Adopting and Living With a Deaf Dog

I arrive home from work, unlock the front door with my jangling keys, set them on the table and pull the door shut with a squeak and a thud. Molly, my 8 year old shepherd mix, is already there, wagging her tail in a hearty greeting. I pat her head and cup her chin for a moment. I look over at the couch and there is Mazzy, still asleep, one ear standing aloft like a pink and white sail, the other flopped lazily over. I walk over to her, boots thudding against the hard wood. I bend and kiss her softly on her puppy cheek and she finally wiggles awake, uncurling and stretching toward me, her whole body succumbing to the excited wagging of her long tail. There are differing opinions on the subject, but for me, this is the best way to wake a deaf dog.

Eye contact: The deaf dog reads your body language like a book.

Mazzy is a one year old, nearly all white, petite pit bull mix. She has a large black spot of fur over her right eye. She is awkward and enthusiastic, falling up stairs and sliding on wood flooring while her legs splay out in all directions. She is uncoordinated and determined as any puppy, but she can't hear.

Deaf Dogs Rock

The tragedy of a dog who is deaf is that if they wander off, they are unable to hear shouts from their people and may become lost. A deaf dog wandering the streets cannot hear oncoming traffic or other dangers. Even more tragic is the rate of rejection these dogs face when their people discover they are deaf and do not feel capable of raising the dog, or worse, do not want the "inconvenience" of a deaf dog. Breeders may euthanize them. At shelters they are passed over by potential adopters who think they need some special skill to raise a deaf dog.

According to Christina Lee, founder and President of Deaf Dogs Rock, a nonprofit that finds homes for deaf dogs by way of an expansive and highly educational website, this concern is unfounded. "Many of the shelters I worked with in the past put 'experienced deaf dog ownership only'  to be considered for a good adoption match. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both hearing and deaf dogs are trained exactly the same way, with the exception that a deaf dog should be trained on a leash and the handler needs to have visual cues and markers instead of verbal."

Mazzy was rescued as a stray and the task of getting her adopted out was undertaken by Deaf Dogs Rock. The goal of Deaf Dogs Rock is not only to find homes for these pups, but through articles, videos and links to resources they are taking the mystery out of raising them. Deaf dogs are just as trainable as hearing dogs.

Nitro. Photo by Christina Lee (in her original post of this
photo she points out Nitro's "Big Dog shadow")

Christina's inspiration for starting this much needed organization was Nitro, a hearing impaired boxer she and her husband Chris adopted. Nitro had been abandoned and had little hope for survival had he not been found by an animal control officer in Salem, VA. When the couple adopted the needy pooch, it was not without a great deal of fear.

"Nitro's inspiration came from my fear of failing him. My worst fear was that I was not qualified to own or train a deaf puppy," recalls Christina.

Her husband assured her that once the dog was signed up for training classes, everything would be fine. It was more than fine, and Nitro excelled at a rapid pace and matured into an ambassador for deaf dogs, passing his AKC Canine Good Citizen test at ten months old and the Delta Therapy Pet Partners training at one year. He is living proof of the potential possessed by all dogs if they are just given a chance.

Congenital deafness is linked to a defective gene that determines fur color. Any white fur on

Ruby is a deaf bull terrier mix.  Her deafness does
not hinder her from purloining good vegetarian BBQ.

a dog could be accompanied by deafness in one or both ears. It is a permanent condition that has been reported in at least 85 breeds of dog. The bull terrier is one of several breeds that is considered most likely to carry this gene. Sometimes people are unaware a dog, or even their own dog, cannot hear. By using their other senses, dogs do quite well. In addition, sometimes the deaf dog feels vibrations and reacts. Even a strong sneeze or cough can cause a dog that is 100% deaf to snap its head in the direction from which it feels the sound emanates.

Angels of Assisi

Bobbie Wiggins, Dog Trainer/Evaluator at Angels of Assisi, a rescue organization in Roanoke, Virginia, took Mazzy under her wing when she was brought in off the streets. She began to train Mazzy during her stay at the rescue facility to increase her chances at adoption. She says of her experience with Mazzy and others like her, "I think that working with deaf dogs has made me a better trainer, given me a greater understanding of dogs and how they communicate. I would not be the trainer I am today without my work with them."

Little Dog, Big Support

Angels of Assisi Rescue, where Mazzy was being housed, was participating in the Rachael Ray Challenge over the summer. The challenge: adopt out double the homeless dogs they had the prior summer, or reach a specific goal. Angels of Assisi won $30,000. The story would be covered by CBS affiliate WDBJ 7 in Roanoke, VA. Bobbie Wiggins trotted Mazzy out for her big television debut. Nadine Maeser was the on-air reporter covering the story, her boyfriend, John Thomas, an engineer for the station, was also at the shoot. They both felt an instant connection with the lanky little pit mix.

"It was literally love at first sight. I know that sounds silly, but we made a special connection to her when we saw her and when Bobbi told us her story the feelings got stronger," Nadine said. "Bobbie told us she was in need of a foster home. She had been at Angels of Assisi rescue for a few weeks after being found on the street in a neighboring county."

The couple applied to be her foster family and a week later took her home.

"I believe the best word to describe her is appreciative. We were not going to allow her on the couch, but she got up once and simply sat down and was well behaved. She also would occasionally sit on a green dog bed we have. Her face, when she sat on that, was priceless. She looked almost amazed at how soft and comfy it was. It was like she had never experienced that before. She also always loved to have something on her back. I think it made her feel safe. Whether it be a pillow or a blanket, she had something next to her. She really was a doll."

It was difficult for Nadine and John to hand over the leash of their little charge to her forever family.

"Mazzy opened our eyes to so many things and shed light on a serious problem that needs serious help. I like to think I am now an advocate for deaf dogs."

You can follow Nadine on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NadineMaeserWdbj7. The couple are currently fostering another dog in need of a forever home and get regular updates on Mazzy's progress.

Who Rescued Who?

A master frolicker, Mazzy takes visual cues from her
hearing pals and never misses the UPS guy.

When I tell people Mazzy is deaf I know what they are often thinking: how generous you are to have adopted a dog with special needs! They ask how different it is to train her versus her hearing siblings. They wonder if it's hard. Indeed I worry more about Mazzy than her hearing peers. She is not allowed off leash like her hearing sister. She has a tag on her collar that says, "I am deaf," and I check in on her frequently when she is out in the fenced yard. She uses American Sign Language. She can fall asleep right next to a working vacuum or power tool. I can sneak out of the room when she has her eyes closed, but she eventually gets revenge by eating my shoe. That's about where the differences end. She loves walks, her sister and treats. She can't catch a tennis ball unless you basically throw it directly into her mouth like she's a carnival game. She snores. She lets me spoon her on cold nights. She is always in the mood to give me kisses and makes sure I don't get lonely when I am home writing. She helps me discover new trails at the park and keeps me exercising. She lets me think I have rescued her, but a wise man once said...and then had it made into a magnet: "Who rescued who?"