Update: Wily was one of my very first rescues out of Chesterfield SC. It took me 12 hours of driving there and back to get him into rescue. The Franklin County Human Society agreed to take him in and they even had a foster family lined up and waiting for him. He was adopted by a wonderful family here in Virginia. Wily is now all grown up! His mom Jess says he is doing great. Here are some updated photos of Wily. I think he won the dog Lottery! ~ Christina – DDR

 

Story told by Wily’s human mom Jess: Meet Wily (formally known as Lorenzo). Wiley is a deaf and almost completely blind EBTKS (everything but the kitchen sink). He was dumped as a young puppy at a shelter in South Carolina known for some extremely disgusting destruction practices. Although these allegations were some time ago and we hear there has been vast improvements there, there was no way we were letting this little guy die there.

Above photo: His facebook shelter photo for his plea to be rescued. 

Christina from DDR made the extremely long drive to South Carolina to rescue him. She transported him to the good folks at Planned Pethood in Franklin County VA. While in their care, he was fully vetted, neutered, chipped, and extremely well loved. A few weeks later, we got the call that our application was accepted. I yelled out “It’s a boy!” (which scared my husband to death), until I reassured him it was Lorenzo! We were just over the moon to add him to our pack. While we were both hesitant about introducing a deaf and basically blind dog into our lives, we were ready for the new challenge.

Above photo: R to L: Christina Lee with DeafDogsRock.com picking up Lorenzo aka Wily with the new shelter director Danielle. 

Above and below photos: Wily being picked up by DeafDogsRock and being transported from South Carolina to Rocky Mount, VA

Some wonderful volunteers transported Lorenzo to Charlottesville, VA…..just a few hours from his new home. The entire ride there I was so excited, I was giddy. I pulled up to the lot where I saw the caravan. I introduced myself to Elizabeth and she showed me the way to her van. I was not prepared for what happened next. The sensation that came over me when I opened the van door was indescribable. I was so overwhelmed I was literally was brought to my knees when we finally met! We smelled, gave kisses, went potty, played with a giant St. Bernard, had a snack and drink and off we went.

He was an absolute angel in the car and even better when we got home. He gleefully met his new pack-mates and spent a long time checking out his new surroundings. He found his bed and settled right in as if he knew he was home! He has been unstoppable ever since. It is absolutely amazing what this dog can do! He isn’t afraid of anything. He has learned his sign commands using some hand signals, but mostly touch training. He has memorized the house and the property and can even chase the big dogs around the yard. He wears them out! And much to their dismay, he LOVES chasing the kitties too.

Photo by Jess: Wily sleeping with his new “family pack”

Wily is an absolute lover boy! The sweetest guy you will ever meet. Don’t get me wrong, he has his puppy moments too but that just comes with the territory of being super playful. He is 6 months old now and just over 50lbs. Vet says he is just about done growing. I think he is going to be the little fella in our pack. There was some speculation that he was a Great Dane mix, or a Doberman mix, he is looking more and more like a cute little Pibble (pit bull) every day. While no one is really sure what type of dog he is, he is so sweet and silly no one seems to care

Photo taken by Jess: Wily helping his daddy. 

Wily happily volunteers with me at a retirement home and at adoption events with the local animal shelters. Without fail, when people meet Wily I am asked three things and they are: Why a blind/deaf dog? Why the name “Wily”? And is he smiling? The answer to why a blind/deaf dog is in his name Wily is an acronym for Why I Love You. It is just that simple. And yes, he IS smiling. Like most cute pibbles  they always smile because they are happy. Wily smiles a lot and so do we. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. We are so thankful for the folks in Chesterfield South Carolina Animal Shelter for taking the time to post him on Facebook, Christina at DDR for saving him, Planned Pethood for caring for him, Elizabeth and the other ladies that volunteered their time to transport him and many others to their new homes, and everyone else far and wide involved in saving Wily.

He is a testament to just how awe-inspiring a deaf dog can be and just how wonderful it is to have a dog with different abilities in your life. Is it more work? No. It is just different work and worth every second!

Jess

 

Note from Christina Lee – Deaf Dogs Rock: Thanks to Danielle at the Chesterfield SC Animal Shelter for keeping Wily safe until I got there and thanks to Michele French of Chesterfield for meeting me there and taking photos and videos of Wily to keep everyone updated while we were traveling. A big thanks to Anita Scott and Inglath Cooper from the Franklin Co. Humane Society and Planned Pethood Clinic for accepting him into their rescue and also for paying for his boarding and medical. A big thanks to the transporters Elizabeth and anyone else who helped get transport to Jess. A huge shout out to Jess for being so patient while we were going through all the applications and arranging home visits and also for adopting Wily.

According to my deaf dog Nitro and I, you all totally Rock and we will be forever grateful for your kindness and generosity.  ~ Christina and Nitro – DDR