--- title: Blind Akita Dog Gets Help from Seeing Eye Dogs description: Two dogs act as seeing eye dogs for the blind Akita dog that they live with in Michigan canonical: https://time.com/3895153/akita-blind-seeing-eye-dogs/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-23T19:12:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:35.651Z og:title: These 2 ‘Seeing-Eye’ Dogs Help a Blind, Old Canine Get Around og:description: 'Paws'-itively heartwarming og:url: https://time.com/3895153/akita-blind-seeing-eye-dogs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b9ad56c8a674ebb/698851788e060104c1460a51/akita-blind-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: akita-blind-dog og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These 2 ‘Seeing-Eye’ Dogs Help a Blind, Old Canine Get Around twitter:description: 'Paws'-itively heartwarming twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b9ad56c8a674ebb/698851788e060104c1460a51/akita-blind-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These 2 ‘Seeing-Eye’ Dogs Help a Blind, Old Canine Get Around ## Video: ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS [Watch (HLS stream): ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HlrH8Ag1.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2014-08-28. ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS_  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 23, 2015 7:12 PM UTC  Jessica VanHusen  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 23, 2015 7:12 PM UTC These two pups are seeing-eye dogs—for another dog. Jessica VanHusen of Waterford, Mich. has two healthy dogs that help out her older, blind pooch, a 10-year-old Akita named Kiaya. Kiaya had to have both eyes removed after a two-year battle with glaucoma, [according to](http://bluepearlvet.com/blind-akita-has-two-seeing-eye-dogs-her-brothers/) a press release on the website for BluePearl Veterinary Partners. Now, the other Akitas that VanHusen owns, 8-year-old Cass and 2-year-old Keller, are always by Kiaya’s side, grooming her, lying next to her in the yard, and watching out for her while she’s eating or when they’re all in the car together. “It’s clear the other dogs are trying to protect her,” Dr. Gwen Sila, the veterinary ophthalmologist who performed Kiaya’s surgeries, said in a statement. ### 10 Puppies That Look Even More Adorable Underwater  Pringles & Pickme Seth Casteel  Monty Seth Casteel  Popsicle Seth Casteel  Ginger Seth Casteel  Ruger Seth Casteel  Rolley Seth Casteel  Iggy Seth Casteel  Reason Seth Casteel  Corey Seth Casteel ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3895153/akita-blind-seeing-eye-dogs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3895153/akita-blind-seeing-eye-dogs/"},"headline":"These 2 ‘Seeing-Eye’ Dogs Help a Blind, Old Canine Get Around","datePublished":"2015-05-23T19:12:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:35.651Z","description":"Paws-itively heartwarming","url":"https://time.com/3895153/akita-blind-seeing-eye-dogs/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3b9ad56c8a674ebb/698851788e060104c1460a51/akita-blind-dog.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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