Born without eyes, Smiley the dog now brightens others’ days

Smiley the golden retriever was born with dwarfism and without eyes.

A fortunate rescue from a puppy mill gave the pup a second chance at life, and now the blind canine pays it forward by cheering others up.

Stouffville, Ontario, dog trainer Joanne George adopted the dog when he was still young, around one to two years old.

The scarred dog often cowered at the sounds of other dogs eating, was “extremely destructive” and had no housetraining.

“He was nervous and had many anxieties about coming into a home,” George wrote on her blog.

Over time, however, Smiley learned to trust his new owner, and even befriended a deaf Great Dane named Tyler.

“Smiley was the one who changed my way of training,” George wrote. “He did not know one verbal command — I communicated only through my energy to him. He did not see my body language — he used his nose and his keen sense of hearing to get around. His best teacher was Tyler — a young, boisterous partially deaf Great Dane. Life was grand to Tyler — and soon enough that rubbed onto Smiley. Whatever energy you give off…your dog picks up on it.”

"Tyler was so bouncy and crazy and happy go lucky and [Smiley] turned into the same dog," George told ABC News. “He came out from underneath the tables where he was always hiding.”

Today, ten years later, Smiley is a happy, obedient dog, safely exploring new places just by following the sound of George’s footsteps.

"Does he bump into things? Of course, he does. But he does it very carefully," George told ABC News, noting the dog’s “high” steps when he walks. “He’s feeling with his feet.”

He also makes regular visits to Stouffville-area hospitals, schools and nursing homes as a certified therapy dog with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program.

At one nursing home, Smiley was able to make one elderly man, usually non-communicative, break into a smile.

"People were so drawn to him, so inspired by him." George told CBS News. “I realized this dog has to be a therapy dog — I have to share him.”

Smiley’s incredible transformation from victim to carer reached Cesar Milan, who still shares the dog’s story with audiences around the world.

His message: “[It] doesn’t matter where, or how a dog starts off his life — he is able to overcome and become a stable, happy dog.”

"Dogs can come back from anything, they forget their past," George told CBS News. “We as humans, dwell on the past.”

Now 12, Smiley is getting old. His walk is slower, his hair is whiter.

But, according to George, his “tail will never stop wagging.”