seem to bother her in the slightest. She loved her walks, and would even position herself in front of me instead of by my side. That being said, she would bump i