Ducky: A Smart, Resilient Blind Pit Bull Mix Who Loves to Play
Location: Portland, Oregon at Fur Love Haven
Breed: Pit Bull Terrier Mix
Age: Almost 2 years old
Gender: Female
How to Adopt Ducky
Ducky is currently listed through Fur Love Haven, a foster-based nonprofit rescue serving the Portland, Oregon area.
View Ducky’s Petfinder Profile
Submit an Adoption Application
Learn More About Fur Love Haven
Phone: (971) 208-3881
Email: furlovehaven@gmail.com
Visits: By appointment only
The first step toward adopting Ducky is completing Fur Love Haven’s online application. The rescue will review the information and may contact the applicant within approximately 72 hours if Ducky appears to be a suitable match.
Submitting an application does not guarantee an adoption or a response. Fur Love Haven is operated by volunteers and receives a high volume of applications, emails, and phone calls.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Fur Love Haven may contact an applicant’s veterinarian, landlord or property manager, and employer during its comprehensive adoption process.
About Ducky
Ducky is an almost 2-year-old Pit Bull Terrier mix whose resilience has amazed everyone fortunate enough to know her.
When Ducky first entered her foster home, she did not understand commands or know what was expected of her. Within her first month, she learned numerous skills, adjusted to her new surroundings, and began blossoming into the playful, intelligent, and affectionate dog she is today.
Ducky is also blind—but her lack of sight does not prevent her from enjoying life. She confidently plays, explores new places, takes walks, learns new commands, and participates in nearly everything a sighted dog might enjoy.
Her foster family jokes that no one has told Ducky she is blind because she certainly does not seem to realize it.
An Exceptionally Smart Student
Ducky is highly intelligent and loves training, especially when treats are involved. Her enthusiasm and ability to learn have helped her successfully navigate the world without sight.
She already understands an impressive collection of cues, including:
Sit
Lie down
Stay
Wait
Down for going downstairs
Up for going upstairs
Careful when she may run into something
In front when something is ahead of her
Left
Right, which she is still practicing
These verbal cues help Ducky understand her surroundings and move safely through her environment. Her future family should learn the words and techniques her foster family currently uses so they can provide consistency after her adoption.
Ducky’s adopter should continue using positive reinforcement and clear verbal communication. Because she cannot rely on visual signals or body language, predictable words, sounds, routines, and physical landmarks will help her feel secure.
Playtime With Ducky
Ducky is energetic and loves to play. Tug-of-war is one of her absolute favorite games, and she can even play fetch.
She uses her exceptional hearing and powerful sense of smell to locate toys. Once she finds the object, however, she may become so excited by her success that returning it becomes an afterthought!
Ducky also loves going for walks and exploring new places. Her family should introduce unfamiliar environments carefully and give her enough time to create a mental map of each space.
Although she has plenty of energy, Ducky also understands the importance of rest. She has learned from her canine foster brothers how to nap like a professional and happily settles throughout the day after her needs have been met.
A Snuggly and Affectionate Companion
When Ducky is not learning or playing, she loves cuddling with her people. She is an enthusiastic giver of kisses and enjoys being close to those she trusts.
Ducky has her own bed and knows how to sleep in it, but her foster family often wakes up to find her curled up between them instead. They describe it as one of the best ways to begin the morning.
Her affectionate personality makes her more than an energetic playmate. Ducky is also a loving companion who wants to share quiet moments and become an important part of her family’s daily life.
She can occasionally be sassy or stubborn, but those moments usually make her foster family laugh. Her confidence, humor, and unmistakable personality are part of what makes her so memorable.
Living Successfully With Blindness
Blind dogs can enjoy rich and fulfilling lives when their families provide consistency, communication, and reasonable accommodations. Ducky has already demonstrated that she is capable of learning, playing, exploring, and navigating a home.
Her future family can help her succeed by:
Keeping furniture and major household items in consistent places
Blocking access to unsafe stairs until she learns the layout
Using gates around hazardous areas
Speaking before touching her unexpectedly
Continuing her directional and safety cues
Using textured rugs to mark important locations
Placing her food, water, bed, and crate in dependable locations
Allowing her to explore unfamiliar spaces gradually
Using sound-producing or scented toys
Keeping pathways free from clutter
Supervising her in unfamiliar outdoor areas
Ensuring fencing and gates are secure
Ducky should not be startled, rushed, or physically guided without warning. Calm verbal communication can tell her where her people are and what is about to happen.
Her adopter should also understand that changing homes will temporarily remove the mental map she currently relies upon. She may need extra guidance and patience while learning the layout and routines of her new environment.
Other Dogs and Children
Ducky currently lives with two Pit Bull-type dogs and has learned valuable skills from them. However, she has difficulty with introductions to unfamiliar dogs because she cannot see their body language or anticipate their movements.
For this reason, her foster family believes Ducky would do best as the only dog in her adoptive home. Being the sole pet would allow her family to focus on her needs without requiring her to navigate stressful canine interactions.
Her current listing does not confirm whether she can live safely with cats, so potential adopters should discuss this directly with Fur Love Haven.
Ducky would also do best with older children. She is a strong, energetic dog who enjoys zooming around and may accidentally knock over a small child.
Older children should be calm, respectful, and able to understand that Ducky cannot see them approaching. They should learn to speak before touching her, avoid leaving objects in her pathways, and participate in maintaining a predictable environment.
Ducky’s Health
Ducky is spayed and current on her vaccinations. She is also house-trained and does well in a kennel.
Her blindness should be discussed with her future veterinarian so her family understands its cause, whether any monitoring is necessary, and how best to support her long-term health.
Fur Love Haven recommends that adopters have their newly adopted animal examined by a veterinarian within 15 days. After adoption, Ducky’s family will be responsible for her ongoing care, including vaccinations, parasite prevention, dental care, wellness examinations, and any treatment she may need.
Ducky’s Ideal Home
Ducky needs a family that will celebrate her abilities while thoughtfully accommodating her blindness. She does not need to be treated as helpless—she needs consistency, clear communication, safe boundaries, and people committed to helping her succeed.
Her ideal home will provide:
A predictable layout and dependable daily routine
Continued positive-reinforcement training
Consistent verbal and directional cues
Plenty of playtime and age-appropriate exercise
Tug toys, sound-producing toys, and enrichment
Safe walks and opportunities to explore
Secure indoor and outdoor environments
Patience while she maps her new surroundings
No other dogs
Older, respectful children rather than small children
Regular veterinary care
Plenty of cuddles, kisses, and comfortable sleeping spots
A lifelong commitment to her physical and emotional needs
Ducky has already overcome enormous challenges and proven how adaptable, intelligent, and joyful she can be. Her blindness is only one part of her story—it does not define her or limit her ability to love life.
For the right family, Ducky will bring intelligence, laughter, affection, energetic playtime, and some of the sweetest morning cuddles imaginable.
