Sandy was found beach stranded in 1980 when she was only a few months old. She had either been separated from her mother or possibly abandoned. Sandy was transported to the Marine Animal Resource in Seattle, Washington. There she met Lucy, another harbor seal with whom she would be sharing a pool for the rest of her life. She and Lucy were sent from Washington to the Aquarium of Niagara. Sandy arrived at the aquarium on October 22, 1980. During the month of October she was bit by another seal. This bite left a large pink scar across her back, just above her rear flippers. This was not the end of her troubles. By the age of six Sandy had gone completely blind in a relatively short period of time due to cataracts. The decision was made to have one of her cataracts surgically removed to restore the sight to one eye. On January 30, 1987 Sandy underwent the operation which successfully removed the cataract from her left eye. She is the first and only seal to have undergone and survived cataract surgery. With time the cataract has returned and due to her age she will not undergo surgery again. She is still able to see peripherally, as well as shadow and movement.Sandy is a Pacific harbor seal. She has dark gray/black fur with white rings and spots. She is currently 21 years old and mostly blind. Her right eye is very cloudy in appearance. She also has a pink scar across her back, just above her rear flippers where she was bit by another seal. Sandy is fed a mixture of herring, capelan, lake smelt, and as a special treat she may get mackerel. She loves herring, but hates squid and will spit it out. She also enjoys ripping the skimmer net to pieces when the pool is being cleaned. She also has a habit of poking Clarisse.