Entrant's First Name
Julia

Animal Bio
Ari, a corgi cross pomeranian, and was diagnosed with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) at age 5. The cataracts that gave him his "moonbeam eyes" appeared three years later. They are now fully developed and so he's blind twice over. People always stop me and say things like "Oh, good for you!" or "Oh, poor guy" implying that his life is not as rich as a seeing dog. Sometimes, after they observe him walking and sniffing and chasing sticks, they remark: "But he can see a little bit?" to which I reply, "He feels with his paws and whiskers, and sniffs with his nose, and hears with his ears his way through life; and he "sees" so much more than we can imagine." He walks off leash. He fetches sticks in the ocean (I throw rocks at the stick until he swims to find it). He is a baseball team mascot and comes out to every game. He chases bumble bees (and even catches them). He "watches" like he can see, with intrigue and intent.

He's been blind for half his life, with new places to call home, and new walks to explore, new friends and new car rides. His trust and enjoyment of this life is so easy for me to celebrate. And has also taught me no matter the pace, it's worth exploring.