Central Pennsylvania Deaf Dogs

Town: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Gunther is a 3 month old English Springer Spaniel. I purchased Gunther in May 2010 and found out a couple of weeks later that he was deaf. He's very sweet and very attentive. I'm hoping perhaps there will be people that read my entry who can offer me advice on how to train him. I've started using some hand signals, but would appreciate any tips or help others with deaf dogs can offer.

Update 3/29/11: Gunther is now 1 years old. He's doing great. He has learned the basic commands using hand signals and touch. He's become an absolutely wonderful dog. We're currently working to get him Therapy dog certified. He loves children and people. I really appreciated the advice I got from other deaf dog owners. If I can be of help to anyone, please contact me

Human companions: Cheryl
Other pets: Ellee, a Rhodesian Ridgeback
Email: cheryl.christ@yahoo.com

Rascal and Skamp

Town: Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Skamp, a Great Dane. "Skamp is now a year old and just the most loveable dog I have ever owned. How anyone could ever think of putting these dogs to sleep is just unbelievable to me. Skamp loves to be near us all the time. He has really become attached to my dad, he sleeps on the couch with him all the time. Skamp tries to play with our two Shelties that he thinks are the "big" dogs of the house. He is a very happy dog who has learned tons of signs (especially go for a ride). We are all so happy we got Skamp."

Update 7/14/2010: I got a second deaf Dane cuz my 1st one was soooo smart and my other dogs were just so intimidated by his size that they wouldn't play with him and I wanted him to have a buddy. It worked very well, they got along great. Skamp is getting a little stiff in his old age but still the most affectionate dog I have ever owned...on to Rascals story.

Rascal is a 7 year old Great Dane. Rascal was a result of a breeder doing line breeding. (INBREEDING) I was not very impressed with them because they treated him like he was stupid just because he is deaf. So Rascal has other heath problems also due to this but you could not find a more devoted dog anywhere. He would do anything for me and go anywhere to be with me. His sight is not the best but he doesn't miss it when you sign to go for a walk. Even with all his problems I would still recomend a deaf dog to anyone, they are so sweet, they just melt your heart!
Human companions: Anne, Chuck, Dani and Andy.
Other pets: We also have two part Great Danes who are now 5, Mom was Great Dane and Dad was ????, a Yellow Lab who is 14 and a new Puppy that is half Great Dane/half Mastiff
Email: boznme27_AT_gmail.com

Town: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Daisy is a 4 month old Great Dane. I bought Daisy from a backyard breeder who thought she had an eye problem.
Upon seeing her eyes were both blue, I assumed she had a hearing problem and tried to "test" her (clapping my hands, talking loudly, etc.) which she of course passed. Before I brought her home I did additional research and realized how wrong I'd been
when testing her and the likelihood she was deaf. That was confirmed when I brought her home. She never responded to me calling, to a toy that made sound, or my beagle crying when she played too hard. I couldn't be more pleased that I brought this
little girl into my life. She's the sweetest dog I've ever had. Mild mannered and responsive to hand signals and as loving as any dog could be. Her calm attitude has even transferred to my over active beagle. We are currently in puppy obedience and
I'm shocked how many people feel bad for us when their hearing dogs have serious behavior issues and my deaf Dane is amazing!
Human companions: Melissa
Other pets: Copper- 2 yr old male Beagle/Bluetick. Maggie- 1 yr old female Kitten.
Email: Manderson7185@yahoo.com

Town: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Cooper is a 1 year old Old English Sheepdog. We got Cooper from a breeder in Moscow PA. If anyone knows Tom Clark on the 16 news, his OES is from the same parents. Cooper was born deaf. He is by no means a bad dog due to his deafness. He can get a little rough with the kids but he is'nt trying to hurt anyone. He nabs with his mouth, it seems to get attention. He was a breeze to housebreak. I know of other OES's who hear and have had training problems. We are lucky to have this big guy.
Human companions: Mindy and Rickie, Morgan-Daughter age 6 Aidan-Son age 2
Other pets: Sarge-Cat
Email: minumste@comcast.net

Town: York, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Myles is a 12 week old Toy Poodle. Our little puppy was bought from a lady near a small town where we live. He
was so cute, gentle and very loving. We became concerned when after a month he still did not answer to his name. Myles recently went to the vets for his check-up and shots and I discussed with the vet what my thoughts were about him not answering, or turning to look when the kids or the other dog barked.The vet did some quick checks and determined that Myles was deaf. I have no idea how to train a deaf dog and all or any help would be great.
Human companions: Jessica, Justin, and the boys, Connor and Brady
Other pets: Duke-our crazy Bassett Hound
Email: sweetmamah2@yahoo.com

Layla

Town: New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: layla is a 3 year old Australian Shepherd. Layla came to us through the Australian Shepherd Rescue. We drove to CT in a snowstorm to get her. she is the most wonderful and beautiful girl. She is sweet, loving and funny. She is smart and full of antics. We can't imagine life without her. Layla is very responsive to our hand signals and expecially our facial
gestures. She loves giving kisses and thinks she belongs on her mommy's lap. Layla has brought so much more to our lives than we could ever give back. She is the result of an accidental double merle breeding and was born totally deaf and
partially blind, but she doesn't know it. Layla shares her home with her 2 dog sisters and 1 cat brother. Layla is a typical aussie that always wants to be near her mommy and has invented creative ways to compensate for her deafness. For
example if I go in a room and close the door behind me, she will lean herself against the door so that if she falls asleep and I open the door she immediately wakes up and knows I am on the move. Layla also figured out that if the back door is closed she just climbs through the kitchen window. My other 2 "hearing" dogs just stand at the door and bark. She is so wonderful, I could talk about her forever. She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She just loves people, strangers are just people Layla hasn't licked yet!
Human companions: Elizabeth and Stephen
Other pets: Bindi- australian shepherd, Jackie - total mutt from the pound and Columbus the cat.
Email: dilew69_AT_yahoo.com

Magnum

Town: Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Magnum is a 5 month old Great Dane. Magnum came to live with us from IL. We have another hearing Dane here too. Magnum was very eager to please. We couldn't have asked for a better pup. The folks we got him from actually didn't know he was deaf when they sold him the first time. Those people thought he was dumb and brought him back. Luckly for us they did. I had contacted the breeder when I saw the pup on the website. I had to have him. He loves it here with his brother. They romp and stomp for a few hours a day and the rest of the time they are your typical lazy Danes!!
Human companions: 2 adults and 2 children (10 & 13)
Other pets: 1 hearing Dane and 1 Cat
Email: ajehee@verizon.net

Boo Marlie

Town: Middletown, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Boo Marlie is an 8 month old Australian Shepherd. I foster for an organization called Furry Friends Network in PA (www.furryfriendsnetwork.com) I was looking for a new foster dog and wanted to do special needs when a volunteer showed me her picture. She emailed me Boo Marlie's picture and that was all it took and we brought her to PA. When I saw how good of friends her and my one dog Reba became I decided she found her permanent home.
Human companions: There are 3 Adults and 4 Kids
Other pets: 2 Rottweilers, 1 Border Collie, 4 Cats, 1 Rabbit and 3 Birds
Email: webmist@verizon.net

Sabrina and Cricket

Town: Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Cricket is a 3 yr old English Bull Terrier who was found abandoned in Philadelphia. She had extreme bilateral ear infections with hyperplasia and required TECA surgery.
Human companions: Karen and daughter, Sabrina
Other pets: Daisy, hearing Bull Terrier
Email: karen.house@navy.mil

Lily-Mae

Town: York, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Lily-Mae is a 1 and 1/2 year old Boston-Terrier Mix. My husband bought me Lily-Mae for my 21st B-day. She really has touched my heart as well as others she comes in contact with. She is the only deaf dog in our area that we know about. I got worried when she didn't respond to noise. I would vacuum the floor and she would sleep right through it. So at our next vet check-up I said something to the vet. Lily-Mae is the only deaf dog they have now. They didn't know anything about deaf dogs so they looked on the internet and found St. Francis hospital in Columbia, PA. We made the appt. and took her to get the BAER Test. The results were bilaterally deaf. She was the only one in her litter to be deaf. We have taught her signs but still continue to work with her. The only command she has issues with is "Come". If we could do it all over we wouldn't change our mind on keeping her. She has blessed our family more than anyone could imagine.

Update 9/10/11: Many years have passed since our last update. We now have two little boys and Lily-Mae is wonderful with them. Lily-Mae continues to touch our hearts. She is now 6 years old and acts like a normal functioning dog. She obeys hand signs and for a short time we used leash and transitioned to a vibrating collar to teach her boundaries of our yard. Now she is
let out without a leash and runs free staying in the yard and comes back when given hand command come. What an awesome experience to have trained our deaf dog and all worth it in the end. I catch myself talking to her though I know she cannot hear me. We are blessed to have such a wonderful dog as her.
Human companions: Nikki, Matthew, Ryn and Keon
Other pets: Cheyenne (Black Lab)-4 years old our first dog. Cheyenne is such a great help with Lily-Mae. She has Helped in her training.
Email: ntyson85_AT_yahoo.com

Dutchess

Town: Bedford, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Dutchess is a 4 month old English Bulldog. I haven't had the baer test done so I don't officially know if she is deaf. She doesn't respond to any sounds but she does respond well to hand signals. I just thought she was stubborn at first. She is beautiful, loves all pets and people.
Human companions: Mark and Janelle
Email: markstiles@hotmail.com

Town: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Deaf dog: Penny is a 1 year old English Bull Terrier. We adopted Penny from Bull Terrier Rescue. She is s a big clown, always trying to make us laugh.
Human companions: Matt and Claudia
Email: mirgenix@yahoo.com

Georgia

Town: Quarryville,Pennsylvania
Deaf dogs: Georgia is a 2 year old Tibetan Terrier. She is a little treasure. She comes from a friend who raises Tibetans and wanted Georgia to have a home where her deafness would be understood and she would be happy. She came to us on Thanksgiving morning and we are very thankful for her. She is so full of love and knows many signs. No one would ever know that she is deaf. I would recommend a deaf dog to anyone that is considering one. They have so much love to give and outside of the fact that you can never leave them off lead, they are just like a normal dog.
Human companions: Ielena Bussard and husband
Other pets: A Tibetan named Megan (who will go find Georgia when asked, and nudge her till she comes!) and two Keeshonden named Lance and Falcore (who became deaf in his old age - Falcore went to the Bridge in May of 2001, and is very deeply missed).
Email: ielena@epix.net

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