I thought about one of the orthopedic surgery dogs on the site, and then I saw there was a 10 month old deaf white Boxer mix that was still in a kennel.  I volunteered to foster Pupule, and would pick him up on Saturday.  But things happen and I was asked to instead pick up and foster a nameless sick female dog, which later that day was named Maggie Mae.  But again things happen, and Maggie never made it out of the hospital.  

But then I got this phone call about an 8 week old white male pup, and he was deaf.  I thought to myself, special needs in a small package.  So I spent the night on the deaf dog websites, and after some research, decided that I would adopt this little guy.

09/28/03 - After preparing what I could for a puppy, I started to think about a name.  Strange though, since he would never hear his name called.  So it had to be visual.  I went back to the ASL (American Sign Language) alphabet I had found on the internet.  I eliminated the less than easy letters to sign, then eliminated letters that would stand for our names and basic commands.  After much debate, Jim and I agreed to the letter "R", which would stand for Rudy.

Rudy was in New Jersey, and we were to meet him for the first time at Ellen's.  It was an hour and a half ride, according to mapquest.com, giving me time to wonder if I was qualified to raise a deaf dog. 

He was cute, adorable, and oh yes, asleep.   Something I would learn to treasure in upcoming days as I recalled what it's like to have a puppy.  (Rudy's DOB - 07/31/03)

Introductions went well with my other two Boxers.  They basically sniffed and then ignored this mini me.  We got back in the car, and now we were a family of five again.

8 wks old:  (~ 12lbs) Just like any other pup...

Rudy is just like any other pup... he doesn't listen.  

I have put a bell on his collar to keep track of him.  It doesn't work when he's sleeping...

I am re-thinking Rudy's name... He has climbed out of every place I have put him in!  I am thinking that maybe Houdi, short for Houdini, suits him better.  I have left him for an hour in a crate, while I ran errands. He was out when I got home.  I have tried penning him into the kitchen with barriers, and each time with a bigger barrier, Rudy was out sitting with the other dogs, when I got home.

And he doesn't like not being able to see me.  I read that deaf dogs can have higher separation anxiety because once they can't see you, you can't even reassure them by talking to them, or by leaving a radio on.  

And Rudy has an evil twin... If you know what a Tasmanian Devil sounds like, than you know what Rudy sounds like when he's full of mischief.  So sometimes I call him Taz... He's deaf remember, so it really doesn't matter what I call him...

10/04/03 - Rudy went to the 2003 Boxer Bash.

10/06/03 - Buster, (was Clay), came for the week to visit, while his mom and dad were away.  At first I was a bit worried because Buster was maybe a bit too interested in Rudy.  In fact the first time I had to leave them alone together, I double barricaded Rudy into the kitchen, to make sure Buster wouldn't get to Rudy.  When I came home, Rudy had busted out and was sitting at the top of the stairs.  Buster and my own Boxers came down to greet me, and from that point on Buster was Rudy's puppysitter, teacher, and best friend.  

10/10/03 - The week has gone too fast and Buster goes home today.  He has been so patient with Rudy, putting up with a lot of Rudy's Taz routines and puppy biting, but has taught Rudy how to play more gently.  He has managed to take the pressure off of Charlie and Sammy, and they seem more at ease with Rudy now.

9 wks old: Rudy is doing great with house training.  He almost has me completely trained!  If I remember to get him outside every two hours, he remembers to go outside... I am using the "T" hand shape for toilet to teach Rudy where and when to go.  I will find a picture of one and post it here.  Other signs we are working on are; Happy, Good, Look at me, Come, Sit, and Stay.

Oh, and Rudy can go up steps, but he won't go down them yet.

(10/09/03 - 15lbs. Vet visit - Second Distemper shot)

10 wks old: Rudy is sleeping almost through the night.  I have had him in bed with me, so that I could know when he woke, and to get him outside.  Is it really only two weeks that I've had so little sleep?

And now Rudy has found our dog doors!  He's been watching the other guys disappear through the dog doors, and even went to the other side of the dog door to see where they had gone... So smart!  And then he followed Charlie through the downstairs dog door... He's gotten it!

10/20/03 - Sammy and Rudy are playing! Keep-away, Tug-a-war, and Dueling Jaws...

11 wks old: This week Rudy learned to do steps going down. He has been able to do steps going up for about two weeks. Soooo....

10/22/03 - ~ 12:00 pm - Rudy was just outside laying on our deck in the sun. When I looked again he was downstairs peeing on the grass! I was so proud... I ran down stairs with treats and praised him...  I thought he was done, so I and Charlie and Sammy went upstairs, but Rudy didn't follow. Instead, Rudy went to the bushes at the side of the yard and he pooped! When he was done, he came upstairs and I gave him big kisses, another treat and praised him! I am one proud Mommie!!!!!! :-) 

So I moved a bed into the kitchen, so I could keep an eye on Rudy while working on my computer.  And he's been very good about using it.  But from time to time the other guys have taken a snooze in it.  So Sammy is sleeping in "Rudy's" bed.  Rudy starts his Tasmanian devil routine trying to oust Sammy from the bed.  Sammy is finally learning to ignore him, but Taz is determined.  About 4 inches of bed space is opened by Sammy's butt... Rudy steps on Sammy and squeezes behind him, and within a few minutes it looks like this...

Rudy is getting more independent.  On a friend's suggestion, I have ordered a couple of "key finders".  My plan is to put one on Rudy's collar, and one on my keys.  If I can't find Rudy, I'll press the one on my keys, and if he's within 300 ft of me, he should start to beep and flash a light... And if I loose my keys, I just have to press the one on Rudy's collar, and my keys should start to beep and flash a light... But if Rudy buries my keys... well than I'm in trouble. 

10/26/03 - Buster is back for the weekend... Buster, Rudy and Sammy in a three-way tug-of-war!

12 wks old: Rudy and Rain...

Rudy doesn't mind drizzle or even light rain.  But the other night we really had rain! And wind! And Rudy had to go!  I carried him outside, put him down where he's supposed to go, and he gave one quick look behind him, bolted around me, and headed for the dog door.  I caught him just at the door, tried it again, with the same basic results.  So I gave in, hoping he could hold it over night... And he did!

13 wks old: Rudy gets a new collar... His old one won't go any bigger.  We also started to work with a vibration collar.  We are starting out slowly, by giving Rudy a treat immediately after a vibration.  He doesn't seem to be bothered by it and he is very interested in his treats.

11/10/03 - Third Distemper shot, 23 lbs.

11/15/03 and 11/16/03 - Rudy helped us represent NBR at the Gay Life Expo at the Jacob Javits Center, NYC - More Pictures.  He was very well behaved for a young pup at a very busy convention.  He attracted many visitors to the booth, gave out lots of kisses, played with the other rescue and ASPCA pups, and watched intently everything that was going on.

12/11/03 - Rudy's friend Joey, a 10 month old yellow Lab mix, has come to visit while his parents are in New Zealand.  There will be no sleep for the first few nights...

	Rudy helping me take pictures...	Rudy at 11.5 weeks old	Rudy with the Big Boys
After a long day at the NBR Gay Life Expo Booth	Rudy with Dad	Rudy at 13 weeks old	Exploring	Stalking
12/23/03 - It's been 2 weeks since Joey came to visit, and there is no rest for the weary.  Joey and Rudy have been playing constantly, and when Rudy does try to catch a nap, Joey usually comes along and drags Rudy out of bed.  12/24/03 - Christmas Eve... Aunt Linda comes over with her new camera and finds Rudy a photogenic and interested subject.  (see Below)
	A little too much eggnog...	Rudy at 21 weeks old	Who stuck this thing on my head?
12/25/03 - It's Rudy's first Christmas!  We travel to Grandma's and Grandpa's and Rudy is a hit.  He's well mannered and quite the little angel with Cricket, an 11 yr old black Lab.  Everyone tries signing to Rudy... = )
ljtrehy At 21 weeks old   At 36 weeks old

01/01/04: Rudy and Charlie and Sammy bring in the New Year sound asleep... Joey went home two days ago, and things are very quiet... 

01/06/04 - I find myself signing to all the dogs now, and they all respond.  I still find it difficult to yell at Rudy from a distance, especially if he's got his back to me.  He loves to grab and run with the dried flowers that are now within reach of him.  He is growing very fast.  I've had some success with throwing a rolled up old sock, weighted with a few pennies.  I'm a pretty good shot, and I can usually hit his backside from across the living room. This method comes from the book "Smarter Than You Think" by Paul Loeb.  Rudy looks at me as if to say "Boy Mom, you have long arms!".  

The hardest part of having a deaf dog is that I want so much to praise him, but often he is looking the wrong way.  I have not spent enough time or effort getting Rudy to check in with me.  When I do have his attention, he watches for every sign I give him, and almost always responds to them.

I purchased a pager vibration collar model 200NCP Gold (Low to medium power), from www.Dogtra.com . It was the smallest model with the best range that I found. But the points on it are so long, I am finding it hard to leave it on Rudy for to long.  The points are actually for the shock portion of the collar, of which I will never use.  The vibration portion doesn't even need the points to be felt, so I am working on modifying the collar.  I'll let you know how it goes.

01/21/04 - Rudy meets Abby:  Having an 8.5 yr old and a 4 yr old is way different than having a 6 month old.  Sammy and Rudy play, but not as much as Rudy wants.  So when my friend and fellow NBR volunteer Joanne adopted Abby, formerly Gloria, a 2 yr old energetic female Boxer, we thought we'd introduce Rudy and Abby.

Well the size match up was pretty good since Abby is on the small size.  But it seemed like all Abby wanted to do was hump Rudy.  Then about a half hour into their play time, Rudy figured her out and they just started to play.   OK, maybe from the picture on the left it looks more like Abby is chasing Rudy, but I think Rudy was just playing hard to get.  :-)

02/08/03 - It's been a while since I've updated this page and Rudy is growing fast.  He turned 6 months old on Jan 31st, and a few things have happened that are pertinent to deaf dogs.  

The first time I really understood the challenge and anxiety a deaf dog guardian can experience is when Rudy decided to explore the ice on top of my Koi pond.  He walked out on it and I couldn't yell at him to halt or come back. As he started to slide, he did turn and look at me and he saw my panicked look and my signing to him to come, and he responded!  I praised him and hugged and kissed him, and visualized what I would have done had he fallen in.  Knowing I had to do something to train him not to walk on the pond, I put his vibration/shock collar on him, and went with him back to the pond.  

Remember how I said I would never use the shock portion of the collar?  Well I changed my mind.  I dialed the knob down to the lowest shock that I could feel, and when Rudy went too close to the pond I pressed the button.  When there was no reaction from Rudy I tried incremental adjustments on the transmitter until he noticed it. He tested going near the pond a few times, and received a small shock each time.  Then he ran away and started playing with a toy.  Great... Success!

Or at least I thought... The next morning Rudy came running through the dog door and in to my arms and he was cold and soaked.  I knew immediately that I and he was lucky he was alive!  I threw a towel around him and hugged him, and when he was warm again I looked out at the pond and saw where his foot prints went out onto the pond and where he had fallen through.  The pond is 3.5 feet deep at that point, but I had built it with sloping sides so if the dogs fell in they would hopefully be able to get out.  Thank goodness it worked!

So I've modified the points of the training collar so that I can keep it on Rudy for a longer period of time.  Dogtra, the manufacturer of the collar, recommends moving the dog collar every 2 hours so that the points don't irritate the dog's neck.  This doesn't seem to be practical for use on a deaf dog.

I bought some rounded nuts to replace the points on the collar.  This is what it looks like now.

I'm also working with a dog trainer now. I've never obedience trained a deaf dog before, and I figured I could use the help.  

02/12/03 - Rudy was neutered today.  Dr Luckow said that Rudy went out a little too fast, and that he marked in Rudy's chart that he is sensitive to anesthesia.  He's doing OK, but I don't remember my other dog's licking his stitches so much. I dressed him in my t-shirts to hinder his getting at his stitches.  An e-collar wouldn't work with him going threw the dog doors.

05/09/04 - Well it's Mom's day and I somehow felt it appropriate to update this page...

Rudy is doing well with the hand signs we have agreed to.  I use less of them than I thought I would.  My fault for not keeping up the practice.  

He is quite the little imp.  I often see items going past the door or window, that I know is somehow associated with Rudy.  Distance is a real problem in communicating with a deaf dog.  I'm a pretty good shot with a water pistil from about 20 feet away.  Most of the time he gives a quick look over his shoulder before he's about to do something he knows he shouldn't.  If I'm watching he puts on this pouty face and walks off not looking at me as to say "I wasn't doing anything..."

And can he play!  He and his friend Maurice, get together on Tuesday's and Thursday's and wrestle for hours.  And now that it's spring, you have never seen a muddier pair then these two.  I'll someday get pictures of it...

Rudy was very unruly at an outdoor dog show a few weeks ago.  He seemed to forget any training he had.  So we will be taking him into crowds more often as part of his training.  

 07/30/04 I can't believe Rudy will be 1 year old tomorrow!

We had a little party for him at work today... Christel brought Maurice in, and she got us some B-day Hats too!  And we had play time and ice-cream. 

07/31/04: We sang Happy Birthday to Rudy, and he wagged his tail as if he could hear it!  Living with a deaf dog, you learn to be more animated in the presentation, and singing in tune doesn't matter... = )

Reflecting on our first year together, I wouldn't change a thing.  Having a deaf dog has it's plus and minuses. 

He hasn't learned to look to me for direction, as much as I would like.  He is a rather independent little imp. But when I get his attention, he is pretty responsive to my hand signals. 

Rudy is well adjusted and good with other dogs.  He is a normal energetic adolescent, and thankfully he has a number of buddies that don't mind playing with the deaf kid with the bloodcurdling vocalizations.  Actually, he has learned to tone down his sounds, and is often very quiet when he plays.  He does however bark loudly at the other dogs, when they are not interested and he wants them to play.

He also is good at his down times.  To his brother's pleasure and relief, he needs long naps, and no amount of noise can disturb this pup!  He'll wake up only when he's good and ready, or when the others jump up and run by him to see who's in the cul-de-sac.  He is also great with thunder storms and other things that go bump in the night. 

Rudy is still a bit too enthusiastic about greeting friends who come to the house.  With the frenzy of the other dogs saying hello, Rudy's focus is not on paying attention to hand signals.  Even in greeting the trainer when she first comes in, Rudy has proven difficult to calm down for at least two to three minutes.  He is however good greeting away from the house, in public situations.  We are working at it.

When it comes to food and treats, Rudy is wonderful.  He sits very nicely when treats are offered. (See party pics below).  He is the last of 4 dogs to receive his meal, and it never occurs to him to try to steal anyone else's food.  He is a counter surfer though.  Only when we are not home, and not for food because we don't leave food down low.  He gets mischievous and looks for things to pull down.  His targets have been dried flowers, cardboard boxes, and even plastic containers filled with water in the sink.  His reach is unbelievable!  He is very tall and lanky, and I've caught him standing on his tip toes reaching for something.  He doesn't hear me coming! = )

But I wouldn't trade him for the world.  He is cuddly and loving and gentle and wonderful.  And he is amazing the way he watches things in a way that a hearing dog doesn't.  He may never tilt his head in that inquisitive way that my other guys do when they hear a sound, but he does stand dead still and focuses those dark eyes on something that catches his attention, that the other guys miss.

What a great year! And Happy B-Day Rudy!!!  Love Mommy.

Charlie and Rudy	The crew: Rudy, Charlie, Eddie (aka Romeo), Maurice, and Sammy.	The Birthday Boy!	His buddy Maurice.	Brother Sammy.
	Rudy's First B-Day Party!		Click on Pictures  to Enlarge
This hat is silly...		Vanilla's my favorite.		Maurice
	Just relaxing.	Umm.. Carvel.	Playing with Sammy.

08/26/04 - Rudy's annual check up with vaccinations went well. We have practiced by having Rudy get used to having his ears and mouth inspected.  He was very well behaved with Dr Luchow.

Latest Update:

09/16/04:  The best thing happened this week, and some people may not understand...But if you are here, I know you'll understand! 

Charlie, my 9.5 yr old male, and Rudy just started to PLAY!!!!!!!!!
Charlie has gone from barely tolerating him as a pup, to eventually standing up to Rudy's bossy attitude.
A few months ago, Rudy was finally able to egg Charlie into chasing him around the yard.  And usually Charlie would go from growling at him while running, to having a big smile on his face as the chase proceeded.

But this past Tuesday, they actually wrestled and rolled around the grass for over an hour!  And they both took turns on the ground, and both had big smiles on their faces.
And then they did it again yesterday!

It brought tears to my eyes... You don't think I'm nuts, do you?

Sandy

To be continued...