UPDATE on one of our SCHS alumni, Prince Philip NKA Chance, the deaf puppy that came to SCHS last March.
Well it’s now been a year since we officially adopted Chance, as a 5 month old deaf pup from SCHS, and what a year it’s been! This was our first experience as deaf dog owners, so we scoured the internet for info, and was amazed at how much was out there! We started teaching Chance basic hand signals to communicate with him, and he picked it up fast! BUT he also came with some unique challenges that we REALLY had to work on. Because he didn’t have sound to distract him, he would easily get hyper fixated on visual things. The TV was the first issue, and he absolutely hated the weather man. 😂! Then he started “shadow chasing” & “ground pounding”. Someone got me in contact with a guy that fosters for “Deaf Dogs in Oregon” & he talked me thru it, explaining the importance of stopping that behavior NOW, before it got totally out of control. So Chance started crate training. And he spent a LOT of time tethered to me, doing chores around the house, instead of trying to destroy every shadow or reflection that moved! I also wondered if we were EVER gonna get fully potty trained. He knew the sign for potty, but he would still potty inside too. There were times I was so frustrated, to say the least, and felt like quitting on him. But we stuck with it, one issue at a time, and I’m so glad we did, because all that hard work has paid off!!! Chance has turned into such a GREAT dog! Probably one of the most affectionate & loving dogs we’ve ever owned, and always watching for that next hand signal. Is his behavior perfect? No. Does he still have “stuff” to work on? Absolutely! But don’t we all 😉
But I wouldn’t trade him for the world! ❤️❤️❤️
I guess one of the other reasons I’m writing this, is to show that by giving a dog that might be a little more challenging an HONEST chance, and sticking with it, you just might end up with your best buddy ever!
Thank you SCHS for the work you do!