Help Indio Get His Sight Back!

Indio is a beautiful young Siberian Husky that was rescued from a Tucson shelter last November. He came to us scared, sick and covered with bite wounds in varying stages of healing. He'd obviously had at least one run-in with another dog, or possibly a coyote. He had an intestinal infection and was terrified of everything. When he saw another dog, he would hit the ground. In the course of veterinary visits to treat his problems, we discovered that he's almost blind.

What does this article have to do with military families? Nothing, except that this family of veterans is caring for this handsome dog, and we're asking for your help.

We have had the privilege of serving as a foster home for Indio since November, and he's wiggled his way into our hearts! With lots of love he's regained his confidence, so he’s a much happier dog now. He has a very loving and affectionate personality.

But we've learned that Indio has juvenile cataracts and is almost blind. This probably contributed in large part to his fears. Nature's adaptiveness is very evident in this young dog, because to watch him casually, you would have no idea that he has any limitations. And he races around our back yard at breakneck speed. But if we toss him a treat, it'll bonk him on the nose because he can't see it coming directly at his face. He has trouble seeing things coming at him from above.

Since Indio is so young, less than 2 years old, we really want to give him his sight back if possible. Huskies typically enjoy healthy life spans of 12-15 years or more, so the gift of sight to Indio would be a huge improvement in his quality of life for many years.

Arizona Siberian Husky Rescue & Adoption (ASHRA), the nonprofit organization we provide foster care for, took Indio to a veterinary ophthalmologist for an evaluation. We learned that the cataracts are so large that he has very little normal vision. Basically, he can just see around the periphery on the sides. The rest of his field of vision is like looking through a frosted glass shower door -- he can see movement, and light and shadow, but that's about it.

As you can imagine, if he were ever to get loose, the world would be a very dangerous place for him. We believe that is part of the reason he was so afraid when he was rescued.

Because his retinas are healthy, Indio is an excellent candidate for successful cataract surgery. This is a huge expense for ASHRA, and they've asked for our help to raise the necessary funds to cover the surgery (approximately $4,000).

We'd be very grateful if you'd click on the donate button below, which will take you directly to ASHRA's PayPal account, where you can make a donation to help Indio. Even $5, $10, or $20 will help. If you can afford more, that would be wonderful.

When ASHRA rescues a Husky, it makes a lifetime commitment to that dog. The dog cannot be made available for adoption until any and all medical problems are treated and resolved, and if the person who adopts the dog needs for any reason to find it a new home at any time in the future, ASHRA steps in again and finds a new home.

And they're pretty picky about who adopts their dogs! They send someone out to survey the location of a potential adoptive home, to interview the family members, see how the dog interacts with the family, to confirm there is adequate space for a large dog, and that there's a fence capable of containing a Husky (they should be called Houdinis!).

Monies collected over and above the cost of Indio's surgery (if any) will be used by ASHRA to cover medical expenses for other rescued Huskies. Every penny will be put to good use. And your donation is tax deductible.

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