Crystal, the little Yorkie with a heart as big as her lovely coat, navigates the world with unshakable confidence and a chill, easygoing vibe. Sweet and spunky, she proudly claims her spot as the very best cuddle companion and will confidently let you know when it’s time to be scooped up and carried around like the royalty she is. Even though her vision isn’t quite what it used to be, Crystal has no problem advocating for herself, voicing her opinions and desires with gentle enthusiasm. She bonds with other dogs easily, enjoys moderate exercise at her own pace, and delights in being part of every moment, proving that a little vision loss is nothing when you have a joyful soul, a nose that can sniff out snacks anywhere, and the kind of loving personality that makes everyone’s day brighter.
Here’s some notes from her foster:
Crystal is a perfect name for this sparkly princess! This foster mom is thoroughly enjoying her stint with Crystal- who I call Crystal Gale as her hair is as beautiful as the Country singing Diva from the 1970s.
This is my first experience fostering/caring for a fully blind doggie and I am so impressed! Crystal is a smart little pup and immediately starting “mapping the room” sort of like a Roomba! She walked all over gently bumping into landmarks in order to figure out the lay of the land.
She has no fear and seemed entirely comfortable the minute she stepped into our home! She sleeps through the night both in the “big bed” next to her human companion or in a doggie bed on the floor next to our bed.
She doesn’t mind our (3) cats and they don’t mind her. She’s “met” our son’s (sweet but still young) Husky and they got along great as well. She seems to get quite excited by other animals but isn’t necessarily aware of them unless she gets really quite close. She got very close to one of our cats once and got REALLY excited! Couldn’t tell if it was to play or she thought our cat was prey- but obviously she is no danger because our cat just walked away when they saw the Crystal was getting quite frisky.
She enjoys walks but obviously one needs to take it slow because she needs to feel out her surroundings. I like to walk her with buildings on her left because once she feels the wall she can walk along side it quite happily. She does become a bit confused on “open space” so you may need to carry her across streets until she has a wall next to her to get hear bearings. She’s so tiny I don’t think she needs much walking and would probably be fine with just a few minutes near a tree so she can do her business and have a few sniffs- but I do take her on walks because she seems to enjoy it even if she’s a bit slow and needs to take her time.She is fully potty trained as well and hasn’t had any accidents. She seems to prefer going potty on dirt/gravel/textured ground as opposed to pavement but will still go on sidewalk if that’s all that’s available (she usually instantly goes once she first hits a tree with some grass around it- so I often lead her there first.) In terms of potty training, she is the best foster I have had and has never had a single accident.
Because she is so tiny and blind, I’ve been keeping her areas away from the stairs. She certainly has the energy and gumption to make it up stairs- but of course, she shouldn’t be left to try them on her own for obvious reasons so homes with stairs need baby gates.
I’m keeping her two beds in the same place at all times so she can always find them- as well as her food and water bowl. Food is obviously easy for her to find due to her doggie sense of smell but I have kept her water secured in a corner so that she can easily find it. She doesn’t drink much water- so owners should be aware of that. The food Muttville provides has water in it already of course!
Crystal is really a lovely dog. Perfect for someone who wants a companion to take shopping/on errands and who wants a little friend to snuggle with on their lap while they watch TV. She sleeps so well at night and is so perfect on the potty training front, her only real challenge is negotiating her surroundings. However, she is a fast learner and she already has a great sense of our bedroom and kitchen and can get around quite well. I also think she might get some light in those eyes of her as she reacts both to lights being turned on, and is often hanging out near our glass deck doors with her head turned towards the light outside. She LOVES to be outside between walks. She knows where the deck door is and will go and stand by it patiently so she can get out there with me and have a sniff! In spite of her size/lack of vision, she needs a home where she can get outside regularly for her happiness bucket to remain filled.
