He Once Was Blind But Now Can See

Joe Wilson and Denney, in front of still-flooded Wilson's Serenity Point

The Noren Access on the Missouri River just northwest of the Capitol was open to the public again Tuesday.  It had been closed since Sunday when 31 feet of floodwater tested the 30 foot levies.  As of this afternoon the river level was down to 28 feet and still dropping.

 

 

My wife and I dropped by Tuesday afternoon to check out the damage at Wilson's Serenity Point, a park-like setting adjacent to the Noren Access.  Standing there was Joe Wilson, namesake of Wilson's Serenity Point.  It was Joe's vision, money, hard work, and stubbornness that created an area of flowers, picnic tables, a nature walk and a small campground where once stood just a boat ramp and a parking lot.

 

 

"You've got to meet my new dog!" Joe told me excitedly.  And then he told me the amazing story of how Denney, a down-on-his-luck black cocker spaniel came to join his household.  Denney's former owner was dying, being cared for by hospice, and no longer able to care for a pet.  Joe took over and arranged for Denny to come and spend time with his owner during his final days.  After Denney's owner died, Joe began a search for someone to adopt Denney.   Never an easy task, placing Denney was even more challenging.  He was blind.

 

 

But Joe was in luck.  He found a lady who said she would adopt Denney on one condition:  that Joe loan her the money to buy the things she would need to care for him.  Joe gave her eleven twenty-dollar bills and made arrangements for the lady to pick Denney up.  The time came and went, along with Joe's money.   The woman was a no-show. 

 

How did Joe feel about losing over $200 while doing a good deed?

 

"I was never so happy about anything in all my life!" he told me.  "I fell in love with that dog.  I've placed over 2000 dogs and that's the sweetest dog I've ever met.  I didn't want to let him go!  I'm GLAD she didn't show up."   So Joe adopted Denney into his own family, which consisted of Joe and 4, now 5, obedient, well-trained, confident dogs.

 

But that's not the end of the story.  When Joe took Denney to the Vet, he told the Doctor "I'd do anything if I could just get that dog's vision back".  The vet did some tests.  The good news is that Denney had lost his vision due to cataracts, not glaucoma as Joe suspected.  The even better news is that the MU Veterinary School was able to operate on Denney and restore his eyesight.  The bad news is that it cost $3,000, which Joe gladly scraped together with a little help from his friends.  He even got his $220 back from the husband of the woman who "borrowed" his money.

 

As Joe opened the door to his truck (which was running with the AC on to keep the dogs comfortable while we talked), three dogs hopped out, including a once-blind black cocker spaniel whose former owner had died, but was now the epitome of a "lucky dog". 

 

"Ain't he a dandy?" asked Joe, tears welling up in his eyes, as he picked up Denney, the formerly luckless mutt whose life he had saved and whose vision he had paid dearly to have restored.

 

If Denney could talk, I suspect he would have said the exact same thing about Joe.