Tuesday, July 3, 2007

My Love: Annie -- A Deaf Dog



I was asked by my veterinarian to take a Jack Russell Terrier who is deaf. This was about 8 years ago. They asked because they knew I have experience with JRTs. I had not had a deaf dog before so I wondered what to do but said yes anyway. Annie was 6 months old and had been in 3 foster homes. For various reasons the fosters had to give her up so another foster took her. The fosters were all very good with her and she was very adaptable.

From the moment she stepped into the house she acted like she was at home and had no trouble adjusting. I purposely did not tell Richard just to see how long it would take to notice her. He was home for 2 hours before he realized there was another dog in the house! LOL!!!

She is nearly 9 years old now and never seems to stop! At this time she is the alpha dog and the smallest in our menagerie. As a result of having her, we have not thought twice about welcoming special needs dogs into our home. We now have 1 each epi, blind, and abandoned Border Collies (sisters Kate and Allie); a lame abused Jack Russell (Patrick); an abused rottweiler/german shepherd mix (TeddyBear); and a new deaf rescue girl, Lexy, a Border Collie, with little socialization in her life. (She is getting better slowly and is a sweet love.) Even our rabbits (Smudge and Chiquita) are rescues. They are our pets and our passion. They make us better people.

Olivia Bravo
Cross Lanes WV

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