Man helps blind dog regain confidence by hiking 1,100 miles together

A Florida man went above and beyond to help his blind dog regain her confidence, according to the Dodo.

Kyle Rohrig of Navarre and his 8-year-old Shiba Inu, Katana, recently completed a 1,100-mile hike across the Florida Trail together after Katana completely lost her eyesight late last year. The journey was meant to help the canine adjust to her blindness.

"I had my eye on the Florida Trail for a couple of years, but never made any official plans to hike it," he said. "After Katana went blind, I thought it would be the perfect trail to help her really come to terms with her new circumstances."

Three years ago, Rohrig and his dog were in the middle of a 2,650-mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail on the U.S.' West Coast when Katana started to lose her eyesight. Katana was reportedly afflicted with glaucoma in her left eye, forcing the pair to leave their trail in search of help.

Though Katana received surgery and completed the rest of the hike, she lost vision in her right eye less than two years later. As a result, the once cheerful Shiba Inu became apprehensive.

"At first she was very cautious and timid about doing anything," Rohrig recalled. "She seemed unsure of herself."

In an effort to help Katana build her self-esteem, Rohrig decided in January to take her on a hike that began at a trailhead at the Big Cypress National Preserve near Miami. He estimated, at the time, that the journey across Florida to Fort Pickens would take between two and three months.

The hike, however, proved tougher than Rohrig had hoped.

"It was very wet, muddy, buggy and at times we were wading through water, mud or swamp for miles ... sometimes up to my waist," he said. "It was a tough, wet year to hike this trail."

Still, Katana managed to hike over 200 miles on her own. Whenever she and Rohrig hit a roadblock during the hike, Rohrig would carry her 21-pound frame on his back.

"She loved every second of the freedom out there and getting to explore new places," Rohrig said. "I truly think that's every dog's dream."

The pair finally reached their destination in late March. By then, Katana had regained her self-confidence and was able to navigate on her own, Rohrig said.

"I don't know exactly how she did it, but she could lead me down the trail perfectly, without hitting a single obstacle while accounting for every twist and turn in the trail," he told the Dodo. "Katana went from cautious and timid to confident and curious."

More importantly, the experience was transformative for not only his dog but for Rohrig himself as well, he added.

"It was emotional seeing her do so well as if nothing had changed since our nostalgic days when [we first got] into long-distance hiking," Rohrig said.