Patch

Patch was my very first special needs dog. I had known Patch for a couple of years and had always felt horrible about his situation. Born deaf and blind in one eye, Patch had spent his life chained up in a back yard with very little stimulation and interaction. His owners complained that he got too excited whenever they went out back to see him so they just left him alone. Even with all of his special needs Patch was still an Australian Shepard and needed to be challenged. When I had confirmation that he was going to be surrendered to me soon I started doing research on the best way to deal with a deaf dog.

There is a wealth of information on the web about training deaf dogs. I knew from the start that regular sign language wasn't going to work. Patch is blind in one eye, his other eye is blue and has what's called a starburst pupil. It's very difficult to tell if he's focusing on you or not. I decided that I was going to have to make the signs I taught him loud (i.e. big).

When I made the decision to do foster care the first purchase I made was a dog door. This door fits into the patio door as an insert and allows the dogs to come in and out at will. It can be closed if you want to block traffic for a bit. Patch learned the door quickly, this was a dog that had never been allowed in the house and yet he to this day has never had an accident in the house. Ok there was the marking incident with the recliner, but once I made it clear that this was not a good thing he hasn't tried again. It's funny, I know the dog is deaf but first instinct is to yell NO at the top of your lungs when you see him lift his leg. He doesn't care.

The first night Patch is with us he finds a way out of the backyard and goes missing. I drive around for an hour and a half looking for him. How do you find a deaf dog? You can't call him. Best scenario is you get in front of him and get him to come to you. I stopped to ask a couple of teenagers if they'd seen him running around. They said no but they would keep an eye opened for him. They then asked his name, "Call him whatever you'd like" I reply, "He can't hear you anyway!"

Finally I get pulled over by the police for driving slowly in circles and making turns without a signal. When I first found Patch gone I called the police dispatcher and asked him to please tell the officers on duty to watch for him. It became obvious quickly that this hadn't happened. The officer that stopped me had no idea what I was talking about. When the 2nd officer arrived for back-up (this is a small town after all and they don't have a lot to do most nights) he advised us that he had just heard the Highway Patrol radio in that they had picked up a dog in the middle of the highway matching Patch's description. I immediately go to the Animal Control lock up and pick Patch up. Both officers there comment on how sweet he is and are surprised when I tell them he's deaf. Thank God I found him.