Shortly after getting our new little puppy, we noticed he either couldn't hear us when we called him or he was simply incredibly stubborn and ignored us all together.
After a conversation with the gal we got him from and finding out that one of Amos' sister was also deaf; reality set in that he infact can't hear. She offered to take him back and I of course said "No way!" I'll be the first to admit I'm not a dog person but this one has me pretty attached. He's spoiled rotten I tell ya! In the house (we don't have indoor pets other than fish) & slept in our bed for the first few weeks. I'm getting soft apparently!
The toughest challenge is the fact that we can't just call for him when he is outside & well it's a search to find him if he crawls under the bench in the barn for a snooze. We've attached a bell to his collar which helps when he's up moving around.
And when we aren't home we tie him on a lead in the yard. He really is a good puppy! He is now sleeping in his kennel in the living room at night and doesn't whine until about 6am to go outside. Now, that's not to say he hasn't had accidents on the floor and that I didn't have to buy a $150. spot cleaner to clean up those messes.
Somedays when chaos ensues around here I think man he is lucky and the kids think he's lucky he can't hear a thunder storm so he won't be scared. But then there are those moments when he & Ella are playing and she is giggling in excitement that I think "man he is missing out on one the best sound in the world".
We've been reading a few things about how to train deaf dogs and we've been encouraging the kids to still talk to him like normal and reward him with lots of love and hugs because even though he can't hear us he can sense our emotions by our actions and body language.
It's just another day on the Farm ::
"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." - Joshua J. Marine
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