blind

Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This week's spotlight goes to Zeus, the blind owl! 

You've probably seen Zeus before, he went viral for his incredible peepers! Eyes that look as if they contain the whole universe and all the answers to the unknown. When we hear or think of a 'Wise Owl,' it's Zeus who we think of. Zeus may be blind but he sure has the most enchanting eyes.

Zeus is a Western Screech Owl with a great wingspan. On his Instagram, it is mentioned that he has about 10% of his vision, and is able to see shapes and memorize his immediate surroundings. He currently is being cared for at the Wildlife Learning Center in Los Angeles, California. The wildlife center's mission is to "provide public education that inspires people to care for our wildlife, to care for our environment, to develop a deep interest in the life sciences, and to give loving care and sanctuary to animals in need." 

Find out how you can help them accomplish their mission and how you can help Zeus. 

Read up on last week's star on Instagram, Rex, The T-Rex Cat!

Tao, a 10-year-old blind golden retriever just got a new friend. Another puppy! And not just any puppy, but a puppy named Oko who helps him get through the difficulties he's facing due to his blindness. Tao has been on Instagram for a while and has more than 14 thousand followers, but suddenly, a few months back, a new dog, Oko, started appearing in almost all of his pictures - out on walks with him, sleeping with him, eating with him, and generally looking like he's helping him navigate life more easily, and we think it's one of the most adorable things in the world. 

Just because they can't see, doesn't mean they don't deserve the same love and attention as other pets. 

Blind pets may not see, but they can sure feel. And what they feel is overwhelming love. So much love that we can't help but feel it over on our end, too. 

We gave a shout out in the past to one-eyed cats, senior cats, and now we wish to do the same to those who have lost their eyesight. We're so happy to see these beauties thrive in an environment where they are loved. This is a specific shout out to all those beautiful blind (or semi-blind) pets. You are beautiful. 

It is claimed that elephants never forget. And we hope that's true especially for these elephants at the Thailand sanctuary, Elephant World, home to older elephants. 

Paul Barton, a classical pianist, has been sharing his talents with a rather large audience these days. And when we say "large," we mean it literally. Barton has been spending most of his time playing his beautiful music for the gentle giants of the elephant sanctuary. 

He first heard about the elephants when his wife discovered the sanctuary online. Barton explains in a video, "We liked the sound of the place being a retirement center for old, injured and handicapped former logging and trekking elephants. So we paid them a visit. I wondered if these old rescue elephants might like to listen to some slow classical music."

Barton reached out to the staff at Elephant World to see if he can bring his piano and serenade the elephants. The staff said yes. 

The first time Barton began to play for the elephants, one blind elephant, was in the midst of eating breakfast and stopped the second he heard the music. Barton had played Beethoven.

Barton continues to explain in a video,  "[He] was often in pain, and I like to think maybe the soothing the music gave him some comfort in the darkness," Barton tells CBS News that this elephant was the first to take to his music.  The musician said this was the first elephant to really take to his music. The gentle giant later died of an infection, sadly. Barton was heartbroken to hear the news. 

Barton continues to play for these old gentle giant, hoping the music soothes their soul. Even if the an elephant is blind, they don't need to see to hear and feel the music Barton is playing just for them. 

Moet is a beautiful six-years-old Persian white cat who had a very tough life until she met Emily Shotter from Nottingham UK.  

The poor cat was born to an unregulated breeder in Oman where she was severely neglected, often left without food and water, living in a dirty cage with no bed to lie on or toys, until she lost her eyes completely.  

Moet was then transferred to an animal charity, where she was treated and her eyes were removed.

Luckily for her, not too long after that, she was picked up by the kind-hearted Emily who finally gave her the good life she deserves. 

Emily started posting photos of the beautiful Moet and turned her into an internet sensation.

Story via: The Daily Mail

Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This week's spotlight goes to the beautiful blind angels, Cassandra and Omero! 

Even though Cassy and Omer are both white and orange cats, they are actually not related. Cassy was born in 2017 and Omer in 2018.

You might be asking how do they manage around the house both being blind? In a Q&A on their Instagram page, Cassy and Omer's owner explained that they use their sense of smell to navigate and have no problems to adapting to the layout of the house (even if she moves furniture around!).

Pretty impressive! What's even more impressive is their overwhelming love they have for their human. Check out these sweet pics and vids! And follow the adorable duo on Instagram! 

"How would you describe your dog? What's their personality? How soft are they? What other animals do they look like?" - This is what Stephen Shkuratoff from Canada, wanted to know. Shkuratoff is a devoted dog lover and a blind man. He is also a member of the Facebook group Dogspotting Society— a place for members of different Dogspotting groups to discuss their own dogs and get to know other group members. And boy, the descriptions were just what we needed!  

Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This weeks spotlight goes to Piglet, the adorable little pup who has become a global inspiration for kids everywhere! 

Piglet, was born deaf and blind, and is racking up thousands of followers on Instagram! Piglet is a pink-hued, two-and-a-half years old dachshund and chihuahua mix, who was rescued from an overcrowded litter of 37 pups in a Georgia hoarding facility. He was rescued by Melissa Shapiro, a Connecticut-based vet.

According to DailyMail, Piglet now lives his every best life, "like a prince" and has become a model for 'positive growth' for children. 

Some bonds are so special, you wouldn't dream of tearing them apart. That's what happened when Jill Mardesich and her fiancé went into the Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control in hopes of finding their current cat Penny a new friend. 

And while they were there, one cat, in particular, stood out. 

After losing both of his eyes to glaucoma, Charlie the adorable golden retriever gets his wn seeing eye dog and it's a pawsitively perfect match. Charlie is an 11-year-old golden retriever who lost both of his eyes in 2016, after suffering from glaucoma. But now, the blind golden has a new pal to help him navigate the world — a 4-month-old puppy named Maverick. His owners, Adam and Chelsea Stipe from North Carolina brought Maverick home in January, and though the two didn't initially get along, they've since become close buds — with Charlie relying on the puppy for nearly everything, from walking, playing, eating, and even using him as a pillow. Here are some adorable photos of their special friendship and their daily routine together. And if you want to follow these two good boys, visit their instagram page.  

With the help of Westley, Waffle and Gus, Thomas Panek became the first blind person led exclusively by guide dogs to finish the race.

What an accomplishment! Thanks to these adorable furry companions, Thomas Panek was able to partake and complete the New York Half Marathon, making him the first blind person to ever do so! See the images from the marathon below:

A cat in New Hampshire has a new way to get around after a group of students designed him a set of wheels for his unique set of challenges.

Casey Elise Christopher is animal advocate and pet photographer who volunteers at numerous animal shelters and rescue groups. Few months ago, he noticed an increase in the number of blind cats and kittens and felt it was like a sign to do a series of blind cats photos in order to help them get adopted. Here are some of his beautiful photos.