Special Needs Puppy...Cute Overload!

[PJPhreak]

This is "The Puppy Yet To Be Named" He was given to me by a friend who is suffering from severe money troubles.He was a calling him an "Australian Wolf" which confused me,but I told him I would stop by after work to pick him up.

When I got there This was what I found,He is 12-13 weeks old,weighs almost 36 pounds...He's gonna be BIG!



"TPYTBN" is what is called a "Double Merle or Lethal White" Purebred Australian Shepard. Both his parents were Merle.When one breeds Merle with Merle you get puppies that have a much higher percentage of birth defects,With Deafness and Deformed Pupils (Severe Light Sensitivity) being the most common.

He has Both.

He can't hear a Damn Thing,Nothing Period.

His Pupils have a "Starburst" Shape instead of being round and may be out of line also,Tho he can see as well as most dogs His pupils lack the ajustment abilty to deal with bright light,making a camera flash or bright Sunlight painful.

We have owned Aussies for many years,so we are "Experienced" as to their temperament,critical thinking ability (The Buggers are Brilliant!!)and Problem Solving Skills.

Anyone ever have a Deaf Dog? Any advice would be appreciated. We have had a Deaf Cat in years past,so we know somewhat what we are in for,but any tips woukd be Cool.

He is the sweetest thing on earth,totally laid back,super calm,his whole attitude seems to be a very Southern California Surfer "Duuuuuuuuuudddddeeeee,Waaaassss uuuuuuppp" Calmest Aussie I have ever met.

[MrsBrady]

1. OMG.... *ear scritches*

sorry can't help...

but I couldn't help myself, either....

good boy, good boy, *tummy rub*

[Lucinda]

2. No suggestions for you....he's gorgeous

Wishing you both a quick adjustment to his new home. :)

[PJPhreak]

3. I think his adjustment will go well,

He isn't fazed by our other dogs (They seem to be cool with him too...So far),seems to take everything in stride, and is seemingly a real couch potato!

[Lucinda]

8. Awesome. I love it when it goes smoothly.

I'm still in chaos here from the addition of another cat. :)

[blogslut]

4. My sister has a deaf dog

Adorable thing. She just walked up to my BIL one day and made herself at home. They searched for the owner but nothing came of it so, needless to say, years later she's been their family dog.

I can't really think of any actual problems that her deafness has brought them. She was full grown when she adopted them. Naturally, she doesn't respond to audible commands but she is very well-behaved aside from a touch of stubbornness.

I had a deaf cat once. I communicated with her the same as I did/do with deaf humans - make sure to have eye contact before I try to pantomime whatever thoughts I need to relay. It seem(s) to work for me.

[NMDemDist2]

5. good thing he's a herding breed

that way the deafness can be overcome with good hand signal training.

he's a beaut and lucky to have you

I own 2 herders right now and still miss my 'old girl' aussie that we lost last summer

enjoy him!

[HopeHoops]

6. If he doesn't have more than a stub for a tail, he's probably an Australian Shepherd.

Beautiful creature. As for being deaf, we use sign language with our dogs even though they can hear just fine. Create your own symbols, but many are obvious - open flat hand motioning toward the floor = sit, index finger from chest to fully extended arm = get the hell out of here, etc.

[femmocrat]

7. What a beautiful puppy!

We had a Sheltie who went deaf, but already knew a lot of hand signals from obedience training. He did just fine.

How do you plan to keep him out of the sun? Exercise him before dawn and after sunset?

[KatyaR]

9. He needs those sungoggles made for dogs.

It would totally work with his surfer-dude personality. He's a beautiful dog!

[PJPhreak]

10. Thats what we thought too,

As well as a Brim of some sort. He is getting along great with our other 3 Dogs,We have a 5 year old Aussie/Husky (Timber) and a 2 year old German Shepard/Husky (Luna) and they have taken to each other really well! just minor "Pack Pecking Order" issues.

We use hand commands with the other dogs,so he will pick them up fast,he's quick to learn and really wanting to please so other than having to invent some new hand signals for him we think he will fit in around here just fine.

We are also going get him a harness that has large patches that say "Disabled Dog-Please ask before Petting" and train him like a Pack Dog,So that every time he goes out in public his brain is in "Work" Mode,so he will focus on us...and at home we will take it off so he can go into "Play" mode,We have done this with Luna and it makes Public Socialization WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY Easier!!!



Oh and we are thinking of calling him "Beauregard Spicolli O'Spunyon" or Beau Because of his Laid back "Tude or Beethoven because of his hearing .

[undeterred]

11. Wow. I met someone with two blind border collies.

Same thing, double recessive genes, and she rescues border collies. Very nice dogs. Not just anyone would take them.

My dog is apparently an aussie/alaskan malamute mix, wild thing.

My last dog lived to be 16 and was deaf the last 3 years, so I did make up a lot of hand signals to communicate with him. Aussies are so smart it shouldn't be too hard.

[xchrom]

12. gorgeous! nt

[txwhitedove]

13. Beautiful dog! Beau is a great name, seems to fit him.