Sasha is a deaf 3 year old American Staffordshire Terrier that was found as a stray in November of 2010. She spent November to March in the county shelter, and during that time, she was selected to visit the local juvenile justice facility to work with the youth there. Her temperment with people is perfect for this kind of work-she is friendly, likes everybody, and is eager and curious to meet new folks. She is also extremely smart! The youth there help to teach her many skills, while learning about deaf dogs, dog training, pit bulls, and shelter dogs in general. She also offers them love and affection while they work through their many struggles.

For her work there, Sasha won an American Red Cross Hero Dog Award. She was honored at a ceremony of over 200 people, and received a medal. She was featured on the local news, and has since been written about by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Pit Bull Initiative, as well as featured on the cover of the local weekly paper. In March, Sasha left the shelter and entered foster care. She continues to go to the juvenile justice facility every week to work with the youth. She can be found on a lap providing comfort, or perhaps perfecting her “stay” or “down” with one of the kids. She is always happy to do her work, and she does it well. She is a success story, positively representing deaf dogs, pit bulls, and shelter dogs!

This story was submitted to Deaf Dogs Rock by Micaela. Thanks Micaela for sharing Sasha’s story with us. She is truly and inspiration. I hope when folks read her story they reconsider adopting a deaf dog.