Special Needs Dog

C

Constance

Member
Constance is blind and slowly getting deafer. We don't know the cause of her problems. We adopted her 5 months ago. There wasn't much information about her background. She was found one morning tied to the entrance of a vets surgery. She (the vet) says that Constance was born without eyes and probably partially deaf. It's fairly certain that she's had a litter, so possibly a breeder has let the faulty genes spread further.

Constance is big and white - her color and disabilities might be linked. We think she's a "Boxane" - Great Dane x Boxer.

Five months is not long, but her confidence in us and in her environment is growing. It will be great to discuss her continuing training, health, and care with professionals and other dog lovers.
 
It's really a beautiful thing that you've decided to take on the responsibility of caring for a pet with such specific special needs. Taking care of a pet that is in good health is a huge job, so taking care of a dog that is blind and going deaf is a really a huge task, but thank goodness she seems to have found the right owners. At least somebody had the decency to tie her to the entrance of the vets surgery. I had an acquaintance years ago that got a puppy, a tiny puppy and decided she didn't want it, took it up to some out of the way woods and left it there.

This is my first time ever hearing of a Boxane. You learn something new everyday. I'm glad to hear that her confidence in you and in her new surroundings is growing. All pets deserve to have a happy, safe life.
 
Takes special people like you to step up and adopt. I find that blind dogs and even deaf ones can adapt and live healthy lives. Many things we humans can to do to help them navigate through the environment. If your not already doing things like using touch and smells to help.

Examples: different types of surfaces like rugs for stairs going up or down. Different surfaces for doorways leading outside or different rooms. Many also use different smells just like the surfaces. Helps build more confidence.

Vibration is another technique to communicate...


Great job!
 
@MariYa - when you say "she seems to have found the right owners" - I hope we'll turn out to be right for her. SHE certainly found us, we never intended adopting another dog, let alone a dog with special needs.

@Vinny - thank you for that advice and those ideas. We are starting to think about special equipment to stimulate her and to help her orientate herself. All we have invested in so far are a couple of child safety gates for the stairs and the door to the garden. We've added padding to them and bells. Different surfaces are the next thing ....

Vibration is something we will develop, she manages to stay within a certain distance of us when we are in the garden if we stamp our feet. So we know that's she's attuned to vibration.
 
@Constance Sometimes these things happen, dogs find us. I've had a couple of dogs find me, and like you I had no intention of having a dog at all (let alone more than one). I don't have any now (I want one though), but when I did have dogs, they came to me, I never went out and actively looked for a dog.

Special needs take patience, but it is so worth it. I think you end up doing more learning than teaching. This type of dog can teach you a lot about yourself, and about others that are around you.
As far as the blindness is concerned, that is a challenge, but a dog certainly can have a great life, even without eyesight. They can be happy, and healthy, just in a different way than their seeing counterparts.
 
Thank you for adopting a special needs dog. I've volunteered in shelters and know first-hand that it is much more difficult for special needs pets to find loving forever homes. It's special people like you that make all the difference for these pets.

I'm glad you're protecting your dog from stairs with baby gates.

Here are a few other ideas you can consider.

Put her food and water bowls on a rug with a unique texture so she always knows where they are. When you approach her, be sure to make vibrations on the floor with your feet or giggle her bed just a little so that she isn't startled when you touch her.

It sounds like you have at least one other dog in your home. I would suggest putting a bell on him/her so that Constance might be able to know when the other dog is near.

I'm a big believer that our pets choose us. I think she's found a home where she knows she'll always be loved and cared for.
 
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