‘I love being a member of this group!’ – A blind man asked for descriptions of dogs on Facebook and was flooded with heartwarming (and adorable) responses
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a thousand words is more heartwarming than a picture ever could be.
When blind dog-lover Stephen William Dale Shkuratoff posted in the Dogspotting Society Facebook group asking for descriptions of the member’s pups so he could picture them in his mind, he never thought he would receive over 1.6K comments from other dog-loving strangers eager to do just that.
‘I love being a member of this group!’ he wrote. ‘I am blind and was hoping to ask for more dog descriptions. Personality traits are more helpful than colors. Like how soft the dog is for example… thanks for making me feel included.’ [sic]
Since Shkuratoff posted less than 24 hours ago, the Facebook post has gone viral amassing 6.7K likes and 1.6K comments offering descriptions of beloved pups of all shapes and sizes. Users went to great lengths to talk about their dogs in detail, describing everything from the strength of their canine companion’s tail wag to the softness and heft of their coats.
‘I have Sadie. She’s a Golden Retriever, and weighs about 60 pounds. She’s a double coated dog and her undercoat is very fine and soft. Her outer coat is a little more coarse, but still pleasant to pet. Her ears are like velvet,’ Rebecca Stubbings Pinto responded.
Dogspotting Society, a public Facebook group, has just under a million members.
A community for dog lovers, some group members meet up offline and have become friends since joining.
Many people were delighted to contribute to Shkuratoff’s thread with one group member stating ‘I love this thread.’ Another member said, ‘this group is so wholesome.’
‘I have two labs. One is a female white named Mackenzie. She is soft like a bunny but has a very rambunctious personality. I call her a bulldozer. She has to be part of everything that goes on and is always at the center of trouble. Her brother is a black lab with very coarse fur. He has an issue with his right eye so he is much more timid. He is a follower and would behave perfectly if not for his sister,’ Diane Lynne Greene said.
Some group members could relate to Shkuratoff’s disability. ‘My husband is legally blind so I am his seeing eye wife and navigator! My pup is a short hair chihuahua,’ Cindi Goodeaux said. ‘He weights 10 lbs and his coat is brown and black and he has a bit of white on his chin. His fur is soft when it’s clean but feels rougher when it’s close to grooming day.’
Two cute doggos in the wild.
The group description says it’s ‘the cool place to hang out where you can post your own dogs. Here you can make friends, talk about dogs and Dogspotting.’
Lici Moore simply commented, ‘This group is so wholesome.’
Shkuratoff told Mail Online he joined the group a few months ago and has posted several times, but had never received a response this big before.
‘Its overwhelming,’ he said.
Despite the huge amount of Facebook notifications he’s received in the past few hours, Shkuratoff is touched by the community’s response to his request.
‘I am grateful for all of the responses and that people take time out of their day to describe their dogs — [it] is just so nice,’ he said. ‘I have made several Facebook friends from these posts and enjoy the friendships.’ [sic]
Dogspotting Society has been a public Facebook group since 2016 and has just under a million members.
The group description says it’s ‘The cool place to hang out where you can post your own dogs. Here you can make friends, talk about dogs and Dogspotting. Always remember to take it easy and Be Excellent to Each Other!’
Its kind, friendly dog-loving members do just that.
‘I am thankful for the group,’ Shkuratoff said.