Dogs: man’s best friend and some of the most caring and friendly creatures on this planet! Unfortunately, due to their blindness, blind people do not get to see dogs and enjoy them the same way we do. Now, however, one blind man is working on a way to change all that…
Starting A Thread
After years of loving petting dogs, but not knowing how the cute creatures look, Stephen William Dale Shkuratoff decided to ask the Internet for help. Some years ago, Shkuratoff joined a Facebook group, the Dogspotting Society, where members post pictures of dogs they’ve encountered out and about. So, he decided to see if the group could help him “encounter” more dogs. “I love being a member of this group! I am blind and was hoping to ask for more dog descriptions,” Shkuratoff wrote in a post. “Personality traits are more helpful than colors. Like how soft the dog is for example…thanks for making me feel included.”
Of course, it did not take long for many members to flood Shkuratoff’s inbox with incredibly vivid descriptions, as well as helpful comments. “My husband is legally blind so I am his seeing-eye wife and navigator! My pup is a short hair Chihuahua,” wrote one user, Cindi Bordeaux. “He weighs 10 lbs and his coat is brown and black and he has a bit of white on his chin. His fur is soft when it’s clean but feels rougher when it’s close to grooming day.”
Meanwhile, the comments just kept pouring in…
Overwhelmed With Responses
Less than a day after posting, Shkuratoff’s post went viral online. In fact, as of this writing, the post has more than 6.7K likes and 1.6K comments! Reading through the descriptions is a truly heartwarming experience. Through every comment, you can feel the love owners have for their lovely puppies despite their sizes or character traits. People talk about everything, including the pups’ love to eat paper towels or destroy plants and how their fur feels under the owner’s fingers.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Shkuratoff, not expecting this kind of attention from the members of the group. He also mentioned that he’s extremely grateful and blessed with the responses. “I am grateful for all of the responses and that people take time out of their day to describe their dogs — is just so nice. I have made several Facebook friends from these posts and enjoy the friendships.”
A Growing Group
It’s so nice that Shkuratoff found many friends in the Dogspotting Society. This group has been public since 2016 and has over a million members now, with the softest description ever. “The cool place to hang out where you can post your own dogs. Here you can make friends, talk about dogs and Dogspotting. Always remember to take it easy and Be Excellent to Each Other!” says the bio, reassuring us that the members are inclusive and fun to talk to. It also as multiple folders with the members’ pups to look at.
So, if you’ve ever been interested in dogs and want to make friends, visit the Facebook group. It has already proven to be the friendliest on social media.
Sources: Good News Network, MSN.
