Rosie, a deaf bull mix, recently found an unexpected home with Cindy Koch, who's also deaf.
When Rosie first arrived at the Nebraska Humane Center, workers had no idea what to do with her; she wasn't responding to anything and seemed to be continuously frightened of her surroundings. So it was really amazing when Tracie Pfiefle, a volunteer at the shelter, figured out that the reason behind Rosie's apparent inability to respond was her inability to hear, and set out to teach her sign language. After learning a few signs from Tracie, Rosie became an infinitely happier animal.
But she still needed someone to adopt her. So it was kind of a miracle when Cindy, who'd always wanted a deaf dog, came along.
Now, Rosie is continuing to learn more sign language with Cindy, and everything is wonderful, basically.
In my opinion, the fact that Rosie is learning sign language is really adorable and also ridiculously impressive. I love hearing about things like this because it kind of softens the blow of other news that isn't as positive.
(oh blerg someone else also wrote about this. But it's still great.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/12/deaf-woman-adopts-deaf-dog_n_5310108.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news
This is so great! It's amazing to hear that a dog has the capability of learning to communicate with sign language!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I think this could really revolutionize animal therapy and animal assistance with humans. I can't wait to see where this will go!
ReplyDeletethis is so cute, but I'm confused. how does a dog sign without thumbs or like mobile arms!? but I'm glad it all works and the owner and dog are compatible. how heartwarming!!
ReplyDeleteThis story is inspiring. I'm a little confused as to how a dog can perform sign language, but either way it's really cool.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really sweet story. And for those of you who are confused, the dog can probably just understand the hand signals we know as sign language. Many dog trainers teach their pets commands that only involve hand signals.
ReplyDelete