Snoopy aka Snoops

I adopted Snoopy, Snoops or ³the Noop² from a shelter where I was employed in 1991; he was a year old at the time.  He had been seized as part of a cruelty investigation along with his littermates and several breeding dogs, and it was after this seizure that someone determined that he was deaf.  He had difficulty interacting appropriately with male dogs when I met him, was fearful of strangers, and extremely touch sensitive. After a couple of failed adoption attempts, I asked to foster him to teach him hand signals and to house train him; he never left and I have never regretted my decision. After 8 months of behavior modification he was incorporated into the rest of my pack and continues to integrate well with other dogs.  We created a touch-loving monster out of him though and he now will request lap space from whoever happens to be sitting nearby!  During his foster period with me, we discovered that he had inhalant and food allergies which plague him to this day though he now has me cooking for him and this has greatly improved his life.  Working with him on his issues and on his training helped me to seek out other deaf dog owners to help them overcome some of the same issues with their dogs that Snoops had.  He is the best high maintenance friend to nap with in the universe. Jenn Barg MS, CPDT-KA, CDBC www.understandingdogs.net