Smiley is really an inspirational dog. He was born without eyes but that didn’t stop him to become “a man’s best friend”. He manages to put a smile on the mentally ill and handicapped people, helping them through their difficulties and helping them socialize.
The golden retriever was saved from a dog farm by Joan George, his owner, when he was 1 year old. Smiley was suffering from infections and that’s why Joan had to take Smiley to the vet to get his eyes sewed up.
After the adoption, Smiley was petrified because he has never left the farm where he lived.
“He was really scared, dogs never left that farm”, said George in an interview for ABC News.
Today, Smiley is a certified therapy dog who helps mentally ill and handicapped people in Ontario, Canada. Joan first noticed Smiley’s positive power after a visit in a nursing home, where he managed to make smile a person who never smiles.
“There was a man named Teddy. He didn’t talk, he didn’t communicate at all. People working there never saw Teddy smile. He laughed out loud with Smiley”, explains Joan.
Smiley also helped a small girl diagnosed with autism, who couldn’t sit still. She sat with Smiley for 30 minutes. The little girl’s mother was beyond happy.
Although Smiley bumps into objects, he is really careful and always listens to his owner. Joan encourages people to adopt blind dogs, advising them to let them be free.
“Don’t try to be their eyes, just let them be free”, says Joan. It was really important for her so that Smiley can learn how to move around by himself.
