ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – For more than half of her life, Nogglett, a Jack Russell Terrier, has been battling challenges with her eyes, but that hasn’t stopped her from excelling.
What they’re saying:
“She’s an extremely happy dog. She’s a working dog. She loves to have a job,” Nogglett’s owner Linda Lutz said.
The “work” for Nogglett started in agility training at the Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg. Nogglett competed twice a month.
Pictured: Nogglett at a younger age.
“She’s always been a firecracker. She was an amazing little agility dog,” Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg Instructor Kelly Hansen said.
At six years old, Nogglett was diagnosed with cataracts, dropping her vision to around 20%. Surgery corrected the issue in 2019. Years later, an accident eventually cost Nogglett her left eye. Two years later, she developed glaucoma in her right eye. To relieve the pain, Lutz decided to remove the right eye.
“They basically told me she had a migraine 24-7,” Lutz explained. “That was hard because I could see her personality change.”
Pictured: Nogglett in scent training.
To give Nogglett a new outlet, Lutz enrolled her in scent training. The little dog’s personality came roaring back.
“Your dogs tell you what they love, and I was fortunate that she fell in love with it,” Lutz said.
Staff at the club have trained blind dogs before, but never one without both eyes. Nogglett has been training in scent for a little over a year, even winning a competition. She’s been an inspiration to many.
Pictured: Nogglett in scent training.
“We categorized it against other dogs who come in with all the abilities that they’re born with. Some of them can’t do what she does because she’s a different dog,” Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg Trainer Paul Kitwood said.
Both Lutz and the club’s staff hope Nogglett’s story helps share the message to never give up on a dog.
“What’s been amazing since she started, got more people coming to the club who had blind dogs,” Lutz said.
“You find something your dog loves and they’re going to blossom. Find something. There’s always something.”
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13 photojournalist Barry Wong.
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