Lauren first met Hope the dachshund when she went in search of a doggy companion, and fate led her to a rescue center where the brave little dog won her heart.
Hope’s started out life as the product of a backyard breeder who’d bred two Dapple Dachshunds together, something that should be avoided due to the severe health complications that can occur. When the breeder found out that Hope was born without eyes, and also completely deaf, he wanted to kill the poor dog rather than raise her. His wife intervened and cared for Hope herself, but after she passed away, the breeder sadly dumped Hope at the rescue center.
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But it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Hope, as she's found a loving forever-home with Lauren and is currently living life to the full. Lauren said that Hope's disabilities don’t seem to have much of an effect on her daily life, and she carries out her doggy duties with happiness and joy.
Hope’s heightened sense of smell means she is a master navigator despite not having eyes, and she has a heightened sense of touch too which allows her to enjoy playtime just like any other dog. Lauren describes Hope as fearless, and she has been giving all the other dogs in her pet class a run for their money, being the first pooch there to conquer the pet stairs! She is cheeky and mischievous, even opening doors with her nose and never letting anything stand in her way.
Lauren said she was worried about Hope settling in at first, with concerns she might hurt herself through her fearlessness. To begin with Hope would run into things, but according to Lauren, it only took a week for the brave dog to suss out the layout of her new home.
Hope mostly communicates with her new doggy parents through touch, letting them know when she wants to snuggle or be picked up. The only big adjustment Lauren and her partner have had to make is relocating their three rescue cats to the downstairs, simply because Hope’s natural instincts as a dachshund tell her they are prey. While she does like to hunt them down, she never hurts them and they all live as one big happy family in Freeburg, Illinois.
