How to Know if Your Dog is Deaf

Most commonly, dog

To determine if your pup is hard-of-hearing, you can do simple at-home tests like making sounds to get your dog’s attention, or rattling keys in front of your dog’s ears. If you suspect your dog is deaf, you may want to take them to the vet to run an official BAER test.

Training A Deaf Dog

As with any dog, training a deaf dog takes time and patience. There are some ways in which deaf and hearing dogs learn quite similarly. Repetition, reward, and consistency remain the pillars of success—however there are a few key differences:

• You must establish eye contact with deaf dogs before you can properly train them. While eye contact is an important piece of training for all dogs, its especially necessary when training a deaf dog. Because deaf dogs cannot hear you – eye contact is there way of actively listening to you. This means that it’s particularly important that you establish and reward regular eye contact early on in training our deaf dog.
• Deaf dogs are reliant on visual cues. Once you have the attention of a deaf dog, you’ll need to associate behaviors with hand cues. It’s not unusual for most owners to use hand signals when training their dogs, however some words like “no” or “yes” might not be traditionally represented by hand. When your deaf dog does a command poorly, or well, have a unique way of visually letting them know. You should also consider creating a signal for your dog’s name. See the video below for a sample of visual cues:

This can make training a little more difficult in cases where your dog isn’t right in front of you—for example when they are in another room or several yards away. Consider investing in a vibrating collar to send your dog physical cues when he is not looking or is out of eyesight.

Challenges of Living with a Deaf Dog

Training a deaf dog takes some additional patience but is quite similar to training any other pup once you get the hang of it. There are a few other challenges that owning a deaf dog can pose in your day-to-day life.

• Deaf dogs startle more easily. When owning a deaf dog, keep in mind that they cannot hear you or others approaching. It’s best to walk toward them from the front and teach kids not to pet them from behind. You can also let deaf dogs know you are coming by stomping a bit louder as you approach. TO wake a sleeping deaf dog, touch them gentle on the shoulder—or another consistent spot—but avoid petting their head.
• Get into a routine. One great way to provide any dog with a sense of comfort, is by establishing a daily routine. Feed and walk your dog on a consistent schedule, use the same cues before a bath or meal time. Create as much stability as you can for your pup.
• Have a fenced in yard and walk them on a leash. Exercise is crucial for most deaf dogs, however calling your dog to come back to you is not an option for these pups. Deaf dogs are also less able to sense danger, like oncoming cars, or wildlife, so a fenced in yard and on-leash walks are important for their safety.

Who Should Consider Adopting a Deaf Dog

Just about anyone with the right home, and the right level of patience and love can and should consider adopting a deaf dog. As with any adoption, the most important factor is whether your pup and you have the right personality and chemistry to form a loving bond.

If you’re considering adopting a deaf dog, take a look at our spotlight on Petunia Rose.  https://pawsnewengland.com/pup-profile-petunia-rose/

Like a leather sofa or a well-worn pair of jeans, certain dogs take time to mold to you—to become a part of your life and your home. A bit stiff at first, but conforming to you in a way that makes life without them seem impossible, Petunia is this type of dog.

Several months into fostering Petunia, her mother Susan ends each evening with what has become a ritual in her household. Evening snuggle time is followed by a silly little slow-dance before sending Petunia off to sleep for the night.

“She truly is a special girl,” Susan says, “There is a lot to love about Petunia.”

Petunia’s Past

While petunia resides in the comfort of her foster’s home in New Hampshire right now, life was not always easy for this pup. Raised in a puppy mill, petunia was neglected from a young age, and never given the proper care or understanding that is so crucial to a dog’s development during her early years. To make matters more challenging for her, Petunia is also deaf, making the world around her hard to understand.

Imagine if you will, a childhood in which people expect certain behaviors of you, but cannot communicate what those behaviors are. This is Petunia’s reality, and it has left her with several challenges that any future pup-parent will need to be aware of and prepared to tackle with patience and understanding.

Petunia Rose does not know how to interact appropriately with people or other animals, and while she is capable of becoming accustomed to people over time, her future owner will likely have to accept that she isn’t going to be the dog you can take to cook outs or be the friendly dog that interacts with your guests when you have a party.

So often, this concerns pet owners because our dogs aren’t being who WE want them to be. But, is this really the right way of thinking?

As Helen St. Pierre, of No Monkey Business Dog Training, says, “Not all dogs want to play with other dogs past adulthood… There’s nothing wrong with them, it’s us humans that need a lesson… if your dog doesn’t like other dogs, I can help them work through some of that   but can’t force them to enjoy playing with another dog the same way I can’t force you to like someone else if you just don’t. Enjoy your dog for who they are, rather than worrying about who they aren’t.”

Is Petunia Right for You?

Petunia may not be the life of the party, but she will be your best friend.

She is bouncy, adorable, and you can’t help but smile when her eyes meet yours. After an assessment with dog trainer, we discovered that Petunia is more skilled than she lets on. She will sit, stay, and has quite the ability to pick up on environmental cues given her disability.

The right household for Petunia would be one where she is the only pet, there are no kids, and she has a fenced in yard to play in. Ideally, her next owner is not a first-time dog owner, and has a lot of patience and love to give. Her owner does not need deaf dog experience but should commit to at least one training session with a CPDT-KA certified trainer after adoption (which PAWS New England will financially support).

Are you looking for a best friend, and a dog that desperately deserves a loving home?

Petunia will be a challenge for her new owner, this is certain. But out of life’s hardest challenges, we often find the most beautiful rewards – like a dog who loves to dance, even if she can’t hear the music.

A 12lb yorkie/poodle mix had been hit by a car and had devastating fractures to both of her back legs. Surgical and treatment costs would exceed $7,000 and the rescue facility could not afford that level of care.

But volunteers instantly fell in love and could not imagine having to euthanize a dog who was only two years old with a treatable injury.

PAWS struggled with what to do.

Our organization was juggling several critical cases and was wracking up veterinary bills at a dizzying pace. Ultimately, we could not say no to Duchess’ soulful eyes.

We decided to transfer her to our incredible partners at Memphis Veterinary Specialists where Duchess underwent several hours of orthopedic surgery.

Duchess underwent three rounds of surgery to facilitate all of the orthopedic repairs that she needed. Her surgeries went smoothly and we all thought that Duchess was on the road to what would be a long, but successful recovery.

This morning we learned the devastating news that Duchess has been diagnosed with parvovirus and had to be transferred to the ICU for lifesaving care. What an unbearably unfair course of events for this precious girl who has already endured so much.

PAWS remains unwavering in our commitment to Duchess, but we are in need of your help. Please consider making a donation towards Duchess’ staggering veterinary bills.

Help give us the resources to continue her life-saving care and give this small girl with a big spirit the chance to live a long and happy life where she will be cherished by an adoptive family.

We will continue to update everyone on her progress, thank you for your support!

Help Support Duchess’ Recovery

PAWS will be paying tribute to all rescue Moms this Mother’s Day with a beautiful Mother’s Day Card. Each card will include a photo collage of a former Mama dog rescued by Paws New England. For $25, what dog-loving Mom would not love to have lifesaving vaccinations and medications donated to a pet in their honor? Or perhaps a dog bed and blankets to keep them warm while they are awaiting a forever home for $50? And, for a donation of $150, what Mother would not love to look at a picture of a dog whose life was saved in her honor, with the name of her choosing! We hope you will participate in this very special event.

You can celebrate a special woman in your life and help save a life!!

Clementine (age 9) and Suzy (age 2) are a bonded Mother/Daughter pair looking for their forever home. They have survived a horrible past, together. Find out more information about us here.

Click here to order your cards!

Paws New England would like to thank Phil Smith Photography for donating their time and talent to capturing the love of this mother/daughter pair.

She has gone on to become a therapy dog for her current owner, bringing light and happiness not only to his and his family’s lives, but to all of those lucky enough to encounter her. But as her deep brown eyes will tell you, there is so much more to her story.

How we found Elly

Elly was discovered by Memphis Animal Control and brought in to a Tennessee Veterinary Clinic with a badly mangled leg.

It is uncertain how she got said injury and uncertain where exactly she came from, but was not uncertain was the love and excitement Elly exuded.

Originally, she had been set for euthanasia as her leg seemed to be beyond repair, however her gentle and caring demeanor struck a chord with a Vet Tech in the hospital, and they made a call over to PAWs New England in an attempt to save Elly. That day the decision was made to simply operate on Elly and remove her injured leg, rather than lose this spectacular little pup.

Elly, now an adorable tripod, then made her way to a foster home in New England.

Getting Elly Adopted

Due to her vivacious yet gentle personality, it was assumed that it would be quite easy to adopt her out.

Elly was good with children, other dogs, and even had the ability to become a therapy dog—–how could you not love that? However, she had 7 applications come in and they all either were not a good fit, or fell through at the last minute.

While Elly was patiently waiting to find her forever home, it just so happened that a Veteran named Drew and his partner Brenda had been scouring the internet searching for the perfect companion to fill in the place that Drew’s former beloved Dingo dog Murray had left behind with his passing many years prior.

Brenda initially found Elly online, and thought that she’d be a perfect match for Drew, however he was still cautious.

Drew took about a week to read up on Elly, look at her photos, and contemplate whether or not she was the dog for him. Once that week was up, however, he took the plunge and sent in his application.

Upon receiving the application, the PAWS staff was ecstatic!

They knew deep down that Elly was meant to be a therapy dog, as she was so good with people and understanding their emotions, so seeing an application from a Vet felt like the perfect fit.

Elly’s foster mom Alexandra made a call to Drew and the pair hit it off immediately, so certain was Alexandra in the match, she arranged to meet with Drew that day and if everything went well, they were prepared to move Elly into her forever home immediately.

Alexandra says of the meeting, “When I say she instantly connected with him, that’s the truth! As far as everyone was concerned, she was his and he was hers, and the rest of us were happy to witness such a remarkable match.”

Elly’s connection with the rest of the family was also undeniable, including with her new sister Sydney, an adorable black and white pup who although is obedient, smart, and very special to the family, isn’t exactly the therapy dog that Drew had been searching for.

Where is Elly now?

Since being adopted, Drew has taken Elly to the VA where she has excelled at being the special therapy dog everyone at PAWS New England knew she could be.

She brings a light and calmness to all of the Vets there, and quickly helps them forget about the ailments that have brought them there.

Drew is currently in the process of getting her certified and has already ordered a vest for her. In the meantime, the pair visit the homes of other Veterans, where Elly helps to brighten up everyone’s day.

Elly has truly found her calling in bringing love and support to not only Drew, but to all those that she meets.

Her story is a prime example of why PAWS does what they do. Just because a dog may be injured does not mean they don’t have greatness within them. Let Elly be an example of what can happen when you save a dog from euthanasia and give her a fighting chance!

In honor of these incredible relationships, this year we celebrate the bond between YOU and your canine best friend! For those who have never experienced it, this special bond can some times be indescribable. Luckily, a photograph can express the emotions that 1000 words cannot!

With the help of our amazing volunteer photographers we’re excited to offer the 2017 PAWS New England calendar! Who Rescued Who: Celebrating the Human-Canine Bond

Join our calendar auction to be part of this very special event!

Bid on the month of cover of your choosing by commenting on the photo. All proceeds from the 2017 calendar benefit the amazing dogs of PAWS and allow us to continue our life saving work. So bid often & bid generously!

Leo was found shivering on a cold night in a field on the side of the road. How long he had been there was unknown, but it was clear that it had been quite some time because there was an imprint in the dirt in the shape of his body. It was evident that Leo needed medical attention quickly, but what was more obvious was that he simply just needed some love. Leo is an affection little guy who loves to cuddle, a quick hug can calm him down and make him feel safe even in the most dire of situations. As soon as his rescuer wrapped their jacket and arms around him, his tail immediately started to wag. It was clear from the beginning that Leo was a sweet and loving boy. The people who rescued Leo took him to their home, where he immediately felt comfortable with their entire pack—three dogs and many more cats! He was battered and bruised, but still managed to wag his tail and play with his new friends. Although with a limp, he jumped for joy any time something exciting happened, whether it be dinner time, a scratch behind the ear, or the sight of one of his new friends.

From here, Leo was taken in by PAWS New England who set him up with a vet appointment. Initially it was thought that his hip had been dislocated. In order to make sure he was comfortable, PAWS immediately set him up with a loving foster home. Jessica and Elizabeth described their first introduction to Leo as thus, “We finally met little Leo in a tornado of tail wags and little joy jumps, as he tried to sit like a good boy. He came home to stay with us in his foster home that very night. He weathered the storm of meeting our two ecstatic dogs with complete grace. They’ve been the naughty trio since.” He spent the next day patiently eyeing them for permission to come cuddle on the couch, and would whimper until they pet him to sleep. It was clear that this sweet boy was in a lot of pain.

They took him in for surgery to our incredibly talented partners at Animal Surgical Center of Michigan and upon doing so learned that Leo did not have a dislocated hip, but rather had fractured both his right hip and his left pelvic bone. Leo was terrified during his examination and clung to his new foster moms for support, however he managed to get through his appointment and surgery like a champ. It took a few days for Leo to adjust after surgery though. At first, he was in too much pain to walk up the stairs on his own so he’d have to be carried. Once up in his bed, he faced a new set of trouble, he was in so much pain and so scarred from the trauma he had gone through that sleeping alone was very difficult for him. His foster mom ended up falling asleep on the floor next to his bed so that he would know that he was no longer alone and that he didn’t have anything to fear. After a few days however, Leo started to acclimate perfectly to his new home. By day 3 he was no longer taking pain medication and would only take his antibiotic, and before they knew it he was no longer even walking with a limp! The only time his limp was a little evident was when he would sprint while playing with his new pack. Though recovering from an injury, Leo can still run with the best of them! Being a hound and all, one of his favorite activities is to sing-a-long with the radio and to be sure to warn his family when the dreaded mail carrier or neighborhood cat has entered the yard.

It is unsure exactly how old he is, but the vet has estimated that he is 4 years old. His foster parents say that he is patient enough to hang with their 6 year old dog, and totally content to sit and watch TV with them, yet he also has enough energy to keep up with their 2 year old dog as well. He loves to ride in the car, is a great caregiver to his toys (even bringing his favorites up to bed with him!), knows only to chew on his toys, and would likely be a great running companion as he has no trouble keeping up on long adventures. Leo has shown an immense ability to adapt to any situation—when he first arrived he was a bit of a picky eater, but now he will devour whatever is put down in front of him, and he also has learned to adapt to his moms ever changing schedules, knowing what “bed time” means regardless of the time of day.

Leo has a giant heart and is ready to share it with the perfect family. He has been resilient and brave throughout his traumatic experiences, but regardless of what he has been through, his love for those around him has never faltered. He will be the perfect addition to any size home, and is eager to share his love!

-Kayla Cerretti

Not much, usually. But then again, our exceptionally resilient protagonist, Sir Quincy Quixote’s rescue story is anything but usual!

After all, the 1.5 year-old Shih-Tzu shares more than just a portion of his name with one of Western literature’s most beloved characters: Don Quixote. Like the famed hero who embarked on an epic journey through 17th century Spain, this precocious pup endured a remarkable (albeit grueling) expedition that proved to be life-changing for him and his PAWS New England family!

Here’s how PAWS New England flipped the script and made Sir Quincy Quixote’s tragic story a fairy tale:

Chapter One: His harrowing journey began with terrible conditions in Texas

Dawn Smith – our story’s initial hero and rescuer in Texas – saved Sir Quincy Quixote after coming across him on a suspect website, and could see right away he had been intensely scathed by his early dog days.

With a serious skin condition (we chose not to picture) that would make anyone’s skin crawl, the sweet 9lb Shih-Tzu was suffering from terribly infected sores that were left untreated and riddled with maggots. Quincy had clearly lived his first two short years on earth intensely neglected with no access to veterinary care. Dawn’s first order of business was to shave off all of his filthy matted fur and begin multiple treatments for his infected skin.

Once his mats were shaved and he could walk again, it became obvious to Smith that Sir Quincy was not only suffering matted fur and maggots, but he could barely walk. He was diagnosed with what the vet believed were two broken hips. When the team at PAWS New England learned that Quincy’s case was going to require extensive orthopedic surgery, they made the decision to transfer him to New England so he could be evaluated by their team of experts!

Chapter Two: The plot thickened with a Connecticut foster home and medical consultation on Cape Cod

When Sir Quincy Quixote’s transport arrived in New England he was greeted by PAWS New England foster Mom Renee Hagele of East Haddam, Connecticut. Little did Quincy know, but he was lucky enough to have a foster team made up of both Renee and Diane Gendron of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts to help him continue down the path to wellness.

Both women had the novel idea to join forces, with Hagele fostering Sir Quincy Quixote in her home (where the ultra-friendly pup that Hagele described as a “ball of love” was quick to befriend her black lab and three other pooch playmates) – while Gendron supplied close access and support in helping Sir Quincy Quixote have his surgery with Dr. Kochin of Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists.

When Sir Quincy met for his first consult with Dr. Kochin, the news was rather grim. Quincy’s cases  would potentially require six orthopedic surgeries to fix both elbows, both hips, and both knees. Dr. Kochin and his team of veterinary orthopedic specialists knew he would have a long road and decided that they would start to tackle one surgery at a time and assess how Quincy responded to each intervention before moving forward. Each and every person who met him was completely flabbergasted that a dog with essentially no stable joints could be walking (or hopping as Quincy liked to do) around with such a joyous demeanor.

As fate would have it, while Sir Quincy Quixote was having his first elbow surgery he had a chance meeting with a very special vet technician who would forever change his life.

Chapter Three: At last, our underdog finds a loving forever-home in Massachusetts!

Briana Gebhardt was working at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists in their Internal Medicine department when she first laid eyes on handsome and charming Sir Quincy Quixote – and she knew it was fate that she adopt him. This heroine was not deterred in the least by adopting a dog that would likely require multiple follow up orthopedic surgeries- everyone was stunned and completely in awe of her instant love for this loveable special needs dog. And, having served as a shelter manager for three years and a PAWS New England adoption coordinator in the past, Briana was truly the perfect candidate to take over Quincy’s care!

After all, according to Gebhardt adoption means being responsible for providing lots of affection (which Sir Quincy Quixote now receives from both her and her other pooches that he loves playing with!) as well as being financially able to care for unforeseen issues that may arise.

-Story by Lisa DeCotis

Once PAWS joined the rescue mission, Kenny finally received a name and the Memphis Veterinary Specialists were added to the team. However, upon examination it was discovered that Kenny had sustained some very serious injuries that would take extensive (and expensive!) surgeries. The vet working on Kenny advised the team at PAWS that he had an injury to his tail that could potentially leave him incontinent for the rest of his life, as the nerve damage was so bad his tail had to be removed and he no longer felt the sensation of needing to go to the bathroom. PAWS was stuck in a tricky situation, do they euthanize a sweet, docile, pup or do they risk spending $5,000 on surgeries for a dog who would inevitably be very hard to adopt out? It didn’t take long for the PAWS team to realize that they couldn’t give up on Kenny—not only was he adorable, but he had an enormous and loving personality. Though many of his bones were shattered, it was abundantly clear that Kenny’s heart was still perfectly intact. The decision was made and Kenny bravely underwent a 5 hour orthopedic surgery to restore his tibia and fibula, multiple pelvic fractures, and an amputation of his shattered tail.

The next step was transporting Kenny to New England where he would meet his new foster family.  Luckily for him, he would join a loving family who run a doggy daycare, and already have 4 brothers and sisters for Kenny to play with at home. Though initially a bit shy, and naturally weary of people, Kenny quickly began to learn how to trust and more importantly how to play! He is still in recovery, and it will take many more weeks to discover whether or not he will regain any nerve function in his bowel and bladder, however his legs have healed up quite well and not only can he successfully walk again, but he can run and fetch with the best of them! Kenny is absolutely adored by his foster mom’s staff at the daycare, they can’t get enough of his gentle, loving, and playful demeanor. He gets along extremely well with all of his other doggy friends, and he even likes to play with cats (though an experienced, dog friendly cat would likely be best).

Kenny is a special dog who deserves a special and loving home. He will need a lot of love and attention, but PAWS knows that the right home for Kenny is out there. Though at the time he does still have incontinence issues and because he can’t feel it coming on he sometimes will leak, that being said though, he is trained to go to the bathroom outside and his waste is solid so clean up isn’t difficult. It also seems as though he has regained some feeling back, so not all hope is lost that he will fully recover. With his spirit and determination to overcome hardships, it seems that Kenny is dead set on a full recovery and a long, healthy life. All he needs now is the support and companionship of a loving family! To learn more about adopting Kenny, click here.

-Kayla Cerretti

Photo credit: Lisa Gilbert

This year, we will be aptly naming our matching sponsors “Humane Heroes.” Heroes will be recognized for their extraordinary generosity on our website, in PAWS social media sites that reach over 55,000 supporters, in email blasts that reach almost 7,500 supporters, and in any local press coverage.  Sponsors will also awarded with a personalized plague to recognize their life-saving contribution to homeless animals.

To learn more about becoming a Humane Hero, please email kelly@pawsnewengland.com. Thank you for taking a stand to support dogs in need!