Blind Kentucky farm dog wins national People’s Choice Pup award
Goose, a blind Kentucky farm dog whose owner says he is guided by instinct and memory, has won the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm Dog of the Year: People’s Choice Pup award.
Goose is a 12-year-old red heeler from Pendleton County.
His owner, Lindie Huffman, who works as a county agriculture extension agent, said in a social media post from the American Farm Bureau Convention in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, that she was “honored to accept this award on behalf of Goose and to share his remarkable journey and resilience.”
Huffman and her husband made the difficult decision in 2021 to have Goose’s eyes surgically removed because he was experiencing pain from glaucoma.
While she said he can no longer herd cattle or get tools for her, “He’s still a vital part of farm life, using instinct and memory to guide him.
“On tough days, which sometimes stretch into tough seasons, Goose reminds me of the power of resilience, adaptability and gratitude,” Huffman said in a news release last year, when Goose was nominated for the award. “Watching him overcome blindness with such grace and grit gives me strength to face my own challenges.”
The People’s Choice Pup is a social media-driven competition in which people vote online for their favorite.
The American Farm Bureau Federation also names a Farm Dog of the Year winner annually.
This year’s Farm Dog of the Year winner is Max, a border collie owned by Oklahoma Farm Bureau member John Enns. Enns said in a video posted on the Farm Bureau website that he broke his back in a heavy equipment rollover accident in 2004 and depends on Max to herd cattle.
Huffman thanked Nestlé Purina PetCare, which donated a year’s supply of dog food to the winner, as well as the “American Farm Bureau, Kentucky Farm Bureau, and all of our friends and family, and of course those moved by his story.”
As winner, the family also received a trophy and $2,500.
“Goose is excited for the dog food,” Huffman wrote.
