Only One Eye?

If you're reading this post, then you have probably already seen the picture on the previous post of my dog, Tia. And, if you're like most people, you are probably wondering why my dog only has one eye, or if her eye is actually somehow mysteriously hidden behind the clump of hair.

It's not hidden! Tia really only has one eye, just like several other dogs I have seen. We can blame this one on my cat, Pippa. A few years ago, Pippa and Tia were playing and fighting (as usual), and we heard Tia bark. Unfortunately, we naturally assumed that she was fine and just barked from excitement as she normally does. But, she actually barked because Pippa had scratched her eye. We didn't take her into the vet soon enough, so her eye became infected and had to be removed. This was both sad and interesting to me, because I have often thought about becoming a veterinarian, but I obviously didn't like the thought that we would no longer have a two-eyed dog.
After her eye had been removed (no, we did not get a fake glass eye for her), they brought her to us. I have to admit that it was quite shocking, but we soon got used to it and so did she! She occasionally bumped into table legs at first, but it didn't take her long to recover. She is perfectly fine now, and just as fun as ever.
Of course, we still get confused looks from most children and some adults, as they wonder where her other eye could have gone. It can be irritating to have to tell the whole story over and over again, but it makes for an interesting conversation... all of my nieces and nephews are now used to her one eye, and they occasionally make remarks like "Tia, you only have one eye!" or "Tia, did you lose your eye? You should buy a new one!". We all still love her! We also love my cat, even though she's responsible for this and many other things! ;)