My blind and deaf Aussie puppy I LOVE

I have a blind and deaf Australian Shepherd puppy that was born this way. I could not put her down because she was sooooooo cute. She is a very special dog. I have put a picture of her on the web site, her name is Tuffy because she is one tough puppy to get around this place we have 44 horses, about 12 dogs and 5 cats, and 4 fish, we live on a farm in Alabama.

How do you plan on training her? If she was deaf you could do hand signals which they respond to well but both blind and deaf.............as long as I have worked with dogs this is a monumentous problem. One thing she will develop her sense of smell to the highest level.............and she will track better than any bloodhound ever thought of. Hopefully there is someone who has dealt with this problem. You will have to be protective of her else not seeing or hearing could spell disaster in a farm situation. She can only respond to touch and smell these will be her tools to work with to survive. Best of luck.

How old is she ??? This will take a lot of special training on your part and I commend you for giving her a chance. Does she have any sight or hearing ??? Does she react to vibrations ??

We had a blind Aussie (the lethal white) for almost fifteen years. O'Reilly was a wonderful creature, and easily one of the bravest animals I've ever known.

You really will need to keep your baby in a safe, fenced enclosure when he's not in the house or on a leash. And use a halter for him when you're taking him on the leash, not a collar. You'll find he'll become very sensitive to movement of the leash to guide him that way.

Karen, Lucy and Holly's person, has a website devoted to impaired dogs. If you'll go to her profile (http://www.chazhound.com/forums/member.php?u=1487) you'll find links to it. She can give you a lot of help.

I agree with the halter with a short leash ...she needs to feel the security .

O'Reilly used to go hiking in the woods with us that way. He learned to stay on the path by the feel of the foliage - if he got out of the middle of the path he could tell because he'd feel leaves and twigs brush against him and would correct his course. He could hear, so we could tell him to step up or over if there was something in his path, but a deaf dog would easily learn to step up and over by a slight lift on the leash attached to the halter.

Well, good luck to you however you decide to train your dog.
I'm glad you didn't put her down and decided to love her instead

What website? I want to see a picture!

I think that it woulds suck to be blind AND deaf. But i guess if you are you dont know anything else. I dont really like dogs with that horrieble of a problem. I dont know it is shallow but I like a dog that is lively and fun. that dog will be alot of work.

Yes, h2... that IS shallow. And you are not cut out for it but many others are. Just keep playing your little video games and being a nuisance on websites and you'll be fine

i was not trying to be mean. I just am a realist. Will this dog have a normal life-no. Would most people kill it at birth-yes. And is whoever taking care of this dog a great person- yes. I just wouldnt want a diabled dog. There are thousands of happy healthy dogs to adopt. It is a great thing that this dog has a happy and loving owner.

I just spent a week working with two blind dogs and one that was blind and deaf. I felt bad bathing that one, I felt like I was ambushing him. Sweet dogs in their own right (and one of the blind dog's owner's brought all of us fresh pineapple from Maui for our trouble! Whoo!) but I don't know if I could handle one at all times. If a dog of mine goes blind or deaf, I'll deal with it then, but I don't know if I would go looking for one to adopt. You never know though. Sometimes you'll see one of those dogs and they just won't get out of your head.

Well, guess what... I just went to our State Fair and saw a sweet BLIND little girl probably about 11 years old that her Mom or guardian was helping lead her around. I saw her mutliple places and caught up with her in the sheep shearing barn. She was in awe of feeling the wool fleece on the sheep then bending down to pick up the wool that had been sheared off. Then she went and felt the animal's hooves, legs, up the back to the hips. Tremendously loving her experience. Life DOES happen without the 7 senses of the "perfect people/animals"...

That is SO fantastic. I would love to hear more about how you are training her. It's great to hear that you are willing to devote the time and effort it takes to help out a disabled dog. I would like to do the same in the future. I assume she's blind and deaf because she is a double merle?

I used to raise Aussies and always feared one being born blind and deaf and knew it would be difficult to make the decision to put it down. I now have 3 adult Aussies and live on a farm with horses and other animals. It is going to be difficult to keep him safe and your idea of the harness and short leash is a good beginning. Is he going to be an inside dog? If not, then I recommend that she share a pen with another dog so that she has company and can learn from the other dog and enjoy the companionship. Most animals do not like being alone as I know none of mine do. I might suggest that if you decide to keep her inside, a cat is a good companion also as I have one little black kitty that loves all my dogs and prefers to be with them at all times rather than my other cats. If she is in the house with any of them, she is constantly rubbing against them and trying to get their attention. I am lucky that they all like her as well. You have taken on a big responsibility and I wish you lots of luck. It sounds like you are willing to make some sacrafice to make her happy and I am sure she will have a good home.