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PRESS RELEASE
RELEASE DATE: Immediately (December 8, 2006)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Gene Baierschmidt
(801) 261-2919 phone
TWO SPECIAL DOGS NEED ONE SPECIAL ANGEL! - HUMANE SOCIETY NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS
In early November, two four-month-old Australian shepherd littermates were brought to the Humane Society of Utah by a family who no longer wanted to deal with the fluffy, white-coated, blue-eyed little girls. The problem - both of the dogs were born totally deaf and almost completely blind.
Euthanasia might have seemed to be the logical course of action to take, but HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt insisted on giving the animals a chance. "We’re in a much better position to help special-needs animals like these than we were just a few years ago," he says. "We’re hoping that during this season of love and caring, just the right person or family will want to make room in their hearts for them - and be willing to make their commitment last for the animals’ lifetimes."
The two dogs were spayed and given their vaccinations, and then went to the home of one of our most devoted foster mothers to be trained. She named them Boudicca (boo-DICK-a) and Nike, one after the ancient British queen who led her people to triumph against impossible odds, and the other after the Greek goddess of victory. "They’ve only been fostered for three weeks, but everyone feels that they were named very appropriately," says Mr. Baierschmidt. "These ‘hopeless’ dogs are already showing signs of tremendous improvement."
Nike’s vision may be slightly better than Boudicca’s, according to their foster mom. "Boudicca tends to follow Nike and take cues from her, but they both depend heavily on each other. They’ve formed a powerful - and necessary - bond with each other, and for that reason we want them to be adopted together to the same home. Obviously, they’ll also have to be indoor dogs who have a securely fenced yard for their exercise time," she says.
So how does one go about training animals who are doubly handicapped? "I like to think of their situation as being a little bit like Helen Keller’s," says Mr. Baierschmidt. "There’s great potential for overcoming the enormity of their problems, and, even more important, these dogs have an unlimited amount of love and loyalty to give. They respond to kindness and very much want to please the people who treat them well." They’re already being successfully house-trained, and they have lots of fun playing with balls and stuffed toys. Up-close hand signals and reward treats are the key, he says. In teaching the dogs the "sit" command, for instance, the trainer kneels close to the individual animal’s head, holds a treat above the nose, and gently presses the hindquarters down. When the dog sits properly and remains that way, she gets the treat.
Both dogs are gentle, affectionate, and sweet-natured, and neither requires ongoing medication. "All they’ll really need is somebody who will give them a lot of hands-on loving and direction and a reliable routine," says Mr. Baierschmidt. Anyone who would like to be the very special Christmas angel for these very special dogs should call 261-2919 for more information.
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