Luna’s Future is Looking Much Brighter
Blind Baypath alum Luna is beyond lucky to have joined the incredible Senay family (complete with 5 dog siblings!), who share a home in the mountains on several acres of land. Her kind adopters are amazed she has been able to move about their home so easily, especially considering her recent double eye-removal surgery to alleviate severe pain from late-stage glaucoma. They have said that their resident dog, Kevin, still bumps into things in the home. Kevin has lived with them for 10 years and two years ago, due to losing oxygen as a puppy, he had limited eyesight and now he is completely blind.
The Baypath team learned from the Florida shelter who helped save Luna, Tallahassee Animal Services, that life hadn’t been too kind to this beautiful five-year-old husky, who was found curled so deep in a wooded ravine that city workers had to cut away brush during her rescue.
Just as Luna was about to begin her journey to Massachusetts, Hurricane Ian hit Florida, causing a delay in her transport. Upon finally arriving at Baypath, Luna stole the hearts of our staff and volunteers, eagerly offering kisses and affection. Dog Foster Program Coordinator, Lauren DiMartino, began researching myriad supports for recently blind canines, eventually landing on Muffin’s Halo for Blind Dogs, which offers devices that protect dogs from bumping into walls and other hard surfaces while they become familiar with their surroundings. Thanks to Lauren, Muffin’s Halo shared Luna’s story, received several generous donations and sent this special girl a life-changing gift!
Staff knew that due to her special needs, Luna would flourish in a foster home, so they quickly went to work securing a loving temporary abode. The Dahlstrom family welcomed Luna into their home, working tirelessly to guide her as she acclimated to her Halo. They report that before long, this determined pup made her way around their home with surprising ease, even learning how to navigate stairs! The Dahlstrom’s utilized verbal cues to help Luna, saying “step” when she approached stairs. Luna also learned to use her nose as a guide, tapping stairs to determine their direction. Always a scene-stealer, Luna relished her 15 minutes of fame when her story was featured on HCAMTV, one of Baypath’s community partners.
Luna in foster
After receiving loving support from the Dahlstrom’s, Luna was adopted by another remarkable family – the Senay’s, who have been welcoming older, special needs dogs into their home for many years. Luna joined twelve-year-old Golden Retriever siblings Katy and Kevin, as well as Baypath alums Chance, Russell and Socks!
A few short weeks later, this wonderful family found room in their hearts for Russell, another cutie with medical needs that came to us from a neglect case. Russell was fortunate – as was Luna – to benefit from Baypath’s expansive foster network. Karen Catallozzi, one of our wonderful long-time fosters and volunteers, devoted herself to Russell’s care, giving him daily medicated baths and caring for his skin condition to help him become strong and healthy and got him on his way to his forever home with the Senay’s.
Luna’s fifth new furry sibling is Socks, a senior with medical concerns who came to Baypath all the way from Texas. Thanks to our Lily & Orchid Extraordinary Medical Fund, our veterinary partners were able to complete the ear surgery Socks needed in order to thrive.
We are forever grateful to our nationwide partners, wide-reaching foster network, dedicated volunteers and spectacular adoptive families, who make happy endings like Luna’s possible. Now living her best life, Luna and her canine siblings are spoiled, traveling to Maine’s beaches and receiving personalized cakes for their birthdays and ‘gotcha’ days!
