When Her Dog Suddenly Lost His Sight, She Transformed Their Home in the Most Unexpected Way

Melanie Conerly’s dachshund, Charlie, suddenly went blind in November 2022. The vision loss occurred over just eight days and was caused by a neurological issue. A longtime resident of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., Conerly had raised Charlie since he was a puppy. After his diagnosis, she struggled to figure out how to give him the best possible life in a world he could no longer see.

So Conerly, 53, began experimenting with different ways to help Charlie — whom she affectionately calls Charcharbinks — adjust to his new reality. To her surprise, the now 14-year-old dog gradually adapted and learned to navigate his surroundings with confidence.

Now, years later, she’s sharing Charlie’s journey on TikTok, along with the various ways she has adapted her home to support him. One recent video, in which Conerly shared her tips and tricks, went viral, amassing more than 1.5 million views and nearly 2,000 comments.

“I have been so floored by all the wonderful comments on this video,” she says. “So many people thought it was kind of me to provide accessibility for my dog. I couldn’t imagine not helping him. I also appreciate all the comments from people saying they have a blind or deaf dog and are going to try some of the things I shared.”

“He is the absolute sweetest dog,” she continues. “He loves to snuggle on the couch and burrow under blankets. Charlie loves to lie in the sun and roll in the grass. When he was younger, we would take really long walks. He’s also a typical dachshund, he barks at everything. Now that he’s lost his eyesight and hearing, he barks if he smells anything different in his environment.”

After Charlie lost his vision, one of the first things Conerly did was place pool noodles and textured mats around the house and patio to create physical cues he could feel with his feet or gently bump into. To help him keep track of her, she wore scrunchies with bells around her ankles so he could follow the sound of her movement.

She also bought Charlie a halo — a circular bumper designed to help blind dogs avoid head injuries. While it’s been helpful, Charlie’s dachshund stubbornness sometimes gets in the way.

“He gets frustrated when he wants to go somewhere and the halo won’t let him,” Conerly says.

Many of her solutions came through trial and error. For instance, she quickly realized that a column on the patio was difficult for Charlie to avoid, so she wrapped it in bubble wrap, a fix that’s worked for years. After he once jumped over his pool-noodle-lined walkway and fell into the pool, she reinstalled the child safety fence to prevent future accidents.

“Charlie has definitely become a lot more clingy since losing his vision and he was already a typical clingy dachshund before this,” adds Conerly, who works as a civil designer at an engineering firm. “I feel like our bond is just as strong now as it was before he lost his sight. I miss his cute little stares and the side-eye he used to give me, but now he does other things, like bumping my leg with his nose, to get my attention.”

“We also added a doggy door with a ramp and a magnetic screen door so that he would have more independence to go outside whenever he wants,” she adds.

Despite his disability, Conerly says Charlie is still living life to the fullest. His routine centers around two meal times, and he finds comfort sleeping in his dog bed beside her. In the mornings, he jumps up on the side of the bed to wake her. Then he eats breakfast, gets his insulin shot — he became diabetic in December 2023 — and enjoys his favorite treat, a Dentalife bone.

The rest of the day is spent mostly sleeping, going outside to potty, laying in the sun and napping some more. In the evening, he gets another meal and insulin, followed by a little walk in the front yard or a stroller ride through the neighborhood. While he doesn’t play as much anymore, he still enjoys engaging with a snuffle mat and a treat puzzle.

“He has always had this little hop and stomp that he does when he’s excited and wants attention,” Conerly says. “He still does it and what makes it even funnier is that he thinks he’s doing it in front of me, but sometimes he’s facing the wrong way or just doing his little dance in front of a cabinet.”

“My hope is that people will think of ways to help their pets that make their lives more comfortable,” she adds. “Just because your pet has lost their sight or hearing or is getting old, it doesn’t mean they can’t still have a good quality of life. Continue to love your pets and enjoy the time you have with them.”