Romeo (fka Cannelo) was such a special dog.
When I visited Muttville to catch up with my friend Sherri Franklin, I had plans to meet Cowboy, another dog, but he was getting groomed at the time. While I was waiting, Romeo came over to me and basically picked me – it was an instant bond! He had some health issues and I just felt like with these problems, it might be harder for him to find a home. At that time, he was scheduled to have one eye removed. Muttville was so gracious to also take care of a lot of his health issues before placing him in my home, which is important for some people who might find tackling such issues overwhelming. It was instant love, I realized that I couldn’t leave without him and Muttville sent me home with my Romeo.
Romeo taught me and everyone else a valuable lesson – we don’t throw things away because they become damaged or impaired. When I adopted Romeo, I didn’t know that I was going to eventually have a dog with no sight. But after losing his eye, there we were, Romeo and I, inseparable. I became Romeo’s eyes. I want to encourage people not to be afraid of having a blind dog. I was a little intimidated at first but I spent time researching blind dogs as I didn’t know how it would look and feel, but in the end, it wasn’t scary at all. His blindness only deepened the love and responsibility I felt for Romeo!
Dogs have always been a consistent relationship teacher to me, showing me how to love unconditionally and without limits. Romeo taught me how to love even more. He showed me that when something becomes broken, we don’t throw it away. He showed me that we adapt to change. For six years we were inseparable as Romeo accompanied me to work and greeted clients even though he couldn’t see them. He would approach them, stretch, and bow. They would pet him, talk to him, and he’d go back and lie down. He had the perfect life. Even at his passing, he continued to teach me about unconditional love. The last words I uttered to Romeo were, “Thank you for picking me.”
Berlin Fisher
10/18/24
