About Dizzy
Dizzy is a Dalmatian cross who was born in the RSPCA centre in Liverpool where she remained for the first ten months of her life. During this period she was adopted once, only to be returned when her new owners discovered that she was deaf. Eventually Dizzy was sent to the RSPCA centre in Brighton where we happened to meet her during an open day. We decided that we would like to adopt her and after a nervous wait for a home visit and approval she joined the family!
Thanks to the RSPCA in Brighton, Dizzy had started to receive some training through a local obedience trainer. We took his details and went along to watch him in action before enrolling in puppy classes (a little late at the age of ten months). John the trainer had some experience of training deaf dogs and this encouraged us to join his classes.
Dizzy took to training like a duck to water and very soon graduated to the next class. Using hand signals we were able to work with her on all the usual obedience skills alongside the hearing dogs.
We have two other (hearing) dogs - Barney (Labrador cross) and Bandit (Jack Russell), with whom dizzy plays and like all dogs sometimes argues! We have now moved away from Brighton and live in the countryside where all the dogs have lots of room to play.
Dizzy is allowed off the lead, but only when she is well away from roads or in an enclosed safe area - this rule is the same for all our dogs as we have always kept them away from traffic for their safety.
She has learned to watch us for signals and if she wanders too far, our other dogs have learned the command "Go fetch Dizz" and they will go and get her attention before she gets out of our eyesight (Her recall command is to outstretch both arms, this works over very long distances, and she is usually the easiest of the three to call). Our other dogs have now learned the signs as well which makes life a lot easier!
About Bertie
Bertie is the newest member of the family he is a white Boxer who came to us at the age of eight weeks. He came from a very reputable breeder who wanted him to have a good home. White Boxer puppies (who make up as much as 20% of the total number of boxers born) are often destroyed....
The Boxer Breed Council Code of Conduct states, "White and abnormal puppies should be humanely put down at birth"
Needless to say WE DISAGREE.......
According to an Article in Dogs Today. "It is estimated that only ten percent of white boxers are born deaf".
Bertie is one of these ten percent, he is bright, affectionate, gentle, playful and it's a privilege to have him in our family. he is learning signs quickly and melting hearts everywhere he goes! We will keep updating his progress in the news section of the site.