Some dogs have disabilities or special needs, and while life can sometimes be hard on these pets, a good friend can make everything much better.
That’s especially true for blind animals — vision-impaired pets can benefit from “seeing eye” companions, who help them navigate the world and know they’re not alone.
Like one blind Siberian husky, who is still living his best life thanks to his best buddy.
Sterling, an 11-year-old Siberian husky, lost his vision three years ago after being diagnosed with glaucoma.
“When he was diagnosed with glaucoma, it was devastating,” owner Lilian McKee told Daily Mail. “We tried to fight it for a year and a half, with six treatments four times a day, but we knew it couldn’t prevent it for much longer.”
She says Sterling was “pretty down” after losing his sight, and his owners worried that, unable to experience all his favorite pastimes, their dog’s quality of life would decline.
However, that wasn’t the case. Years after going blind, Sterling — now donning protective ski goggles — is living his best life. And it’s all thanks to his best friend, Walker.
The owners unexpectedly adopted Walker, a 10-year-old Alaskan Malamute Walker, after his foster family could no longer care for him. But Walker ended up having a miraculous impact on Sterling.
The two dogs have become best friends, and Lilian says that Sterling has “perked up” and had found a new lease on life thanks to Walker.
“Walker loves getting him to play, and part of me thinks he doesn’t even realise that Sterling is blind sometimes,” she told Daily Mail. “They hike together, run together, sleep near each other and eat less than two feet away from each other.”
She says the two dogs have personality differences: Sterling “loves meeting people” and is a “distinguished gentleman,” although he’s the bossier of the two dogs. Walker, meanwhile, is a “goofy court jester.”
While their personalities sometimes mismatch, they also like to dress alike: they have many matching sets of bandanas, and Walker even wears his own goggles to match his best friend’s protective eyewear.
While losing sight can be a hard experience for a dog, it’s clear Sterling is still living his best life thanks to his pal and playmate.
“Having Walker around seemed to keep him going,” Lilian said. “We’ve found that still doing his favourite activities like running, long walks, trips to the beach have really helped him to be his old cheery self.”
What a sweet friendship. You can follow Sterling and Walker on Instagram to see more of their adventures together.
We’re so glad Sterling is still living his best life even after losing his sight. It’s a reminder of how a best friend can really change your life.
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