The Blind Can 'See'

Dog with no eyes learns echolocation to find his way round

A dog born without eyes is finding his way in life after teaching himself to ‘see’ like a bat – using echolocation. Rowan, a German Spitz, barks and then listens to the echoes to help him tell where he is in relation to his surroundings. Owner Sam Orchard, 41, was shocked when a congenital defect caused Rowan to be born without eyes. But the 18-month-old is now almost indistinguishable from a sighted dog after learning to navigate using his barks.

Sam, who breeds dogs and runs a boarding kennel at her home in Potton, near Biggleswade, Beds., was stunned when she realized that Rowan was using echolocation. She said: ”When he first started going out there were no leaves on the trees but when the leaves grew there was the rustling and we noticed the change in his behavior. ”He barks to judge the lay of the land and then when I call his name he knows exactly where I am and comes running.

”People who meet Rowan can’t tell that he’s blind at first – they usually just ask why he’s got his eyes shut. He’s just amazing. He’s so independent and he has a really good life. He’s just like one of the other dogs.” Rowan was born in a litter of two in April last year and Sam became concerned when he had not opened his eyes after ten days. She took him to a vet who told her that the meeting of Rowan’s father’s bloodline with his mother’s had created a polygene which meant he was born with no eyes.

Sam added: ”It was a real surprise when he told me that not only would they not be opening, they didn’t exist – he was born without eyes. People told me that I should think about putting him to sleep but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was shocked but I decided that I would just do the best I could for him and now he is just like the others. He an incredible chap.” Rowan has even completed a Good Citizen Bronze award for obedience, although he cannot compete in dog shows because of his appearance.

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Jack the sheepdog was so good no one knew he was blind

It's only fair to make allowances for a newcomer. So when their new sheepdog missed rounding up the occasional ewe, farmers Barry and Liz Edwards put it down to inexperience and gave him a bit of extra training. After all, their new recruit was a willing learner, had settled well into the farm and won the hearts of the family.

Unknown to them, it was amazing that Jack was doing any work at all. The four-year-old sheepdog was blind – a fact the Edwards only discovered when he ran straight into a wooden peg sticking out of the ground. A check-up with the vet confirmed Jack had lost vision in both eyes. It changed their view of him from a trainee with a few teething problems to undisputed superdog. ‘He is such an inspiration,’ said Mrs Edwards, who has 150 breeding ewes and 100 cows on the family’s farm at Warmington, Cheshire.

‘This dog goes blind and yet he has carried on as if nothing has happened. He must have had our farm mapped out in his head. He knows exactly where everything is.’ The Edwards bought Jack for £1,250 from a farmer and sheepdog trainer in March last year. In hindsight, they believe he was probably going blind when he was being trained. Certainly the trainer had no idea he had problems with his vision. Jack is believed to have lost his eyesight because of a disease he picked up from something he ate. When he arrived on the farm at lambing time he wasn’t required to herd sheep immediately and was ‘given time to settle in’.

There were a few incidents, such as when he failed to move out the way of a flailing cow and injured his back leg. But the family thought nothing of them. Now Jack, who is taking part in the Drontal pet competition, has been retired and is being kept simply as a pet. ‘He has a great quality of life,’ Mrs Edwards said. ‘He can chase and fetch a ball, as long as it makes a noise and he still occasionally rounds the sheep up. He really is incredible.’