Kaytee has been blind since 6 weeks old due to a bite to the head. She was adopted by Karen Mier at eight weeks of age, and will be eight years old in July 2002. This special team has been through a lot together. According to Karen, "You really have a different point of view after sharing your life with the special ones. Training a blind puppy is very challenging, interesting and amazing." I am hoping to hear more from Karen as she shares her experiences with Kaytee.

An article appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal on April 25, 1996 with Karen and her pack (photo taken by L. Roger Turner). Karen Mier is the "alpha.dog" in the running pack, which includes her Golden Retrievers, from left, Kaytee, 1, who's blind, Sandi, 7, who's afraid of snowplows; and Rusty, 9, who's been jogging since 9 weeks old. They start a three-mile run on the East Side of Madison every day at 5 a.m., unless it's dangerously cold. Their worst problem is being attacked by stray dogs. "I hang on tight if we get charged, and I scream at the other dog," Mier said.

This is Karen's story about Kaytee that she wrote in 1997: Kaytee was born in Ohio. Her breeder was having a picnic and someone was feeding the sire people food. Kaytee jumped on him and he turned and bit her in the head. I do not know if it was intentional or not. She lost her right eye and was blinded in the left. I can not imagine how she must have cried. I was told that her poor little (six-week-old) head was so swollen they could not tell that she was blind and if they had known I think they would have put her to sleep. Well, this guy had a small child that was teasing Kaytee. He felt the child was winning now but in the future Kaytee might. He called around to try and find a home for her. He brought her to the Vet School here in Madison, Wisconsin where I work. Several had taken her home for a trial. Oh, yes, she was cute, but very blind.  I had not gone to look at any of the other dogs needing homes because I had two Goldens, Rusty and Sandi.  Someone stopped by and said, "they have a really cute golden down stairs". I don't know why but I went down. I fell in love with her. She needed me. I told hubby it was for the weekend. She was 8-weeks-old at the time and she now in 1997 has just turned three.

She was very mouthy and aggressive at first. After she learned she was home and safe, she did soften up. Well, after being born, injured and homeless all in eight weeks, what could be expected? It had been a long time since we had a puppy in the house. It's a good thing Kaytee is a large breed dog or I would still carry her around and she does not need that. Stairs were the hardest to learn. Once she learned to trust me, I could ask her to do anything.

We went to puppy class and beginner obedience. Little Kaytee received a standing ovation at both graduations. She has learned turn right, left, step up, step down. A tap on the floor shows her where she has dropped a piece of food or where her favorite wobbie is. I always announce when I am leaving the room and where I am going, upstairs or downstairs and she will follow most of the time.   She likes to lay on my lap so I can't get away. We have a fenced in yard but I still go out with her every time she goes, mainly because she eats things she shouldn't. She likes to sit at the top of the second floor and listen to things, she bobs her head up and down (reminds me of Stevie Wonder).

I tried to let her roam through a small part of the house when we are at work. She must have thought someone was at the door because she made huge holes in the wall by the door. I repaired them and it happened a few more times. She has an X-Pen with carpet on the floor. It's like a baby's play pen and she does very well in that during the day. At night she is free to roam and stays upstairs with us. Sometimes I think she thinks she is invisible, because she can't see us. She will sit right in front of you with a big sock sticking out of her mouth. Really she is so special and sweet I could go on forever.
 

A Day in the Life of Kaytee
During the work week the clock goes off at 5 a.m. I usually wake up and Kaytee is snuggled next to me. She appears sound asleep. All I need to do is sit up or click on the light next to my side of the bed and she is up. She jumps off (over two-foot high bed) with great speed, does a few stretches and we are ready to head down to the first floor. Kaytee is ahead of me and then to the basement where my jogging clothes and shoes are. Then harnessed up it's a quick trip to the yard and out the fence to start our journey. She stays close to me and does get startled with some of the noises, garbage trucks sirens or horns. I tell her "It's ok, I'm right here". We continue on. I let Kaytee know when to turn or step up or down or WAIT, which is like freeze in order to stop at a intersection. I also let her know when we get close to the railroad tracks as there is a gap. She spreads her paws and marches like when she is going up the back stairs at home.
    
Kaytee always knows when we are close to an object, a car, or a bridge. She must sense the air movement as she kind of looks at it. We finally arrive back home. This is great, and it kind of happened as a fluke. I go around the front porch to grab the paper. We enter the back gate where I throw the paper on the porch and remove her harness and leash. What does Kaytee do? She picks up the newspaper. Now, I could never get my sighted dogs Rusty or Sandi to take it even if I gave it to them. So proudly she carries it in to hubby. This is not easy for her. Due to her injury she also has a wry mouth. It is crooked and has a severe inner bite. The heavy ones, and the Sunday paper I help her carry. When the paper is there in the morning I sing a little song to the tune of "If you want to be a badger just come along with me" (a football rally song). I sing "If you want to be a paper girl, sit pretty for me" (yes, I am a little crazy). Kaytee will sit so straight and wait for me to hand her the paper.

All of my dogs seen to collect several names. Kaytee, Kayteelee, and somehow LeeLee, and peanut, sugar, honey, munchkin. Well now we are in the house. When Kaytee was a pup I would lock her in the bathroom with me when I would take a shower so she would not get into trouble. Now, we get back and that is where she goes to wait for me. My bathroom is so small I have to step over her to get in or out of the shower. On the weekends I may not head in right away and she stays there for a while. Finally she will come out. When I am ready to shower I say "Show, Show, LeeLee and she runs into the bathroom where she also gets her teeth brushed every day. For that it's "Lets see LeeLee's teeth," and she raises her head for me to brush them.
    
Once I turn off the water and slide open the shower door, she runs to the living room closet. That is where the food is. She loves to eat. I fill up the bowls while I comb my hair and dry off so I can make sure I see her if she heads for another bowl. She plays with her wobbie and jumps over Sandi while I get ready for work. I take her out one or two more times before we leave for work at seven. Then a treat and "Lets go to Kaytee's house" which is her x-pen. I tell her Sandi is here and we will see her later, we will be back and have to go to work. When I am just going outside for five minutes I tell her I will be right back. This lets her know when she is in for the long haul.
    
After work it's "Kaytee, Mommy's home, grab your wobbie lets go outside." I open the door on her pen and she flies outside. Running with her stuffed dinosaur in her mouth barking, kind of muffled and cute. She was almost two years old before she would go out with my husband. Kaytee would wait at the door for me, unless she really had to go. Then there's a race back in the house to that special closet where the food bag sits. During the evening, more trips out and play. Then at bedtime we all head upstairs. If we humans stay up to late, she goes up without us.

   
On the weekends we try to get to the dog park. There is one that is very open and Kaytee chases Sandi till Sandi manages to lose her. Then Kaytee just jumps up and down trying to find her. Kaytee gets going pretty fast. I have to tell her to turn when she is getting close to a tree. I also use bump, out and at home, for a impending crash and she weaves away. It sure makes my heart smile to see my blind little girl out of breath and all tuckered out from playing and running so hard.
    
Kaytee loves to ride in the car. She runs out the fence and follows Sandi straight to the car with no hesitation and jumps right in. When I was looking for help to guide Kaytee at the puppy stage, I couldn't find much help. Most people had older dogs who lost their sight after learning all about the world. So it was live and learn by trial and testing out different things. Since there are no human kids at our house I was able to spend all my free time helping Kaytee. I usually stay around on weekends because they have to be alone all week while we are at work.

I lost Rusty in 1997 and Sandi in 1999. I now have Oscar a sweet almost 4-year-old Golden to be Kaytee's sight dog and of course for me, as sight human. Kaytee just had her seventh birthday on July 8, 2001. We had a little party and she had a party hat and big marrow bone. She loved it. She has not gone jogging since before we moved, two years ago. Oscar and I go jogging and then we come back and take Kaytee walking as far as she wants to go. Kaytee had surgery last November to remove her remaining eye due to much pain and trouble. They also thought she had a sarcoma on her face that was removed at the time of surgery and gave us options for chemo or radiation. I decided it was too much for her and she would stay home with us. It has been almost 18 months and all is well. Kaytee has also been taking medication for a hypothyroid condition for almost five years. She is my little trooper, my hero. Everyone who meets Kaytee falls in love with her. She snuggles up and leans right next to you. My friend tells me she is a real date magnet at the dog park as the guys just melt over her!

 

Here is Kaytee's winning entry in the 2001-2002 Fur-Ever Love Contest. She was 8-year-old in this photo.
 

July 23, 2004 Update
Last weekend we were in northern Wisconsin. We stayed with relatives on a lake. Oscar (sighted) was afraid to go very far into the lake. Didn't want to swim. Miss Kaytee went right in and started to swim. She is so cute. She spreads her paws and just swims in the direction of our voice. Oscar then followed Kaytee's lead and swam out with her. She continues to amaze me. The blind teaching the sighted. That would have been a great movie clip. Except Gary and I were both in the water too.















 

December 2003 Update (Christmas Greeting)

July 2004 Update (Birthday Celebration)
Karen surely can't believe that her baby is 10-years-old. Miss Kaytee, the princess, sure did enjoy her cake, served on grandma's fine china. And, according to Mom, she was sweet enough to share with Oscar!

January 2005 Update (It's Snow!)

July 2005 Update (11th Birthday)
Now if only us humans could be as happy as our Goldens! Hubby Gary was in charge of making sure no one sampled the cake until the photos were finished. It wasn't an easy job.

December 2005 Update

April 2006 Update
Here is Kaytee's winning entry in the Sweet Golden Smiles Photo Contest. She was an 11½-year-old in this photo.

May 2006 Update
A new little puppy sister for Kaytee and Oscar has been brought home into the family.

This is what Momma Karen has to say about little Josie: "She is precious. She does not like spending time in the x-pen. Can she squeal and shake those bars. Oscar and Kaytee are getting use to her. I have to make sure she stays away at meal time. She wants to jump on them. She has a lot of energy and is a full time job. :)"

July 2006 Update
We received this message from Karen on July 10, 2006: "Kaytee had a great 12th birthday last Saturday. She did share her birthday cake (chicken and potato) with Josie and Oscar." Here are the wonderful photos from this special event. Be sure to check out the custom bandana, inscribed - HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY KAYTEE.

December 2006 Update
We received this marvelous card that now sports 3 furkids' delight at the holidays.

February 2007 Update
We received this marvelous photo just filled with love for Valentine's Day.

June 2007 Update

July 8, 2007 Update
This very sad message comes from Kaytee's mom, Karen. It was posted to the Golden Hobbes Email List. It has taken some time to get it up here because just reading it would bring so many tears. Kaytee has meant so much to us here at the Land of PureGold and represents our special educational and therapeutic mission in which we believe stories can be healing and instructive devices as well.

Today was Kaytee's 13th birthday and it was celebrated by Karen and her hubby Gary. They are placing beautiful flowers in her memory garden where they also have flowers for their Rusty and Sandi. Now, they are all together. Karen's Oscar seems sad but little Josie is the clown that is helping distract Karen from her grief.

It was so heartbreaking when Karen shared this with me: "She went to the bridge holding the stuffed animal she won in your contest. I wore my earth angel shirt for the first time yesterday, it gave comfort for me."