We want to congratulate Victoria and Leillani who found each other on our Deaf Dogs Rock Facebook page. Victoria is also a deaf dog advocate and she rescues deaf and visually impaired dogs. Her rescue group is called Speak for The Unspoken Rescue and she has helped us many times get deaf dogs safely into rescue. According to my deaf dogs, Nitro, Bud, and myself, Victoria and her team totally ROCK!

~ Christina

This is the Happy Tail of Leillani told by her new mommy Victoria Corbett.

I was at work when a friend of mine saw Leillani posted on the Deaf Dogs Rock facebook page. I got online immediatly and saw a desperate plea for a deaf and blind great dane in Texas that needed a home, and I immediatly knew that she would be the next member of my family. Having a great dane already who can see and hear, and a completely deaf and blind australian shepherd. Leillani had two very near and dear to my heart characteristics that made me certain she was meant to be mine.

 

I adopted Dhalia, my australlian shepherd almost a year ago and it opened my eyes and heart to special needs dogs. While she is a unique case with absolutely no sight or sound, it has been a different, unique and fun journey now with Leillani in the mix who has partial sight in one eye.

Getting Leillani from a small shelter in Vernon Texas to Columbus Ohio proved to be a challange but a wonderful husband and wife transport team picked her up on a Tuesday in May and she was safely delivered to me 72 hours later.

Leillani is over 100lbs of pure love and peace. She is sweet and mellow, calm and serene and loves to place her head on your lap and be loved on. I do not know what happened to her in the begining of her life as she is scarred with calluses, old wounds, and overcome with extreme arthritis. She had obviously been bred many a times and her poor body tells a story of pain and neglect.

She reminds me every day to be thankful for what I have but more importantly that we are capable of overcoming anything. She cannot hear anything and cannot see things very well, and has not been treated well by people but she still wants nothing more to please me and above all, be loved.

I cannot thank you and your organization for being the bridge that brought this amazing dog into my life, and writing such an important part in our life story. Leillani is a beautiful creature that has taught me so many things and I am so thankful that I get to be her “happy tail ending” to such a ‘not so happy beginning’.

 

Thank You again,

Victoria and Leillani

 

Photos above represent:

1- the fist time Leillani and I met after her cross country trip

2- She is wearing Dhalia’s goggles to protect her sensitive eyes from the sun

3- My special needs girls together … an understanding they share that no one will ever understand

4- I bought her an orthopedic bed after I realized how bad her arthritis was and that is how she rode home with it.