So i think a few of you know that my husband says that the next dog we get he gets to pick. He says it is his turn and he wants a bull terrier. He said as soon as we can find a good bull terrier that we can afford then we will get one.
Well today i came across an add in the local classifieds:
The sweetest puppy ever, male, HE IS DEAF, white with patches on ears and eye. Very Playful and Loving. 11 weeks old, shots, wormed. HE NEEDS A FENCED YARD!! Free to the right home. Pictures on request.
I told my husband about him thinking he would be like HECK NO!...well, he said maybe you should call them and see if he is even still available. So i called the lady and I talked to her for quite awhile. I explained to her how I don't have a fence, but i NEVER let my boys just out to run, they are always leashed or on the zipline when we are out. I talked to her for quite awhile and said she would email me some picks of him and if we wanted to set up a time to come see him that would be great. She said that he was in her last litter and when she took him to the vet he wanted to put him to sleep! I know that with the right training he would be just fine.
What do you guys think? Would it be totally stupid to add another dog, especially one with dissabilities to my household? My little sister doesn't think I should because she said that if we did we wouldn't have room very often for if we wanted to take in a foster now and again. I know that i want to get a third dog...but i was hoping to wait until we can put a fence in. Should I just wait it out? Is the timing off?
being deaf...... not a problem. not having a fence......not a problem. being deaf AND not having a fence....a problem. if he ever gets out the door when your not looking....he could be a goner with not being able to hear noises. especially traffic noises. dogs can live normal lives being deaf or even blind. it just requires a little extra time and attention on the part of the owner when raising a special needs pup. are you AND your husband willing to do that ? if you are both interested, then i would set up a time to go see him. take your time when you are there. ask any questions you might have and spend time with the pup while you are there.especially your husband, if its going to be primarily his dog. none of us here can make that choice for you. you will know after meeting the pup and talking more with the breeder wether or not this is the right pup for you. good luck in whatever you decide.....
You could take him in, and if it doesn't work out, I can come in December and pick him up! Lol...just kidding My husband likes that breeds as well. Along with bulldogs and GSP's. He says one of those breeds are going to be *his* next dog.
That's a toughie though. Is there anyway she would let you foster him for maybe the weekend? Maybe tell her that you want to, but that the fencing is your big concern, and that if you could foster him for the weekend, you can get a feel for what it would be like when he had to be outside.
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-The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
honsetly....I really have two deaf dogs already. If Ivan and/or Borris escape they just run. They don't even trun back to look if you are running with them (rather after them). Ivan is too stubborn to come when he is called and Borris flat out doesn't care. So the fence thing don't bother me that much. The main humane society lady that we do all of our volunteer and foster work through has a deaf bulldog. They don't have a fenced yard either. They have a big bell on him so they can always hear where he is, and he is never let outside without being on a lead of somesort.
Plus he is about a 3 hr drive from me, which really sucks. I really wish i could go meet him a few times first hand and get a feel for him. I really need to invest in a little plane! It would make things a lot easier!
My honest opinion is no. My reason is that training a deaf dog is ALOT of work and requires alot of time and attention ALL the time. By bringing in a deaf dog that will require so much time and training, you are really taking it away from your own dogs. They deserve an equal companion, but they may get jealous of the pup if he is getting all the attention and that can be bad later on. You may experience bad behaviour from your current dogs as a means of getting attention from you. And of course you can't NOT train the puppy or it wouldn't be fair to him either. I would really consider that if you like this breeder that maybe when you guys are ready you can get a pup from her then, but I think this isn't a fair deal to the dogs you already have. JMO though.
thank you Katz...it is easy to say get the cute puppy, but you brought up some REALLY good points that i hadn't even thought of...I just always assume my boys will be happy with any new addition.
Reading between the lines I get the impression you already know what your choice is on the matter. Getting a puppy needs to be right for both you & your hubby as well as your 2 furpals. Personally the fact that the pup is deaf wouldn't really be a consideration for me. Basically the difference is that instead of verbal commands the pup would need to learn hand signals which is great for hearing dogs to learn as well. Of course, not having the advantage of using sound at all makes it more challenging but it is definitely doable. Any pup you would get now would take away time from your boys, even a hearing pup, as much time will need to be devoted to training. We always hope our furpals will welcome a new addition but that is a chance we take whether the new one is hearing or not.
My husband likes that breeds as well. Along with bulldogs and GSP's. He says one of those breeds are going to be *his* next dog.
