Rusty: The Blind Dog Who Sees Life More Clearly Than Most

Sometimes the best teachers don’t stand behind podiums. They don’t hold degrees. They don’t even speak our language.

Sometimes, the best teachers have four paws, a wagging tail, and a heart so big it can guide you even when their eyes cannot.

That teacher for me is Rusty, my 14-year-old rescue dog. Six months ago, Rusty went blind. At first, I was heartbroken. I imagined his life would shrink, filled with bumps, fear, and loss. But here’s the twist: Rusty doesn’t even know he’s blind. He wakes up with joy every single day, ready for his walk, ready to play, ready to live.

And the truth? He’s teaching me more about life, leadership, and wellness than I could ever teach him.

Here are eight powerful life lessons from my blind dog, Rusty—lessons that apply whether you’re raising a family, leading a team, or navigating the ups and downs of life.

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1. Optimism in Uncertainty

Rusty can’t see the road ahead, but that doesn’t stop him. He doesn’t wait for clarity before he moves forward. He simply trusts the next step, tail wagging all the way.

How often do we freeze because we can’t see the full picture? We wait for certainty, for all the lights to turn green before we even leave the driveway. Rusty reminds me that we don’t need the full map. We just need to take the next step—with joy.

In the workplace, that’s courage. It’s moving forward with optimism even when the future looks unclear.

2. Trusting Guidance

When I take Rusty on his walks, he leans into me—literally. He follows my lead, never questioning whether I’ll keep him safe. My mom calls me his “seeing-eye person,” and I love that.

Here’s the deeper lesson: sometimes, we have to let go of control and trust. Trust our mentors. Trust our support systems. Trust God or the universe, however you frame it.

Leaders who cling to control create stress and burnout. Leaders who trust guidance—whether from their team, a coach, or life itself—find peace, and often, miracles.

3. Movement Is Medicine

Rusty is almost 100 in dog years. He could easily curl up and stop moving. But his daily walks keep him alive. They keep his joints limber, his heart strong, and his spirit bright.

And it’s the same for us. Movement shifts energy. When we feel stuck, anxious, or burned out, moving our bodies resets our minds. A brisk walk, a yoga session, or even stretching at your desk can change everything.

In wellness coaching, I say this often: emotion is energy in motion. If you let it flow, it will release. Rusty proves it.

4. Acceptance Without Resistance

Rusty doesn’t resist his blindness. He doesn’t sit around asking, “Why me?” He simply adapts.

Resistance keeps us stuck. Acceptance sets us free. That doesn’t mean giving up—it means flowing with what is and finding new ways to move forward.

In leadership and life, how often do we waste energy resisting reality? True resilience comes from acceptance, not resistance.

5. Joy in the Present

Rusty doesn’t dwell on what he’s lost. He doesn’t remember bumping into furniture. He isn’t anxious about what’s ahead. He lives for the now—his walk, his nap, his breakfast.

Ironically, since going blind, he’s healthier in some ways. No more jumping on furniture (which used to hurt his back). No more overstimulation leading to seizures.

For us, the reminder is simple: peace is found in the present. The past is gone, the future hasn’t arrived. Joy lives here, now.

6. Companionship and Support Systems

Rusty walks better when I’m beside him. He knows he’s not alone.

This hit home for me because in the past year, I’ve built amazing support systems—mentors, networking groups, new friends. And they’ve transformed my life and business.

We don’t have to walk our hardest roads alone. Neither does Rusty. Neither do you.

7. Redefining Strength

Rusty’s strength isn’t in doing everything himself. It’s in letting me guide him.

True strength isn’t about independence. It’s about knowing when to lean on others. In the workplace, that’s collaboration. In life, that’s community.

Leaders who try to carry everything alone crumble. Leaders who invite others in grow stronger.

8. Blind Faith

This one is the deepest. Rusty literally walks by faith, not by sight.

When I walk him, I sometimes whisper to myself, “Okay, universe, surprise me.” And often, it does. New opportunities. Unexpected blessings. The right people showing up at the right time.

Rusty doesn’t know where he’s going, but he trusts the journey. That’s the kind of faith we all need. Whether in business, relationships, or healing, sometimes the only way forward is blind faith.

Rusty’s Lessons in the Workplace

Now, imagine if more workplaces embodied Rusty’s wisdom:

Optimism in uncertainty → Teams would innovate without fear.
Trusting guidance → Leaders would listen more, control less.
Movement as medicine → Wellness programs would energize, not just educate.
Acceptance without resistance → Companies would adapt quickly to change.
Joy in the present → Teams would celebrate small wins, not just chase the big ones.
Support systems → Employees would feel safe, connected, and valued.
Redefining strength → Collaboration would thrive.
Blind faith → Leaders would trust the process, planting seeds even when they can’t yet see results.

Rusty may be blind, but in many ways, he sees life more clearly than most of us.

Final Thought

Rusty has taught me that even when we can’t see the way forward, joy, trust, and faith are enough. That’s leadership. That’s wellness. That’s life.

If my 14-year-old blind rescue dog can live with optimism, trust, resilience, and joy—what’s stopping us?

About Kathie

Kathie Owen is a corporate wellness consultant, executive coach, and speaker based in Houston, TX.

With 25+ years of experience in fitness, leadership, and wellness, she helps small and mid-sized businesses prevent burnout, boost engagement, and retain top talent.

Through coaching, speaking, and her signature Energy Reset Method, Kathie’s mission is simple: build healthy, happy teams—one heart at a time.

Transcript:

Today I wanna talk about one of my most beautiful life lessons I have learned from my dog. Yeah, rusty went blind about six months ago, but here's the thing. He doesn't even know it. And honestly, I think he's teaching me more about life than I could ever teach him. You're listening to Kathie's Coaching podcast. I'm your host Kathie Owen. Yeah. Rusty went blind. He actually had cataracts and they. Started getting worse and worse and I was freaking out. I was like, oh my gosh, he can't see anymore. And he was running into things and I think I was hurt more than he was. And at first I thought it would be heartbreaking. But you know what? He still gets up every day with so much joy and he's actually taught me so much about life, and I tell everyone that I see with him. I say, you know, he's blind, but he's taught me a lot about life. And everybody agrees and they see that in him. He's just so cute. I love this story. And my mom, she calls me his seeing eye person, not his seeing eye dog, you know,'cause that's usually what they're called. But through his blindness, I've noticed these lessons that apply to all of us, whether in life, in leadership or in the workplace. There are eight life lessons from my blind dog, rusty. Eight of them stay till the end because that one is probably the most profound. Let's get into the episode. I. Lesson number one, optimism in uncertainty. We don't need to see the whole picture to keep moving forward. We just need to take the next step with joy. Like I said, rusty doesn't even realize he's blind. He just wakes up ready for his walk. That's a huge lesson. We don't need to see the whole path to keep moving forward. Life may look unclear, but we can still bring joy and energy to each step. Lesson number two, trusting guidance. When I take him on a walk, he absolutely love it. He lets me guide him on his walks and that's where he gets his exercise because when he is walking around the house, he runs into things. I actually have to pick him up a lot because he can't find his way around, but he doesn't care. And it's so funny because if I start laughing. He thinks I'm laughing at him and he'll just start wagging his tail and it's just the coolest thing. It actually is. But he trusts me with his guidance. When we take our walks, he gets his exercise and he just walks along very gingerly and doesn't worry, worry about running into things. So he does get his exercise. And, and let me add this, um, because you may not know this, but he is now at least over 14'cause I've had him 14 years. He's a rescue dog and he. Been through so many different things with me and always been a bright light in my life. And so I believe God, the universe, whatever you wanna call it, left him in my life to help me through these things. And he's been such an awesome blessing. But you know, what he's taught me about trusting guidance is sometimes we need to lean on others or trust the universe when we can't see what's ahead. Like my mom calling me, his seeing eye person is just beautiful, rusty, trust me completely, even when he can't see what's ahead. And I want to say this right here. When he could see, and forever, whenever we'd walk by a gutter, he would walk very far away from it because I guess before I got him, he got stuck in a gutter or something. Those things actually scare him. And it's funny now because as we're walking along, he'll walk near a gutter and he doesn't even know that he's near it. But he, he trusts me that I'm not gonna let him step into something like that. And that's just what I love about that. But this mirrors a spiritual lesson that I have been working on, on trusting the universe or God or life itself when we don't know what's around the corner. And this has happened to me so many times lately that I've just. Let go and released and trusted. And when I let go and quit trying to control and manipulate things, control and manipulation will bring you nothing but more havoc and pain. And so when I let go and I just trusted what was gonna happen, like Rusty trust in my guidance, it brings on miracles. Lesson number three, movement is medicine. So Rusty loves his walks because he's moving and free and he gets his exercise. And what I wanna apply here is when we feel stuck, moving our body shifts our energy. That's why wellness at work isn't just about health, it's about momentum and mindset. And so. Moving our bodies shifts our energy. And during a time where I had really severe anxiety, one of my mentors and friends sent me a yoga workout that. Was specifically for anxiety and I will link it in the show notes and description below and the blog post that I share today. And I'll also link a couple of other ones in the blog post because, um, I found that doing yoga poses can really help that anxiety move through the body. That is what is so helpful. When you're doing yoga, and it does help the energy move through the body. And when I take Rusty on his walks, he's getting his movement, he's getting his exercise. I mean, he's an older dog and so he's like in his nineties, almost a hundred in People years, and he needs that movement to keep his joints and everything moving properly. So his exercise, the routine and movement, bring him life even though he can't see. It's a reminder that when we're stuck, anxious, or in pain, moving our bodies shifts our energy and gives us momentum. And I wanna add this right here, is that. Emotion is just energy in motion, and it has been proven that in 90 seconds if you just sit with that emotion and let it move through your body, it will release. It's called emotional release. And so a lot of times what we'll do is repress or suppress that emotion, but movement will help. And movement is medicine. Lesson number four, acceptance Without resistance. I always say this resistance is going to keep you stuck. And what I love about Rusty and what I've learned by observing him is he doesn't resist his blindness, he just adapts. And how often do we make life harder by resisting reality? Acceptance doesn't mean giving up, it means finding new ways to move forward. And I just love that. So acceptance of what is it? Is what it is. I say that, and it's not spiritual bypassing, it's not positive thinking. It's just letting go. Accept without resistance. Rusty doesn't fight his blindness. He doesn't complain. He doesn't dwell or ask Why me? He simply adapts. That's resilience. And how often do we make things harder? By resisting what is and instead of flowing with it. I want you to think about that. So lesson number four is acceptance without resistance. Lesson number five is joy in the present. He's not thinking about his blindness, he's just enjoying his walk, his nap, whatever he's happens to be doing his breakfast. Whatever, and I wanna add something here, because he's blind, he can't jump on the furniture anymore, and so he hasn't had. These injuries that he had been having. He was actually having injuries in his legs and his back where he couldn't walk at all and I'd have to rush him to the vet and get a steroid for him and that would help him, and that has not happened since he's gone blind. Another thing that hasn't happened since he's gone blind is he hasn't had seizures, knock on wood. Granted, he's on seizure medication, but those seizures. were an overstimulation of his brain, and I'm thinking that because he's blind, he can't see. And so he's not getting his brain overstimulated. So he, he's got joy in the present moment. And you know, he's not thinking about his blindness. He's just enjoying what is happening in the present moment. And how to apply this. Mindfulness is simply being here now. Right now is all you have. That is where peace lives. Rusty enjoys his life. He enjoys his walks because he's not bumping into things and he feels free. He's not thinking about the fact that he's blind. He's just in the present moment. That is mindfulness at his best. Like I said, he's teaching me so many cool lessons about life. So let's get to lesson number six, companionship and Support Systems. So Rusty walks better because I am with him and I'm his companion, and I'm his support. And I have to say that in the last six to eight weeks, I have made the best friends. I have made so many cool connections and leadership in the community, and I've been networking a lot in my business, and it has made a thousand percent difference in my life. I. Missed being around people. I started going to coffee shops and just working in coffee shops because I wasn't around people and it just was something I was missing out on. And so I started joining networking events and I met the coolest people, things that transformed my business like. Quantumly majorly, and in a good way, it also transformed my life. I've made a lot of new friends and a lot of great connections, and I'm doing things that I did not think I would be doing a year ago. Because a year ago I was in a small little world working in corporate America, in a job that was not fulfilling, not completing me, and now my whole life is a hundred thousand percent difference. And I can look back at that old corporate America job and go, Ooh, that was so, so, so tiny, such a small. Small place and the world is so much bigger and so much more beautiful and awesome. And that is also the companionship and support systems that I have made over the last year, and that's lesson number six with Rusty. Because even though he can't see, he's not alone. I am always beside him and he knows that and he just trusts that. And this shows up in the power of support systems. We don't have to walk our hardest roads alone. And I was walking my hardest road alone, especially when I worked back in corporate America because it was not rewarding, it was not recognized. All of the hard work that I did, and I was barking up the wrong tree. And Rusty doesn't bark up the wrong tree anymore because he can't even see, and he just has the companionship and support, and he trusts that. Remember that was number one, the trust. Lesson number seven, redefining strength. Rusty's strength is in his willingness to be guided. You know, true leadership isn't doing everything yourself. It's knowing when to lean on others. And when I say others, it's also using discernment and not leaning on people who are not gonna support you like I was in that small corporate world. It was just so teeny tiny. And I have learned so much from my mentors and coaches and fellow partners in leadership. It's just been amazing. So when I'm talking about redefining strength, lesson number seven, strength isn't about being able to do everything yourself. It's about being able to lean on others and still move forward. And Rusty embodies quiet strength by allowing himself to be guided. Lesson number eight, blind faith. Rusty literally walks by faith, not by sight. That's the reminder I needed. And maybe you do too. Even when you can't see the path you trust it's there. And when I'm walking rusty, I often think about this because I'm like, okay, universe just surprised me today. I've started saying that. And when I started saying that, I was like, oh, that's like walkin rusty, because he's just. Leading by blind faith, and I'm just surprising him. Look what's next. We run into other friends of his other dogs when we're out on our walk, he can't see them. Oftentimes he'll smell them or he'll hear me talking to somebody else and he just starts looking around, wagging his tail because he knows they're nearby and it's just the coolest thing. Anyways, let's get back to blind faith because that might be the deepest lesson. Rusty literally walks by faith, not by sight. That's a metaphor for our own journey. You know, trusting that things are working out even when you can't see the evidence yet. Like I said, that blind faith is probably the biggest lesson. The biggest lesson, and that's one that I really want to stick with you. So in my hardest seasons, I had burnout. I had a toxic workplace that I used to work in. Even in building my business, I couldn't always see the way forward, and I hit some pretty heavy roadblocks. But Rusty reminded me that joy, trust, and blind faith are enough, and it's so freeing, it's so releasing. Like Rusty, I had times where I couldn't"see" and in quotations that way forward. But trust, resilience, and movement helped me heal. I healed through that. And business growth. I'm often in a season of planting seeds without knowing which ones will bloom. I've planted so many seeds in the last two months, and I'm just trusting blindly that they will come to fruition when they're supposed to. I'm not digging them up, I'm just trusting, and Rusty teaches me that trust. The unseen progress is still progress. And relationships and boundaries. Allowing others to guide me or stepping in as a gentle guide is part of love and connection, not weakness, and I have made the best connections recently. On top of that, I have some of the best mentors and coaches out there, and they have really stepped in as a gentle guide. One of my favorite mentors is Gieo, and Gieo has actually been the best coach and he, I strive to coach like him because he does not ever just give me the answer. He always leads me to the answer and I can't figure that out until I connect the dots looking backwards, I'm like, oh, yeah, now I see how he led me right here, which is the sign of an awesome coach and mentor because when they do that, you figure it out on your own and the lesson is learned a lot quicker. So in the workplace imagine this wellness angle. Imagine if leaders and teams embodied Rusty's lessons more trust, more presence, more resilience, and I, I've got to add more emotional intelligence because that is so true because Rusty doesn't feel sorry for himself, and that's emotionally aware if you think about it, because he's not worried about anything else, but everybody being happy. When I laugh, he starts wagging his tail and I'm not even laughing at him. How cool is that? That right there. Trust, presence, resilience, emotional intelligence. That's what makes workplaces thrive. All right you know, rusty may be blind, but he sees life better than most of us, pun intended, and maybe that's the reminder we all need. To walk by faith. Enjoy the moment and trust that even when we can't see the way we are guided. All right, that's my episode for today. I trust that you found it helpful, and if you know someone who can benefit from this, please share it with them. And until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and namaste.

Why My Blind Dog Is the Best Life Coach