This one is personal.
My own dog Penny has been dealing with a chronic health issue for the past 6 months. In May, she was prescribed a common ear medication by our vet. A few days later I noticed that Penny wasn’t responding to things normally, like not barking at the mailman and not greeting me at the front door.  I realized Penny wasn’t hearing properly. Apparently in a tiny percentage of dogs, this ear medication causes an “ototoxicity” reaction that causes hearing loss that's hopefully only temporary. This was totally unexpected and I’m having a lot of Dog Mom guilt.
This experience has me curious about communicating and living with a deaf dog, so I reached out to Christina Lee of Deaf Dogs Rock.
 
Deaf dogs hear with their hearts.
In 2010, Christina Lee and her husband were contacted by a friend who worked the local animal shelter where Christina volunteered. There was a tiny 8-week-old white boxer puppy who had been found abandoned.  The puppy was deaf. The shelter hoped Christina’s family would adopt the dog because they knew he would have a safe and loving environment. Christina and her husband, Chris, took the leap and Nitro joined their family.
While researching how to best care for a deaf dog, Christina and Chris didn’t find a lot of information. Looking for guidance, they quickly got Nitro into training classes and he excelled. A local news story highlighted Nitro’s training progress and the story went viral.  Suddenly Christina was being contacted by people all over the U.S. who had questions about caring for a deaf dog. And Deaf Dogs Rock was born.
 
Christina & I discuss:
How Nitro became an ambassador for deaf dogs and his exciting life
All the ways Deaf Dogs Rock provides support for deaf dogs and their families
The role of positive reinforcement training for deaf dogs, and how the training methods are very similar for hearing dogs
Christina gives a perfect description of how to crate train any dog
How Christina learned American Sign Language to communicate with deaf people who adopt deaf dogs
The danger of dogs running loose and the measures Christina takes to protect her dogs and herself on walks in her rural mountain area
The safer alternative to giving dogs some room to wander in nature while still keeping everyone safe (Hint: Long line leash)
Some of Christina’s favorite rescue stories

 
Transcript available:
A transcript of this episode is available for download here.
 
Find Deaf Dogs Rock online:
Website: https://deafdogsrock.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/deafdogsrock/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deafdogsrock/
 
Links Discussed:
Beginning Sign Training with Alisha McGraw

Deaf Dogs Rock Training Video Library (including Savannah who signs while training)


Deaf Dog Rescue of America


Amanda & Winston of Dog Mom Days


Long line leashes on Amazon. Give your dog room to explore while keeping them (and everyone around you) safe.


 
Let's Connect:
Find photos of Christina, her family, Nitro’s adorable smushy face & more at:
Facebook: @believeindogpodcast
Instagram: @believe_in_dog_podcast
Email: erin@believeindogpodcast.com
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