In a heroic moment, a blind dog named Moogan came to the rescue of well, a rescue volunteer after the two encountered a rattlesnake. Moogan is currently living at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah where he's up for adoption.
The rescue dog is older and also blind, having a degenerative eye condition known as sudden acquired retinal degeneration. Still, the pup came to the aid of Dan Fishbein, a local volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
"I do four morning shifts each week at Dogtown [one of the sanctuary's dog facilities]. Since I'm there regularly I am able to take out dogs who require a relationship to be able to interact. I am trained at the highest level (Red), meaning I can work with almost all the dogs," Fishbein told People.
Fishbein explained that he was walking Moogan when the two came across the rattlesnake."His eyes were a bit better then. He was an extreme puller on his walks and required two hands on the leash. Friendly and always got excited when it was time for his walk," the volunteer says.
Rattlesnake On The Trail
Despite only being able to see shadowy shapes, Moogan still spotted a rattlesnake on the walk.
"We were walking on one of the main dog trails. I was focused on watching Moogan. The rattler was coiled tightly and well camouflaged. Moogan started pulling to the right, and as I looked down, he was preparing to explore the snake," Fishbein says. "Had Moogan not noticed the snake, there's a good chance I would have stumbled onto it, which would not have ended well."
Ultimately, they reported the rattlesnake. "Some staff are trained as snake handlers, and being a no-kill sanctuary, they captured and relocated the snake," Fishbein explains.
Fishbein has nothing but praise for Moogan.
"He's friendly and curious. He still loves his toys. As an old man, he seems to really enjoy indoor climate control and his dog beds. I always announce when I'm entering his room so he's not surprised. He's very curious on his walks and sniffs around a lot. He doesn't pull quite as much as he used to," Fishbein says.
