About four and a half years ago we were given one of many deaf dogs we had the pleasure of fostering. At the time we were operating our own rescue group for Boxer breed dogs of all ages and this girl just stood out!
My husband went to pick Hope up from a nice lady who could no longer keep her due to her income changing and her housing being uncertain at the time. We brought her back to our “boxer ranch” to intake her for possible adoption, post her on pet finder and all that jazz. Instantly when my husband pulled up with her in his car I noticed her stunning blue eyes and also how she was hovering over his shoulder while he was steering the car. The first words out of his mouth were, “Oh man…. I am in love!”
After getting her into our care, Hope proved to be a bit of a challenge in the communication department by looking another direction when giving her hand signals, darting out our front door, and even playing pretty hard with our kids, etc. Hope was an only dog with no kids in her home and was already over 3yrs old when she came into our lives. Needless to say she needed some softening up around the edges. After a short time she did really well and she was ready for adoption! Having a deaf dog in our care usually meant they were in our home a bit longer while seeking an adopter so we were getting attached during her foster period. We took her to all our adoption events and due to her stunning looks there were lots of takers for her and we found a perfect family. The family we chose for her loved her so much and were very eager to learn the deaf dog training methods and more!
The day she left was bittersweet and since the family was close to our home I was in constant contact. Unfortunately one day Hope pushed her limits in her new surroundings and ran out the front door at her new home. Her new mom had an in-home childcare center and couldn’t leave the kids to find her on a regular basis. Thankfully Hope’s new dad was home this day and rushed to track her down in his car and found her. My husband had an inkling she may come back to us at this point and made me promise to allow him and our family to keep her permanently if she indeed made her way back to us. The call came within the next week, the new family was heartbroken to have to send her back to us while we were secretly in heaven! Since that day she came back to us, she has never gone again!
We love our Hope and she has become such a well trained Boxer that we would gladly have a deaf dog next time around. The communication we have is on a deeper level that is indescribable. She still has her “snotty” quirks but it’s cute for us now and is a large part of our love for her. We never expected to be deaf dog owners ourselves but she has proven to us that her lack of hearing is a slight speed bump instead of a major impairment. Thank you so much for what you do at DeafDogsRock.com! Keep up the great work!!
* This story was submitted by Melissa Najor for her dog Hope. Thank’s Melissa for sharing Hope’s story with Deaf Dogs Rock! According to my deaf dog Nitro, Hope rocks!
