Disability?

Despite all the dire warnings I received prior to Lottie’s adoption, I haven’t had too many issues with caring for a deaf dogs.  I was warned by a few that it would be all-consuming and difficult to train and live with a deaf dog, yet I find that I rarely even remember that she IS deaf, much less sight-impaired.  I forget.  I talk to her just like I do all my other dogs, I say “sit” when I touch-cue her to sit, I even talk to her in the happy, higher-pitch  dog voice that makes all my dogs wiggle with joy.  And when I talk to her in that voice, and smile at her, she wiggles with joy just like all the others.  My feeling is that we humans don’t fully understand subtle energy, and senses, and that there is more to “hearing” and “seeing” than we realize.  So because she can’t hear and see in the same way that I do, maybe she hears and sees in a different way.  Maybe she can detect my intent, even if she can’t audibly or visually see.  If I feel joy, I’d like to believe that she can feel my joy, and share it, even though she cannot hear my voice or see my face in the traditional way.



There is only one thing that is annoying with her deafness.  Well, maybe two.  The first is that I can’t call her.  Most of the time, that doesn’t matter, because she is always by my side, even in the back yard.  The problem comes in at the dog park.  We go on my lunch break, so my time is limited.  When our time is up and it’s time to go back to work,  I really need to go back to work.  But the dog park is the one place that Lottie is NOT at my side.  I’ve often wondered if other people in the park wonder if she is my dog when I chase her down and leash her to lead her out, because she completely ignores me and acts like I’m not even there.  She is either visiting with other people, or other dogs, or chasing her invisible friends, or sometimes chasing my other dogs, but regardless, she wants nothing to do with me.  Kinda funny because she is so attentive and loving all the time she is NOT at the dog park!  When it is time to leave, I have to go get her.  And the park is a big one.  So today I decided I need to get her to pay attention to ME in the park.  Its okay to go visit friends, but please don’t forget about me altogether!  I’ve decided to bring treats next time, and give her a treat every time she comes near me.  I’m hoping that will change her park orientation back in my direction a bit.

At the gate of the park, ready to run!

Frisbee! With Tango and Pascha

 



My girl likes her some tug!





The only other time I struggle with her deafness is when she is in the back cargo area of the Jeep, and I’m driving down the road, and she decides she wants to go do something else, something else outside of this Jeep!  So she starts barking, and shredding and ripping her blanket.  And I can’t say, “That’s enough!” like I would with any other dog.  But I had an idea for that, too.  I bought a water pistol.  I keep it filled and next to my seat.  When she barks or digs or rips in the back of the car, I squirt her with water from the front seat.  So far, so good.  She stops and looks around, like “What the . . . ?”  And then she is quiet.  It’s working.