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Friday, November 8, 2024

Deaf Canine Tales – Oh My Canine!


September is Deaf Consciousness Month (in human land, not canine world), and it’s received me eager about a few of our current experiences with each a Deaf human and canine. I’m sharing a pair right here and on Instagram, however a bit background data first:

My human 4-year-old, Astrid, is hard-of-hearing. Deafness is a spectrum; it’s not a binary such as you both have listening to otherwise you don’t. She attends an American Signal Language immersion program, and he or she wears listening to aids. She’s studying each spoken English and ASL, and our household is studying ASL proper alongside her. John, Violet, and I are all listening to.

My canine, 2ish-year-old Penny, is profoundly deaf. She doesn’t hear something. (She’s additionally partially-sighted, however that’s a subject for one more publish.)

A white dog with brown spots down her hind leg, a brown freckle on her cheek, and a pink nose with more brown freckles stands on a wooden plank bridge. She has one bright blue eye, and the other eye appears closed and red. She's wearing a purple striped collar and has a lavender leash.
Credit score: Pictures By Austyn – Carmel, Indiana

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Isn’t she the cutest?!?!

Two tales for you immediately, one on find out how to meet a deaf particular person or pup in public and one on how to not. Keep in mind, the teachings right here most likely apply to any incapacity, not simply deafness.

A Constructive Method to Incapacity

Over the summer time, our household attended our city’s Satisfaction pageant, which is organized by a bunch of excessive schoolers. They do an incredible job. It’s at all times such a fun-filled, joyful occasion with a lot of actions and meals.

This yr, we took Penny as a result of, it seems, she ADORES going to new locations and assembly new individuals.

Astrid wore her listening to aids, after all, and Penny wore her leash sleeve. (I received this on Amazon due to course.) So, for each of my gals, there was some outward signaling of their deafness.

All through your entire day, individuals have been so respectful, asking if they might greet Penny and what one of the best ways to get her consideration was. In a number of circumstances, individuals assumed John was the one who was deaf and partially-sighted and requested if Penny was a working canine.

Many distributors signed hiya and thanks to Astrid, and for your entire day, nobody was something however variety, pleasant, and respectful. It was pretty and the way life ought to be.

However, sadly, that isn’t what often occurs.

How Many Method Incapacity

I waffled on which story to share for this one as a result of, sadly, that first story is uncommon. For Deaf Consciousness Month, I’m going to share a couple of of those tales on my reels, however for now, I’ll share this one:

Astrid, Penny, and I typically go to a playground after I preschool pickup. We’ve a small pocket of time every day earlier than we acquire Violet from the bus, so I take advantage of it doing enjoyable stuff with Asti since I do know when she begins kindergarten subsequent yr, this treasured one-on-one time will disappear.

On today, we have been at a playground she calls “the tiny homes playground” as a result of it has a bit neighborhood of play homes within the far again. She performed away, whereas Penny and I trailed round behind her. As soon as we have been all exhausted and overheated, we walked again in the direction of our care. A grandmother stopped us.

“My grandson needs to play within the homes,” she mentioned. “However I can’t discover them! Are you aware the place to go?”

As I gave her instructions, her grandson cowered behind her legs, sneaking terrified glances at Penny.

The grandmother pushed him ahead a bit. “He solely is aware of one canine, his uncle’s border collie. That canine jumps throughout him, so he thinks all canine will soar throughout him.”

I crouched down and mentioned hello. “That is Penny. She’s candy and mild, and he or she positively won’t soar on you if you wish to give it a attempt to pet her.”

He took a tentative step ahead. The grandmother, noticing Penny’s leash sleeve, startled visibly.

“Is she truly deaf?”

“She is,” I mentioned, as her grandson caught out his little fingers for a tentative contact.

“Ohhh, what a pity,” the grandmother bemoaned. “That poor factor.”

Fortunately, Astrid was off in her personal little la-la land watching butterflies flutter across the flower backyard and didn’t hear the unhappiness and remorse dripping from this lady’s mouth. How would she really feel listening to that deafness was one thing to pity? As a result of it’s most actually not.

And Penny, fortunately, can assist educate in these moments.

“It’s not a pity in any respect!” I replied as cheerfully as I may. “Penny is a cheerful, loving canine who can be taught the whole lot she must know with ASL.”

I’m undecided what she mentioned in reply as a result of her grandson took off a second later and he or she chased after him.

However that’s what we often get. Individuals pity Penny. I truthfully suppose it’s as a result of most individuals have by no means truly met a Deaf particular person earlier than and maybe can’t think about a life totally different from their very own. Regardless of the reality, there are two massive factors I hope are takeaways:

  1. Deafness is a spectrum. Simply because Astrid wears listening to aids doesn’t make her “much less deaf” or extra topic to anybody’s pity. Identical factor for Penny.
  2. Don’t pity deaf canine or deaf individuals. Or anybody with any incapacity, for that matter. There’s no want in any respect to really feel sorrow for a deaf canine. (In reality, maybe the alternative as a result of thunderstorms, fireworks, vacuum cleaners… none of it will get to this fortunate canine!)

Do you know September is Deaf Consciousness Month? What questions do you have got or experiences you’ve encountered like these I shared immediately?

My women on the “tiny homes” park. (:

A white dog with brown spots over her hind end walks along a rainbow colored sidewalk. She wears a blue and gray harness and has a purple leash and collar. Just ahead of her, a little girl with long blond hair and a blue dress with rainbow colors skips ahead. Black eyed susans line the path.



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