Flower was a stray in the Richmond, Virginia area, in the spring of 2017, and ended up in the shelter. While in the shelter, she had to be shaved down, including around her eyes, because of fleas and terrible matting. However, she didn’t seem to mind – the shelter named her “Sweetie Pie” because she is such a sweet girl! The shelter said she is a poodle mix, but one look at her and you will see she is not a purebred poodle. She is mixed with something (or several somethings!). She has a cute tail that curls at the end, and it wags almost all the time.

The shelter was running out of room so Sweetie Pie was running out of time. She was scheduled for euthanasia when the Blind Dog Rescue stepped in and saved her life. She came to her Virginia BDRA foster home in early March 2017, was renamed Flower in honor of the spring season, and settled in very well.

Flower had many medical issues addressed in 2017, including treatment for ear infections, tooth extractions, and medication prescribed for her eye troubles. She was spayed at that time too. She has some mammary tumors, and some were removed; one was confirmed to be a very slow-growing cancer (mammary adenocarcinoma). Based on testing done at the time, the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes or her lungs, which is excellent news, and she still seems to be feeling quite well.

Flower was adopted in the summer of 2017 and during her time with her adopter, she needed to have both eyes removed. In January of 2019, her adopter could no longer keep her, so she came back to her same BDRA foster home in Virginia. When she was with her former adopter, the vet that provided her care said she was about 12 years old in the summer of 2018. This is older than the Richmond shelter had guessed. With any stray, it is impossible to know their age.

Since her return in January 2019, she had a dental procedure that included a few extractions. A tip of a root was left in her mouth during the dental as it could not be safely removed, so she is on medical hold as she is at risk for an infection in that area, so she will be watched for an extended period of time. Flower has also been treated for bilateral ear infections. In addition, she has luxating patellas, with the right kneecap out of the socket, and she has a possible tear in her cruciate ligament. She has arthritis in her hips too, and is on medication for chronic pain.

Flower has very limited hearing and, of course, no vision, but she gets around the house pretty well; she can find her bed and the water bowl too.

Flower is a very sweet dog! She loves to eat, she sleeps quietly all night (in fact, she has barked only once since coming back to her foster home in January), she is 100% house trained, and she enjoys walking around outside. She is not really interested, though, in following along when on the leash. She likes to go where she wants to go, and loves to pause and smell all the smells. She gets along with dogs and the foster home cat, and adores attention from adults. She especially loves belly rubs. She loves to be held and cuddled, and also is very content hanging out on her dog bed. In fact, she sleeps quite a bit. She has very brief periods during the day when she is playful. She has not yet had a chance to be with small children and it is expected she would be friendly, but any young child with any dog (including Flower) needs continual adult supervision.

Please keep an eye on this webpage for notification that Flower is ready to be adopted.

Flower is forever in our hearts.