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Sometimes you poop on a ball and then, sometimes, there's poop on your ball.

Imagine this, you closed your eyes and you're playing fetch. (Keep those eyes closed! In your imagination, you'll need them open to read this.)You know the ball you're looking for is close but you can't find it. You're sniffing around for it and the urge to release your bowels comes over you. You poop. Very carefully you make sure not to step in it, and then begin looking for that ball again. When you finally find your beloved ball, you also find it's right where you pooed! Sometimes, what you're looking for is right under your chocolate starfish.

This is Louie, more than once. It's always a party pooper. Game Over. No more fun with that ball. No one wants to touch it and neither does Louie.

 A Thoughtful Pooper.
Ever since Lou was a puppy he was a very careful pooper. Not in the way another dog might be where they carefully choose their spot far away in the long grass and circle a bunch of times before squatting.
I'm talking about after he goes. When Louie poos, he makes sure to find a spot that is clear of objects and on grass or dirt (most of the time). The fun begins when hes done. He totally freezes for a second and then suddenly pounces forward like a bunny. He gets a really good jump away from his turd and then he turns around, and takes a wide path around and away from his leavings.

Yes, I am a dog mom.
I could go on for pages with different observations. If I can get this many laughs and this much enjoyment from dog turds then I must be in love. In all reality, I am ALWAYS amazed when watching Louie, even if he's just taking a crap. He's just figured out how to get around so incredibly well. It would be easy for anyone to forget he can't see. Even a receptionist at the vets office didn't believe me. I tell ya, what he can't see, he can hear, smell, feel, taste and sense. That last one, I don't know what it means. Some crazy psychic voodoo stuff. Blind Louie the incredible!

Louie is a Free Range Blind Dog.
I've read a lot on the subject of blind animals and everyone has given me advice. People said I should put Louie down because he's blind, that he shouldn't be outside, that he can't be off a leash or do anything independently ever. This is not the case at all. I will not allow that. Louie is a happy, healthy free range doggy. He memorizes paths, if we move patio furniture we point it out to him before letting him on his way, but for the most part Louie navigates for himself. I normally have an eye on him, but not always. I always know where he is, but I don't always watch. Louie is pretty predictable, because he memorizes pathways from place to place. There is an intricate map of trails blazed through the yard, but they are invisible to the naked eye.

Lou will bark if something startles him or if another animal or human shows up. I know to go and check on him if I hear him barking. Louie will whimper if he is 'trapped' someplace. When Louie forgets where he is, he cries a little and I can go find him and reorient him.This sometimes happens when he sleeping on our bed during the day. If he's in the room alone, and the TV or radio isn't on, he may not remember which way he's facing and which direction to jump off. Usually he remembers, but if you hear pathetic crying coming from our room he just needs reminded which way to go.

Trailblazer.
When I first got Louie, the house we were living in he literally wore a foot path in the front yard. He would take the path from the porch out into the yard, then branch off from that to relieve himself. There were several different branches off, but he would always turn around and find the path he rode in on and follow it back to the porch. That's when I first notice this amazing ability.

Louie had our house mapped out, but moving was no problem either. Any time I bring something new for the house I choose thoughtfully with every family member in mind. I don't have a glass coffee table with a one of a kind crystal vase sitting on the edge with a cup of coffee over a white carpet. I don't buy pointy furniture, so I don't have special padding on corners like some books have suggested. I don't have a coffee table at all, only a little end table that sits between two chairs with soft arms. Louie can walk and gently glance off the furniture to guide him through. If I took in a blind dog, that was more recently blind or went blind when they were older, I would definitely have to take a different approach at first, but pads on the furniture and the like would be just training wheels. Louie is always on leash in unfamiliar place, until he gets an full picture of his surroundings at least. He doesn't mind the leash one bit, he knows I'm just here to help guide him.

Exhibit A

Tidy up for Lou.
Louie helps me want to keep a clean house. I can't leave my shoes lying about or he will trip over them. It's not that he would hurt himself, rather he would just be startled and not be as confident of navigating in his own home. This is most important. Louie needs to feel safe where he is, and to make sure this happens, I try to set Louie up for success.

What Personal Space?
Louie does not understand the personal bubble.
He thinks that he fits anywhere he wants to go and no one would ever mind making room for this 100 pound beast. Usually, he wants to go wherever a person is. Take exhibit A for example. My husband playing Nintendo and his dog Snorp lying on the couch next to him. It's really a love seat, not a couch. Louie wants to sit there too. He waits for a minute, and then decides to slowly creep up and just sit. He sees absolutely nothing wrong with facing the opposite direction that everyone else is. It's no big deal that his face is only an inch away from the couch or wall. There he is. Make room for Louie! Scoot over world here he comes!