Hey everyone. Not too much news to report on the Lucy-front. I just thought I would take a moment to thank all my followers up till this point. I know my life can be dull at times, but you'll understand someday when you're 105-years-old. I have to give a big shout-out to my pal Alex back in Blacksburg, VA. She signed on as my 30th follower today which made me decide I should probably celebrate with an extra Milkbone or something. Mommy and I miss you Alex.

No, I'm not blind. I'm just ignoring you.

Hey there folks. I know things have been kind of boring for me lately, so I thought maybe I'd write about something educational today. For many years now, I've had this thing happening with my eyes that many people often mistake for glaucoma. It's this condition that makes my eyes glow like lasers in pictures. People often think it means I am blind, but actually, I can see pretty good.


The condition that causes this is Progressive Retinal Atrophy or Degeneration of the Retina. It is a progressive disease that worsens with age and can eventually cause blindness. So far, I've been pretty lucky though and it has been a slow progression.

According to the web site peteducation.com:
Signs may vary depending on the type of PRA and its rate of progression. PRA is non painful and outward appearance of the eye is often normal, i.e.; no redness, excess tearing, or squinting. Owners may notice a change in personality of their dog such as a reluctance to go down stairs or down a dark hallway. This is characteristic of night blindness, in which vision may appear to improve during the daytime. As the disease progresses, owners can observe a dilation of the pupils and the reflection of light from the back of the eye. If the blindness is progressing slowly, the owner may not notice any signs until the dog is in unfamiliar surroundings and the lack of vision is more apparent. In some animals, the lens of the eyes may become opaque or cloudy.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for PRA, nor a way to slow the progression of the disease. Animals with PRA usually become blind.

I am pretty lucky that I still have my vision, but mommy has been noticing it is getting worse. Sometimes when she goes to let me in (when she remembers to), both in the daytime and night, she notices that I'll be standing at the bottom of the stairs staring at the door waiting for it to open. At first, I might not see her, so then she waves her hand to get my attention and that usually does the trick. I also have a tendency to stare into mirrors a lot. I'm not sure if that has to do with my vision condition. I think it's more just due to the fact that I'm so vain and I want to make sure my hair looks just right.

Well, hope you are feeling enlightened by that little tid bit. I figured some dog owners might find it interesting and educational.

I'm still alive

Hey folks. My mother said she's been getting a lot of people asking if I'm still alive and how I'm doing, so I figured I'd better blog. My mommy has been busy freelancing and looking for a better job, so she really hasn't had time to write for me. I am feeling really great lately actually and am navigating the stairs quite well. In other news, I'm still the prettiest dog in the world, at least that's what my mommy tells me everyday. She also told me I have the sweetest smelling breath in the world. I give her as many kisses as she'll allow me to.

I recently went on a trip to a place called Hoppyville. There was a lot of action...actually a little too much for me. Thankfully mommy put my bed in her cabin and left the door open so I could come and go as I pleased. It was refreshing to be out in the great outdoors for long periods of time.

Recently my mother has been having trouble remembering to let me in after she lets me out to go the bathroom. And I'm the old one? Sometimes she leaves me out there for as long as 25 minutes, leaving me no choice but to wander into the neighbors yard, or to the bar on the corner in hopes someone will see me and call the number on my tag. Mommy was pretty sad that she deleted one of the voice mails left by one of the kind souls who found me wandering the streets a few weeks ago. She realized after the fact that it would have made a great blog.

Well, I'll try to write more soon.