Happy Tails To You, Onya

By Phil McPeck

Onya, a border collie mix, just needed a little time to solve the biggest, scariest problem a healthy dog can have, and she got that time through the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center, Denver’s premier no-kill shelter at 1005 Galapago St.

Onya’s original name was Keller for her kinship with the late Helen Keller, who triumphed over being born deaf and blind to become a celebrated political activist, author, and lecturer. Onya was born in February 2013, also deaf and blind.

Her problem, though, was more profound than a lack of hearing and sight. She was homeless.

She was rescued in Aurora and brought to MaxFund on May 21. “If she was at any other shelter, she would be dead,” says MaxFund director and co-founder Nanci Suro.

After a time in the nonprofit shelter’s kennel, Onya went to foster care with a MaxFund staffer. She was to receive some special training, the next step after a stay at the home of cat shelter manager
Donna Clancy.

It was Clancy who shepherded the dog to VRCC Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital in Englewood to be evaluated by experts in special-needs pets.

Veterinarians confirmed that Onya is for all intents and purposes deaf, although she may be able to hear certain high-pitched sounds. Clancy says she saw hints of that when Onya was in her backyard. But when Onya hears something — perhaps a bird chirp, if anything at all — “she hasn’t figured out where it’s coming from,” says Clancy.

Onya’s eyes never developed. She did respond to a pen light shined into the pupil on her left side, which told veterinarians the eye has a retina and it is attached. What little she can see is not clear and she is destined for total blindness, veterinarians report. Her right-side eye socket is empty.

The vets explained that some dogs are not only genetically predisposed to blindness at birth, but are also susceptible to vision problems at the relatively young age of six or seven years, along with other severe eye issues. Among those so inclined are albinos and merles, which describes Onya. Her skin is pink and her soft, long, border collie-like coat is predominantly white. A black-gray-tan merle encompasses her left eye and runs onto the edge of the ear. There’s a gray spot above her left haunch and a strong, gray band of merle across her rump, including about half of her bushy tail.

Despite her limitations, Onya has made “amazing” progress, Clancy says. In late June, she was referencing things in the back yard based on what was under her feet — patio or grass. “You can stomp your feet real hard and she can feel the vibration. She comes to where it’s strongest,” Clancy says.

“She is still a puppy and wants to be a puppy. She wants to play. She very much uses her nose and her mouth.”

MaxFund adoption counselor Erica Jenkins noted other positives in the border collie mix’s intake file. Onya knows doggie doors and appears to be house trained, she notes.

Furthermore, Clancy says, she responds to pressure when walking in a harness and on a leash. She uses her nose to explore wherever her four legs take her, tail wagging when she is confident or delighted.

Onya’s profile appeared among the adoptable dogs at MaxFund.org, where there are other special-needs dogs. There, or through a TV appearance, Onya caught the eye of a Denver woman. She recognized the dog’s eagerness, desire, and intelligence to thrive — the same as Helen Keller did — and adopted her.

We at Out Front tip our hats to those who step up and rescue a dog — especially one who needs the extra attention. Sound like you? Visit MaxFund.org to find out more.