Beagle Rusty had Posterior Lens Luxation, a condition that means the support ligaments of his lens’ weaken or break, causing the lens to dislocate from its normal position, falling backwards into the eye.
Our veterinarians possess extensive experience in performing this procedure. We also believed it was most prudent to conduct this surgery before making Rusty eligible for adoption. This way, potential adopters wouldn’t have concerns about facing this surgery in the future,” explained Michele Frennier, HARP’s marketing director.
Until Darrell Chulack and his family entered the picture, that was the situation. Chulack shared, “My daughter Kristen had spotted Rusty on Facebook and persistently encouraged me to adopt him for about two weeks. Eventually, I decided to visit Rusty at the Humane Society. The moment I met him, he approached, licking my fingers, and his tail was wagging. He genuinely touched my heart,” Chulack recounted to Newsweek.
“In his kennel, tears welled up in my eyes when I first saw him. He was getting prepared for his evening walk,” Chulack described. “When Rusty entered the room with my daughter and me, I knelt down on the floor and spent 15 minutes with him, during which he never left my side.”
Rusty originally came from one of our primary partners, the Humane Society of Parkersburg. He had arrived at their facility as a stray, and although their staff adored him, after spending about a month there, they observed no public interest in adopting him. Michele Frennier explained, “Their staff believed that Rusty might have a better chance of finding a new family through HARP.”
There were concerns about how Rusty, being blind, would handle the journey and adapting to an unfamiliar environment with other dogs around. However, Rusty’s resilience surprised everyone. He was the last dog to be taken off the transport and was gently carried into our shelter by Carla Prince, our relocation manager.
Based on Rusty’s behavior, the humane society strongly believes that he has been blind for most of his life. Frennier mentioned, “Staff and volunteers were instructed to approach Rusty with care to avoid startling him, but Rusty appeared quite comfortable with everyone he interacted with. Over time, we expanded his horizons by taking him on longer walks around the shelter, and one of our volunteers even began taking Rusty to a nearby park.”
Now, Rusty has seamlessly integrated into his new home, complete with two canine companions in the form of chihuahuas Bella and Chalupa, as well as a feline friend named Tarzan.
Darrell Chulack shared, “In the beginning, Chalupa wasn’t quite receptive to Rusty, but after a few weeks, she warmed up to him. They all head outside for bathroom breaks about seven times a day, just like a little family.”
“He has his own cozy bed where he sleeps through most nights, and he adores spending a substantial part of his day there. Rusty eagerly anticipates the treats he receives throughout the day. Whenever our four grandchildren come over, he can’t contain his excitement upon hearing them enter the house.”
“He has his own cozy bed where he sleeps through most nights, and he adores spending a substantial part of his day there. Rusty eagerly anticipates the treats he receives throughout the day. Whenever our four grandchildren come over, he can’t contain his excitement upon hearing them enter the house.”