Blind Spaniel Has Clever Way of Playing Fetch

Keller the English Springer Spaniel was born completely blind. His family adopted him when he was a puppy and wanted him to enjoy playing fetch like their other dogs.

They started with using a bell to help him locate the ball, but once the ball stopped moving he still needed commands in order to find it. The bell also couldn’t be used in the water because it sank.

Keller’s guardian wrote, “Keller was originally trained to play ball with the commands ‘hot’ and ‘cold’. We later added ‘warmer’, ‘past it’, ‘left” and ‘right’. The process took about a week for the basic commands.”

With his special training, Keller can not only play with any type of ball, he also loves to play fetch in the water.

The family says they hope that sharing Kellar’s story “will encourage people to think about a special needs pet. They have so much to give back to us, if someone gives them a chance.”