Navigating the world

Watching Lilly zoom around her garden, chasing her ball with a wagging tail and leaping over her canine brother when he’s in her way, you would never guess what makes her so unique.

“People can’t believe she’s blind,” says Molly Banner, who adopted the sable cocker spaniel with partner Tom Amy last year. And this is what makes her all the more remarkable.

The puppy arrived at our Burford rehoming centre in Oxfordshire last February, when her breeder realised she was blind, and asked Blue Cross to find her the special home she needed.

Not only was Lilly unable to see, but she was also tiny for her age – weighing 2kg at a tender five weeks old – as well as being very lethargic and withdrawn, resulting in an urgent vet admission.

After a two-day course of intravenous fluids, she was bouncing back – but vets confirmed she had no vision or hope of gaining any in either eye.

Understandably, Lilly was overwhelmed and had an uncertain future ahead.

It was vital to get her straight into foster care, and Leanne Fadden, Rehabilitation and Behaviour Advisor, stepped in to provide the expert support and stability Lilly so desperately needed.

Verbal cues helped the worried puppy understand everything happening to and around her, while a network of textured mats enabled her to find her way around the house.

At first, nervous Lilly was so dependent on Leanne that she would whimper if she could smell that she was more than a couple of metres away.

But within a couple of weeks, her confidence had soared, and an exuberant puppy with a big personality emerged. It was a remarkable transformation.

Leanne says: “Training her was fun and very rewarding. Seeing her get on with life despite her disability was quite incredible to watch. She’s an amazing little dog.”

Amazing Lilly has continued to exceed all expectations with her new family in the New Forest.

She is soon set to conquer Wales's highest peak, Yr Wyddfa – also known as Snowdon – to raise money for Blue Cross. It won’t have been the first mountain she has climbed, either.

At home, she no longer needs mats to navigate – and can even sniff out her favourite octopus toy from room to room.

She explores the garden with ease, knowing her best friend – five-year-old dachshund Barry – is never far from her side. He has been instrumental in building her ever-growing confidence.

“Lilly is the sister Barry loves but didn’t know he wanted. They love being out in the garden together, wandering around sniffing everything,” says Molly, who runs her beauty business from home, meaning sociable Lilly meets new people nearly every day.

In training, Lilly has excelled too – mastering tricks from ‘playing dead’ to ‘spinning’.

“She’s just so clever, which has made it a lot easier for me,” says Tom, who has invested substantial time into teaching Lilly her impressive repertoire of tricks.

“To see how far she’s come is really rewarding. It has been very special,” adds Tom.

“We’re so proud of her and what she’s achieved,” continues Molly. “We didn’t really know what to expect, but we thought she’d be a dog that wouldn’t really be able to go out and about to new places much or socialise. But she’s exceeded anything that we could have imagined.”

Outdoor lovers Molly and Tom thought they would need to tone down their adventures when adopting Lilly, but quite the opposite has happened – it encourages them to get out more.

Molly adds: “She has been the best addition to our family; we can’t imagine not having her.”