Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued

Kim Meeder is the author of Hope Rising and Bridge Called Hope. Along with her husband, Troy, she owns and operates Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in central Oregon. Crystal Peaks is a nonprofit organization that rescues abused and neglected horses and pairs them with disadvantaged children, offering the children a place of safety, peace, and hope. In 2004, Kim received the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award, one of the nation’s highest honors for public service.
 
Laurie Sacher is a team leader at Crystal Peaks Youth. Laurie graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2003 and taught English as Second Language in Spain before returning to her native California roots to pursue her passion for kids and animals.

“Blind Hope is a powerful story, made even more beautiful by the fact that it is not simply a fairy tale. Kim Meeder creatively recalls for us how Laurie Sacher’s unique interactions with the dog she saved ended up pointing her back to her Savior. In a culture obsessed with reality TV, I pray our hearts can not only be entertained and perhaps touched by this true story but that we would be changed by it.” — Angela Alcorn Stump, co-author of The Ishbane Conspiracy

“On her ranch in Oregon, Kim Meeder brings wounded horses and broken kids together and sees healing miracles on a regular basis. Blind Hope, a wonderful analogy of how God sees and loves his children, shows how a blind and ill dog named Mia helped to bring healing, love, and acceptance to the young woman who rescued her. Laurie’s statement ‘My dog is blind…and now I see” is the story of all of us. This book could change your life.’ — Lauraine Snelling, author of No Distance Too Far, all the Red River series, and One Perfect Day along with many other novels

“I thank God for Kim Meeder—she is one of my heroes! Her passionate love for the Lord, for children of all ages, and for animals is inspiring. She is thoroughly dedicated to whatever assignment God brings her way, including writing this beautiful account of the special bond between a woman and her dog. Kim brings an ongoing message of hope with this story, and she does it so well.” — Danae Dobson, author of Let’s Walk the Talk

“Skidboot opened my eyes to a lot of life and love. After reading about Laurie and Mia, I learned even deeper lessons that our four-legged friends can teach us. This book shows very clearly how God has used dogs to spread his love. Thank you, Kim and Laurie, for sharing this story.” — David Hartwig, friend of Skidboot, the world-famous Texas blue heeler, featured in Angel Dogs with a Mission: Divine Messengers in Service to All Life

“Kim Meeder takes the reader along on a unforgettable journey with Laurie and her blind dog, Mia. Dog and human bring out the best in each other through hardship and friendship as the bond between the two grows deeper. And the beauty of nature provides the path that Laurie and Mia travel as they experience the ups and downs during teachable moments.” — Joan Dalton, founder and executive director, Project POOCH

“Kim Meeder again shares a touching story of how God continues to use all of creation to move in and through our lives. Blind Hope gives us another glimpse into the amazing animal-human bonds that can bring fullness to our lives and move us to reach out to others, to reach out to hope, joy, and authentic love.” — Danna L. Harvey, animal-assisted therapy handler

"Poignant and convicting. I was touched by the way Kim told Laurie and Mia’s story. I hope I can be as open to hearing the voice of God through unexpected ways." — Diane Bloyd Kent, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind

“The human-animal bond is a special connection. Kim Meeder highlights this in Blind Hope as she draws parallels between each one of us and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As Kim says, ‘To trust, listen, and believe takes time and practice.’ She surely knows how to portray an important message of salvation while entertaining and showing life lessons with Laurie and Mia.” — Roxie Mudder, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind

In the inspirational true story Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher, readers are shown a prime example of how a dog can change a person’s life for good. Whereas this abused, blind, and disobedient dog may have its issues, so does its new owner, Laurie, and they work together to overcome these problems. The author’s purpose is to reveal just how much an unwanted dog can teach someone about God by trusting its owner and not giving up.

After adopting this dog, Laurie finds herself comparing her relationship with God to the relationship that her dog (whom she names Mia) has with her. Laurie begins to learn about biblical truths, such as trust, belief, faith, and surrendering completely, all because of her dog Mia. This book jumps around a lot from past to present, and it is told from the perspective of Laurie’s best friend, Kim. Through the next several months, Laurie explains to Kim all of the lessons she has learned from this dog whenever she has a chance. Kim Meeder, co-owner of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, does a great job of relating Laurie’s experiences to the reader and also encouraging the reader to examine their own lives right along with Laurie.

About halfway through the book, Laurie’s life suddenly changes as Mia is diagnosed with canine diabetes. The veterinarian informs Laurie that Mia is going blind and is also slowly dying. The news devastates Laurie and within the next month, Mia is blind. Even though things seem hopeless with Mia, Laurie doesn’t give up on her. She teaches Mia how to listen to the sound of her own voice and go out in public without running into anything. Through Mia’s blindness, Laurie realizes just how blind she has been to God. Because of this blind dog, Laurie commits her life to Christ. This book’s main focus seems to be on the unconditional love that God has for us and that no matter how long we try and run away from Him, he is always there for us in the end. A verse that reminded me of this is Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

Overall, Blind Hope is filled with great spiritual insight and important lessons that we all need to exercise in our own lives. This touching story between Laurie and her dog, Mia, is one to remember. The only weakness seems to be in the dialogue itself, but if you can get past that, this book is a great story for dog lovers of all kinds. – Jonathan Hausler, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

Meeder (Hope Rising) tells the story of an unwanted dog whose forlorn and broken heart and body called out to Meeder'sco-author, Sacher, and how, in their subsequent relationship, the dog became the agent of spiritual rescue to her owner. Together, Meeder and Sacher write about their own meeting and work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, where Sacher was moved to take ownership of a disabled pooch that she renamed Mia. In a completely disarming manner, Meeder relates a love story between Sacher and Mia as human and dog grew to trust one another one day, one bump, and one bruise at a time. Meeder parallels their human/canine relationship with the trust and love Sacher develops with God. With humorous and poignant asides, Meeder beautifully bridges the gap between the sad and silly, showing the lovely and forsaken aspects of the individual heart so powerfully that readers will be coaxed into revisiting their understanding of the rescue God readily offers to all. (July) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Praise for Blind Hope
 
"Blind Hope is a powerful story, made even more beautiful by the fact that it is not simply a fairy tale. Kim Meeder creatively recalls for us how Laurie Sacher’s unique interactions with the dog she saved ended up pointing her back to her Savior. In a
culture obsessed with reality TV, I pray our hearts can not only be entertained and perhaps touched by this true story, but that we would be changed by it."
—ANGELA ALCORN STUMP, co-author of The Ishbane Conspiracy
 
"On her ranch in Oregon, Kim Meeder brings wounded horses and broken kids together and sees healing miracles on a regular basis. Blind Hope, a wonderful analogy of how God sees and loves his children, shows how a blind and ill dog named Mia helped to bring healing, love, and acceptance to the young woman who rescued her. Laurie’s statement ’My dog is blind… and now I see’ is the story of all of us. This book could change your life."
—LAURAINE SNELLING, author of No Distance Too Far, all the Red River series, and One Perfect Day along with many other novels
 
"I thank God for Kim Meeder—she is one of my heroes! Her passionate love for the Lord, for children of all ages, and for  animals is inspiring. She is thoroughly dedicated to whatever assignment God brings her way, including writing this beautiful account of the special bond between a woman and her dog. Kim brings an ongoing message of hope with this story, and she does it so well."
—DANAE DOBSON, author of Let’s Walk the Talk
 
"Skidboot opened my eyes to a lot of life and love. After reading about Laurie and Mia, I learned even deeper lessons that our four-legged friends can teach us. This book shows very clearly how God has used dogs to spread his love. Thank you, Kim and Laurie, for sharing this story."
—DAVID HARTWIG, friend of Skidboot, the world-famous Texas blue heeler, featured in Angel Dogs with a Mission: Divine Messengers in Service to All Life
 
"Kim Meeder takes the reader along on a unforgettable journey with Laurie and her blind dog, Mia. Dog and human bring out the best in each other through hardship and friendship as the bond between the two grows deeper. And the beauty of nature provides the path that Laurie and Mia travel as they experience the ups and downs during teachable moments."
—JOAN DALTON, founder and executive director, Project POOCH
 
"Kim Meeder again shares a touching story of how God continues to use all of creation to move in and through our lives. Blind Hope gives us another glimpse into the amazing animal-human bonds that can bring fullness to our lives and move us to reach out to others, to reach out to hope, joy, and authentic love."
—DANNA L. HARVEY, animal-assisted therapy handler
 
"Poignant and convicting. I was touched by the way Kim told Laurie and Mia’s story. I hope I can be as open to hearing the voice of God through unexpected ways."
—DIANE BLOYD KENT, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind
 
"The human-animal bond is a special connection. Kim Meeder highlights this in Blind Hope as she draws parallels between each one of us and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As Kim says, ’To trust, listen, and believe takes time and practice.’ She surely knows how to portray an important message of salvation while entertaining and showing life lessons with Laurie and Mia."
—ROXIEMUDDER, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind