Our Hero Deaf Dogs Augie by Patience Newsome

 

I would like to introduce you all to our deaf dog Augie. He has been in our family for 12 years. He has been a true blessing. Augie is deaf, very smart, and loving. He knows many hand signs, and is always watching to see if you need to give him a cue. The only time you would even know he is deaf is when he sleeps because he sleeps so deeply.

I am amazed at how well he adapts to everything we have come across. He has adjusted beautifully to our farm life, our children, our moving and nothing throws him off. Thunderstorms seem to be his only fear which is strange because he can’t hear the thunder but he can feel the vibration of a lighting strike and he also see the flash of lightning.  When a thunder storm hits he needs to be inside the house and near me for him to feel completely safe and secure. I guess feeling the earth shake and not being able to hear what is going on, throws him a bit.

Now I get to tell you about how he saved my son. Last year we had a day of heavy rains and there was standing water everywhere, but nothing of real concern. My son had gone to bed, my husband was locking up, and turning off all the lights. I was in the bathroom taking off my makeup with my sweet deaf dog Augie laying at my feet. When I finished, I flipped off the light, walked out of the bathroom, and I headed down the long dark hallway along with Augie by my side. All of a sudden, Augie let out a deep growl and an angry bark. When we heard Augie bark, my  husband and I froze because it was a different kind of bark we had never heard from him before. My husband suddenly reached for the light switch and turned on the hall lights. Much to our surprise Augie showed us what he was so upset about. Laying on the floor was a creature we never expected to see inside our home!  A baby rattlesnake had come in under the door, made it’s way down our dark hall, and curled up inside my son’s toy.

It suddenly dawned on both of us that if my son had found the snake inside his toy, he would not have known to be scared of the snake. If it had bitten him, we would not have never guessed it was a rattlesnake. The strange thing about this entire situation is that our house is new and well sealed. If our son had been bitten by a rattle snake,  getting him the anti-venom would have taken a long time. Who knows how long it might have taken? We truly believe Augie saved our son and we are thankful every day that we took a chance on our trusty deaf dog.

Being deaf isn’t a disability that should keep patient, loving families from investing time, love, and energy in these dogs. A deaf dog’s abilities far outweigh their lack of hearing.

We think our Augie totally rocks!

The Newsom Family & Augie