Dog Rescue Stories: Precious Pearl Was Born Without Eyes

Pearl is a Pit Bull/Catahoula mix who was born blind and deaf (she actually has anophthalmia, a rare condition that means she has no eyes.) Pearl’s destiny and ours changed almost three months ago when I was scrolling through Instagram one day and saw her beautiful face on the Hawaii Island Humane Society page. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and was drawn to her for so many reasons. She needed a home with a fenced in yard – check! She needed a home with someone who is home most of the day – check! Her name starts with a P…but not just P, but P-E. Our other three rescue dogs are named Pebble, Penny, and Petey! The P pack!

After a sleepless night of thinking about this sweet, special needs, shelter puppy, I convinced my husband that we should just “meet” her. So, the next day, we, along with our senior rescue beagle, drove two hours to meet her. Of course, I cried immediately when I saw her. She’s so cute, so sweet, so funny…and so “normal”! When my husband saw the tears streaming down my face, he knew “no” wasn’t an option.

Follow precious Pearl and the rest of the “P Pack” on Instagram! @pearl.the.poi.puppy

i solemnly swear that i am up to no good. #latergram #padfootPearly #jammiesarecool

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:07pm PST

feeling super fresh in my adorable @maipuphawaii banana bandana on this fine #tongueouttuesday ????????#lategram (arm photobomb by dad.)

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:57am PST

#dogmodel

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 26, 2017 at 1:40pm PST

oh hey there…does anyone else see that yeti #photobombing my perfect scenic tranquil tide pool shot? stop creepin, yeti. #boohissyeti #peaceoutyeti #shooshooyeti✌????(ps i have a few new #instafriends thanks to amazing shoutouts from my adorable friends @hopalongprancypants @cooper_the_copper_dog @misfitsofig @pardonthyfrench + @the_blueboys – thank you everyone for following me on my everyday adventures!) #latergram

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 23, 2017 at 9:59pm PST

pay raise on my first day?! #pearlygoestowork #whippedcreampayraise #phillysfridayfeature

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 22, 2017 at 6:33pm PST

you guyyyysssss! the coolest of the cool, @pardonthyfrench, gave me a shout out on her new amazing account @misfitsofig. thank you princess bethanee! if you don’t know bethanee, then you don’t know because she is so unbelievably funny, adorable, and talented. #holla special thanks to my favorite spotty bulldog girl, @lilouthebulldog, for nominating me! ???????? go follow @misfitsofig to see the other INCREDIBLE dogs. so honored to be part of the cool kids misfit club. all the hip frenchies let me crash their party! ???? ・・・ ⚡️⚡️ MISFIT MONDAY ⚡️⚡️ • PEARL WAS BORN WITHOUT EYES !!! ???? Pearl (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) is an 11 month old pit bull catahoula whippet mix who was born blind and deaf. Due to irresponsible breeding, Pearl has a rare condition called anophthalmia, which means that she doesn’t have eyes. Adopted a few months back from Hawaii Island Humane Society, Pearl now is getting the life she deserves! • Despite her tumultuous beginning, Pearl is extremely independent. She charges fearlessly through tall grass on hikes, paddles away with no hesitation on swims, and has an uncanny knack for knowing exactly where your face is for her trademark champion kisses! • We love a pup who’s overcome adversity, and living life to the fullest. See more of our friends over at @misfitsofig, and follow the adventures of @pearl.the.poi.puppy to keep up on her day to day! Let us know who you think deserves the next Mistfit Monday! ________ @misfitsofig #misfitsofig #misfitmonday

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 20, 2017 at 1:50pm PST

whoa! i have a lot of new #instafriends … so to you new and old (not “old” but let’s say… loyal) #instafriends, i give thee the pearly no-eye tongue-out salute. but just be cool, k? don’t be all uncool. don’t be all ghosty. ????(actually do i kind of resemble that ghost? white with a questionable eyeball situation and a tongue out? damn. that ghost stole my look.) you know what i say to ghosts, #boohissghosts. #tot #tongueouttuesday

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 21, 2017 at 10:17am PST

hi. i’m pearl. in case you’re wondering what kind of dog i am…i want you to know that i’m 47.3% pit bull/catahoula/whatever, 23.2% bunny rabbit, 14.7% pig, 7.0% mogwai, 5.8% bat, and 2.0% alligator. that’s why i love to bounce around (and eat carrots), roll in mud, sing at the top of my lungs, see everything despite being blind, and be wet (in the messy way!)/snap at random things like the rain, puddle splashes, and wind. i’m also shockingly good at math. ????????????????????

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 19, 2017 at 1:08pm PST

my new (super handsome) friend @ohhelloowen said that i would look amazing in this new @ohjoyco collection for @target. here you see me in this “t-shirt” which is a size LARGE. made for dogs up to 90lbs. do i look like a NINETY POUND DOG to you? no? good. then you have very accurate estimating skills. i am not 90lbs nor am i large (not that there is anything wrong with that because most of the time i wish i was a little bit taller… i wish i was a …) this shirt is HUGE. i protested with mom and this is what she said “but pearly, it said to “size up for dogs with broad chests”, and you have a broad chest, girlfriend. plus it looks like a super cute tshirt dress on you.”…. A DRESS?! my bum is hanging out…oh wait…i guess my bum is always exposed. good point, mom. you win. #ohjoyfortarget #legwrinklesfordays #tshirtdressesarecool

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 17, 2017 at 10:52pm PST

it’s here it’s here! … puppy’s first valentine’s day ❤????❣️????… and just in time for #tongueouttuesday and what’s better than #tongueouttuesday????…the #tongueouttuesday you share with your valentine! ????follow along with me all day as i share snaps from when i taught pete all about #tongueouttuesday and spoiler alert: there will even be a guest appearance from pebble and penny! happy valentine’s day, love monkeys! xoxo pearly #pearlyandpeteforever

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 14, 2017 at 8:07am PST

it’s my two southern belles… pebble & penny! they wanted to swing on by to wish a happy #galentinesday to all my adorable girl #instadog friends. these two ladies were both rescued from @rescuepetconnect and traveled alllllll the way to hawaii from maryland together (in a car! across the whole country! and in a plane! across the whole ocean!) and they are each other’s valentines every year. ????????????#tongueouttuesday

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 14, 2017 at 4:43pm PST

hey fellas…get ready for a broken heart ????because this lady already has a valentine. and you guessed it. it’s pete. he says he only has eyes for me and well, i has no eyes so i guess pete’s offer seems pretty good. yes i know that technically he is my “brother” (yuck) but he is also my best friend and i love him (you know “not in that way” because we all know pete drools and pearly rules) so our relationship is a little bit confusing but either way he is my valentine. ❣️????❤️???? #lovewins #peanutbutterface #noeyesfullheartcantlose (mahalo plenty for the bandana, @alohapups! ????) #gtospringmodel17

A post shared by P E A R L (+ Lauren) (@pearl.the.poi.puppy) on Feb 11, 2017 at 3:28pm PST