Benny The Blind Chihuahua

Sunday evening is our designated family walk day. We love walking to the view point that spans the Pacific coast and letting Luke and Benny run free as the sun sets. However, there is one little hitch. If you have been reading this blog for awhile now, you probably know that Benny is our chihuahua. And he is blind. Blind as a freaking bat.

Luke loves Benny. Adores the little creature. Every morning he starts off his breakfast with his daily inquiry about his beloved puppy, "Ben-nnyyy? Oof-oof!" (that's "woof-woof" in partially coherent one-year old babble). However, a tumbly toddler chasing a 4-pound dog that can't see him coming can get a little dicey. Luke is learning to not run so frantically around Benny and to pet him softly, little by little.

As I watched them play, I realized I've never told the story about Benny. Officially, anyway. So get some treats and settle down for story time (don't worry, it's a short one).

Matt and I had been married for a few weeks and decided we needed a little fur baby. Being the dirt poor newlyweds we were, our apartment was teeny-tiny, so naturally we would need a teeny-tiny puppy. Ding, ding, ding!  Chihuahua it was to be!

The search on KSL began, and we happened upon the homeliest, buggy-eyed, crooked-eared chihuahua puppy. The so-ugly-it's-cute kind of thing going on. And he was the runt of the litter! Jackpot. Phone calls were made, puppy gear was purchased and soon we were meeting our newest addition in a parking lot in Salt Lake. 

Benny was beyond adorable. He fit perfectly into my cupped hands and I couldn't believe there were puppies that tiny! He whimpered and snuggled into my lap, although he was unusually skiddish.

A few weeks passed, and we realized something wasn't quite right. After countless efforts to play fetch or chase string, he still just sat there with a blank stare and didn't respond to any games. The trip to the vet a couple days later confirmed our suspicions that he was indeed blind. We had unknowingly bought a blind dog (that kind of thing would happen to us), but it was one of the best unintentional decisions of our lives. Benny is sweet and special and one of a kind! In fact, our next dog will quite possibly be another blind one. 

Because we love fur babies and support animal-friendly and cruelty-free products, I want to share with you the "Designed for Good" limited edition Method soap campaign. First off, all Method products are not tested on animals, use no animal by-products and are environmentally friendly. We use them in our home and I love, love love them. They smell yummy and are always designed with a sharp aesthetic appeal. Secondly, in honor of looking out for our furry companions, Method will donate 15% of sales on Soap.com to the ASPCA to help fight animal cruelty for the month of June and you get 20% off your first purchase using code PAWPRINT at checkout. You can also enter your animal pals into their photo contest to enter to win a $50 gift card to Soap.com. 

Can't wait to see your fluffy buddies and hear your pet stories! 

This post is sponsored by Method. All opinions are my own.