Deaf Dogs Unite

Allow me to introduce the family.  

Heidi

D.O.B: 3rd June 1985 to August 1999

First of all we have Heidi.  Heidi was a medium sized mongrel.  I got her when she was 7 weeks old and she was a proper little character.  I used to enter her in the Crossbreed and Mongrel shows, where she was a real star.  1996 was the ultimate year when she won the Best in Show at Lincoln, the Highest Scoring Veteran, Highest Scoring Bitch, Best Junior Handler with my niece and then the piece de resistance was when she won the Supreme Championship. 

In 1999, when Heidi was 14 years of age,  I  had to make the decision to have her put to sleep after she was diagnosed with throat cancer.  That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. 

Heidi was the beginning of the chain of a happy life with dogs.

Ricky

Registered Name: Little Blue

D.O.B: Approx' 1993

Next into the family came Ricky.  He is a Border Collie Cross.  He came from WoodGreen Animal Shelters and was about 1 year old when I got him.

When he first arrived he settled really well contrary to what his previous owners said he had been like, such as couldn't be left, was very destructive, couldn't live with other dogs and definitely no cats.  Our house consisted of us working full time so he was left for about 3 hours at a time, he gave Heidi a second lease of life plus we had two cats.  Ricky was the first dog to get me involved with training classes and we both really enjoyed them.  We covered basic pet training and then started to do agility.  At one training school we went to, he was used as a puppy policeman because he is so sociable but will politely correct inappropriate behaviour. 

Several years ago Ricky was also used to advertise Gilpa dog food.  He was photographed with two other dogs to help promote the food. It was really good to open a dog magazine and see a picture of my own dog.

Ricky is now 12 years old and still as loopy as ever when doing agility, and he definately gives Gary the run around when they train. 

Ricky was to become Jesses best mate and they really do get on well together.  

Misty

Registered Name: Misty Morning Blue

D.O.B: 21st December 1995

With being brought up on a farm I had always wanted a Border collie and with the training I had done with Ricky, I thought that a Border Collie would be just the dog for me.

In March of 1996 I got Misty.  He is a black and white Border Collie and comes from a working background.  He was 13 weeks old when I went to get him and seeing his Mum should have told me what was lurking underneath this cute, fluffy exterior but it never did.

As Misty progressed through his training, which was going extremelly well, he started to show subtale signs to other dogs that he wasn't very confident and then over a period of  about 12 months he was attacked on 4 seperate occasions by 5 different dogs, one of which caused damage to his front leg needing several visits to the vet.  Because of this Misty now thinks that he needs to eat the other dog before he gets eaten.  With lots of patience and support I have managed to control this but I would never say that he will ever be 100% trustworthy with other dogs.

Although Misty does have that problem he is absolutely fantastic with other animals large and small and adores people.

Misty has been the dog that has made me read more books on dog training and behaviour, take part in courses and think more about the importance of looking at things from a doggie point of view when a problem arises.

From reading about all three of the aforementioned dogs you can tell that they have ALL been crucial links to the chain of a life with dogs.  All of them have been totally different in size, shape and temperament. They have also encouraged me to get as involved as I am with dogs.  I am an instructor for Spalding and District Dog Training Club (see the links for their website) with the beginners class in pet obedience and the fun agility class.

That is now all I can say, so please read on to find out about the dog that gave me the reason for this site and maybe we can help anyone else with a deaf dog.

 From left: Jess, Myself, Ricky and Misty