Bonnie has conquered many obstacles throughout her life, although you would never know it by her appearance. The blind husky recently overcame her phobia of stairs with the assistance of her older sibling.
“She had to work her way up to it,” Victoria Pombeiro, Bonnie’s mom, told The Dodo. “The bottom of our house is split level, and for the first few weeks she only lived on the ground level and made no effort to come up to the kitchen area.”
Pombeiro knew that Bonnie would try when she was ready, so she didn’t force her. Wookie, her older brother, was right there to help her.
“After a while, she’d do a couple of stairs and then lose confidence and go back down,” Pombeiro said. “Then one day a friend came to visit, and we were chatting in the kitchen and there was something about the tone of my friend’s voice that just made Bonnie run all the way up to greet her. It was such a proud moment!”
Bonnie was saved by Pombeiro from Rushton Dog Rescue in the UK. She then had to take the steps to get back to the ground, which she did with a little help.
“I’d sit at the top or bottom of the stairs and just talk to her,” Pombeiro said. “Wookie would run up and down the stairs as if he was trying to show her what to do. It was adorable!”
The special needs dog, who was 4 years old, took to Wookie right away. They love to take naps and play together, and he’s always there to walk her.
“Bonnie is amazing, you’d never know she was blind,” she added. “She maps out a room, bumps into things once, and then learns where they are and never bumps into them again.”
Bonnie used to be afraid of stairs, but now that she’s over it, she takes them often. But Wookie’s presence makes it more likely.
“The one thing she relies on is the bell we put on Wookie’s collar so she can hear where he is,” Pombeiro said. “She follows him around the house and sits right next to him — pretty much on top of him.”
Bonnie had already been through a lot before she went to her forever home for the first time. She had been in an animal shelter in China, hurt, and had a scary trip to England. Now, she hangs out with her best friend, Wookie, every day.
“He was really patient with her when she first arrived,” Pombeiro said. “It was like he knew she needed a bit of moral support.”
Bonnie now has another chance.
“To have gone through everything she’s been through and still be so affectionate with both people and other dogs is just amazing,” Pombeiro said. “I can’t believe we were so worried about adopting a blind dog, she’s certainly shown us. She’s just such an inspiration and we’re so proud of her.”
Check out Bonnie’s first trip down the stairs here:
