HUMPHREY

A DEAF DALMATIAN

HUMPHREY

Finding Humphrey

In early spring of 2003 we read an article about a homeless deaf Dalmatian in a dog magazine. The dog was in Europe and needed to be brought back to the UK. The rescue was being co-ordinated by All Dalmatian Rescue. We had been thinking of getting a second Dalmatian (we already had Alice and Charlie - a Sheltie - who has sadly since passed away) so we decided to give All Dalmatian Rescue a ring and offer the dog a home. We were told that a home in the South of England was required (we did not fit that criteria), but that there was a deaf Dalmatian near to where we live who was in desperate need of a new home because he had become very destructive, due to being left alone for long periods as a result of a change in family circumstances. We felt that we would be able to cope with this problem as there is someone in the house most of the time and decided to adopt him.

The Handover

After liaising with his owners he was handed over to us in a local supermarket's car park together with a bag containing two bowls and vaccination and micro-chip certificates. On enquiring about what food he ate the owners said they 'could not remember'. All Dalmatian Rescue had talked us through the best way of introducing him to our dogs, we followed their advice and within a very short time the three dogs were racing around playing. The paperwork we received from the previous owners suggested that the dog had had at least two homes in the past, that he was about a year old, and that he had already had two different names (neither of which we particularly liked). As he was deaf we felt another change of name would not affect him so we decided to call him Humphrey.

Early Days

A visit to the vet revealed he was in good health but very thin, and for the first few days he refused to eat, but we slowly introduced him to a low protein wheat free diet (that our other dogs ate) and he gradually gained weight. We found that every time we lifted or waved our arms near him he cowered and trembled but we slowly gained his trust and started training him with our own hand signs, as we had no idea what signs had been used in his past. He became very attached to one of our cats (who unfortunately has since passed away) and enjoyed rushing around the garden with Alice.

Overcoming Separation Anxiety

Humphrey did get very upset if we all went out, but was never destructive. We found that teaching him a 'good bye' sign helped immensely but even now we often find him asleep on the kitchen table when we return from an outing, probably because the only way he can see into the front garden is through the kitchen window! In the early days he would not let us out of his sight, he even tried to follow us right into the shower, but he gradually improved as his confidence increased and he is now happy to sleep in the kitchen with Alice. He is extremely laid back for a Dal, and will settle down very quickly and seems to fall asleep very easily, presumably because there are no noises to disturb him. He loves to be petted and cuddled, although some sudden arm movements still make him tremble and if he sees certain people he will bark.

The First Holiday

Two months after we adopted Humphrey we took him and Alice on a dog activity holiday in Scotland (we had been before and knew that one of the trainers had a deaf dog). We had a wonderful week, and were given lots of advice on how to train Humphrey. He also got given lots of titbits including biscuits, liver, sausages, cheese, tripe, etc.

The Food Thief

The day after we got home from the holiday he raided the dog-food bin, resulting in a very swollen stomach and an emergency trip to the vet with suspected bloat, fortunately the car journey made him sick and he recovered. This was the start of a downward spiral, every day he managed to get at yet more food. We were used to Alice pinching food if it was within easy reach (a typical Dalmatian trait) but this was different, as the food he stole was NOT within easy reach. He opened the fridge, so we put a child lock on it, this did not stop him so a second lock was added, he then moved onto the freezer, (two more locks added) then onto the food cupboards etc.

He attempted to steal food whether we were in the house or not, although obviously if we were in the house we stopped him, but he could eat a packet of biscuits (paper and all) in the time it took us to walk across the kitchen! When all food cupboards/fridges/freezers were no longer accessible (they were all fitted with at least two child locks) he started on non-food articles like candles and sandpaper. He also ate a whole melon, including the skin, and managed to get the microwave off the work surface and open it (we had put some food that was cooling in it for safekeeping). He was almost a permanent fixture at the vets suffering from a bloated stomach, fortunately his stomach never twisted. He underwent numerous tests but nothing could explain the problem.

Our vet then suggested we see a behaviourist. After spending a morning with us the behaviourist decided that his problem was not related to behaviour, but that something else was triggering these binges. It was suggested that Humphrey was reacting to protein or wheat, and that he may have had the problem in the past but that by feeding him a low protein wheat free diet we had inadvertently cured him, however the holiday had triggered the complaint, and, as he continued to steal food, the problem was self perpetuating. Our vet then tried various diets, but he seemed to get worse and worse.

Walking Humphrey became a nightmare as every piece of food discarded on the road was devoured, we tried a muzzle, but he then hated going for a walk. We live in the country and our garden is visited by foxes, rabbits and the occasional deer. Their droppings continued to feed his habit, supplemented by the odd baby rabbit he managed to catch in the garden, his need to binge got so desperate that one Sunday morning when we were at Church he managed to open the bottom oven of our Aga cooker and took out and ate a steaming hot pie!

The Power of Homeopathy

We then decided to take him to see a homeopathic vet who had cured Charlie our Sheltie of a long-standing cough. To our delight after trying a number of remedies Humphrey's need to binge suddenly improved and then stopped. This was nearly a year ago, and he has not stolen any food since (apart from the usual Dalmatian opportunist thieving), however we are very careful to ensure he avoids wheat and high protein foods.

Obedience and Agility

As soon as Humphrey had settled in with us we started taking him to Obedience classes with Alice. He has made steady progress, and recently started Agility training which he loves. The best compliment we have received is from the owner of a border collie who insists that Humphrey can hear because he always goes round the Agility course correctly.

Pets as Therapy

Because he is so laid back and calm we decided to have Humphrey assessed as a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog. He passed the test with flying colours and is now a great favourite at a local Residential Home. We take him to visit the old people every week and most of the residents feel he is one of them because he is deaf! He will sit patiently whilst they pat and cuddle him, and will take treats very, very gently.

Our Wonderful Rescue Dog

We often find it difficult to believe Humphrey is deaf, he has never shown a startle response when woken, he has been very easy to train and, because he constantly checks on where we are, we have even started letting him run free on our local deserted beaches. We now cannot imagine life without him, and shudder to think what would have happened to him if we had not read that magazine article and contacted All Dalmatian Rescue.

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