|
Meet Zoey and Levi !
I first saw them at our feed store where we get hay
for our horses, back in 2007. They were probably about 5 weeks old. Someone
had abandoned Zoey and Levi and their 3 siblings.
Zoey was the only deaf one. She was laying
w her head oddly stuck under the dog house. She didn't move when my
daughter called to her. I knew instantly she must be what they refer to as
a lethal white Aussie. 2 little siblings were taken in by a vet as they
were really ill. Another was adopted by a family for their little
boy’s birthday. ....and there sat 2 more little souls. No one wanted
them. We visited the feed store every week to get hay (and to see the
pups). I couldn't resist and my kids fell in love. I didn't have the heart
to separate them so we took both Levi and Zoey
home one day and they have been with us ever since. Now all four of my
young dogs know sign language, 2 Labs; Daisy (who is 3) and Ziggy (who is almost 4) and Zoey and Levi( who are now 2 1/2).
Levi looks more like a Border Collie cross w Aussie...Zoey
looks like (so I have been told) Catahoula mixed w Aussie? She has the
softest fur. He is tall and lanky and she is short, compact and quick as
heck when they run and play in the yard. She is very strong and agile! He
can't catch her anymore.
Zoey probably listens better than all my hearing dogs. She
jumps to attention when you give her a command using sign language. Levi,
her brother, is protective and patient with her. He also knows that she is
really curious about our cats and a few she is really afraid of, so Levi
tries to herd Zoey away from the cats or the cats
away from Zoey.
Levi has some hearing difficulty in as much as he
can't always tell which direction sounds are coming from but otherwise he
hears fine. I am sure they have some impairment visually but it does not
slow them down at all. When they were really small Levi was a HUGE help.
When I wanted Zoey to come inside from the yard
and she wasn't paying attention to me, I would say to Levi, 'go get the
baby, go get Zoey', and he would round her up and
bring her to the door. :) Now even our black lab Ziggy
will go get her when she needs to come inside from the yard. Sometimes when
she doesn't want to come in she looks away from you and strolls to the back
of the yard ignoring you until she REALLY wants to come in!
These pups have been a great lesson for my kids, they have taught them an invaluable lesson of
patience and kindness which they can use in every aspect of their lives. Through these pups I met some great
people at Amazing Aussies that have always been there for advice when I
needed it. It was our intention in the beginning to foster these 2 pups through
Amazing Aussies but after they were home with us we couldn't let them go. Zoey and Levi were sort of the way I got started
helping out other dogs/cats/horses in need....and I have been helping out
ever since.
|
