How these things begin... Josie's story (2)

When we got our first dog, we certainly didn't start out looking for a deaf one. In fact, deaf, blind, three-legged or otherwise challenged dogs seemed to me a bit broken and sad. I wanted a "whole" dog, one who would come when I called or whistled, one who would hear my words of praise, endearments, scoldings and directions.

Actually, what I hoped for was a quiet, sweet dog that everyone would love. With a minister for a husband, we had plenty of visitors. Our dog needed to be gentle and not at all scary. I had only had outdoor dogs as a child, but I hoped for a dog that could live with us in a suburban home and be a companion on hikes and car rides and at ease indoors.

As a dog walker at the local no-kill shelter, I saw a lot of dogs. Dozens and dozens of them, and I was ready to love them all. I wanted a puppy, though, and I wanted to be choosy. However, within just a few weeks, one dog stood out. She was a sleek black shepherd mix with tan points and pale, pale blue eyes. It wasn't only her looks that caught my eye, but also her unusual demeanor. This year-old dog, housed alone in a narrow fenced run, was a lady. She sat quietly, watching everything with interest, but saying nothing. Nothing! In a concrete room full of barking dogs, she was clearly unusual.

When I stopped to greet her, she was came slowly to the gate. She seemed shy but not frightened, and so calm and grateful for a little attention.

Oops. It was with excitement and some fear that I knew I had found our dog.

Fortunately, my spouse agreed. He trusted my instincts and I wanted this dog so badly. Within a few days we added Josie to the two pussycats in our household.

But....lady-like? Well, no. As it turned out, Josie was a hoyden, a whirlwind on a leash, a disaster. She was nuts! That's what I thought on day one. How could I have been fooled so badly when she seemed so perfect?!

How these things begin... Josie's story

OK, let's back up a bit.

I have always loved dogs. And horses. And snakes and mice and birds, dead or otherwise. To my mother's horror, her little girl got excited about (and wanted to touch) anything that walked, flew, swam, wriggled or oozed. Animals have always been far easier and more fascinating for me than people. After growing up on a small farm with lots of animals for company, I wanted an animal in my adult, suburban life. In particular, I really really wanted a dog.

My husband had never owned a dog, and he was not at all comfortable with this idea. My comments about the delights of puppy-breath and loving canine companionship fell on uncertain ears.

Part of my sales pitch was that we would look until we found a puppy that we BOTH liked. I may have implied that this could take "a very long time." This dog would fit our lifestyle and our needs, and my husband had to be in total agreement with me that we had found the right one. The "right" dog would be not too noisy, not too rowdy, not too needy, but just right.

As it happens, we hadn't even begun to look for our dog when I found her. It is a common story: volunteer at an animal shelter and you'll soon come home with a new member of the family!

Josie, our girl Sazi's predecessor, found us at the Richmond Animal Shelter. Let me tell you her story and I think you will understand how we could say yes to a deaf red puppy 12 years later.

Meet Sazi

Meet "Anasazi Bean" or "Sazi," our two and a half year old Australian Cattle Dog. We adopted her from our local SPCA at three months of age. She is a gorgeous pup but may have been abandoned or lost because she is almost totally deaf. The only sounds that Sazi responds to regularly are the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen and the deep, percussive barking from a dog down the street.

So far, Sazi knows more than thirty signs and commands, and we are steadily increasing our vocabulary. She is incredibly attentive and reads us so clearly that sometimes she seems to know what we are thinking... even before we do! She's brilliant, loving, and often hilariously funny, and people who meet her rarely realize that she can't hear them speaking.

Together, we continue to learn how to communicate with one another-- two different species learning a new language together.