Bridget's Story
by Bridget's mom, Nancy Stevens
 |
Bridget (formerly called Holly) was listed as a "special needs" rescue. Bridget is totally deaf. She required extra special care! The truth be told, she is just special. It took several people to make this adoption happen: my dear friend Terri Coutts, my clicker instructor Jean Bruce, my veterinarian Dr. Janice Huntingford, and last, but definitely not least, Suzanne West, foster mum extraordinaire. |
A desire to train a deaf dog took me on a long journey all the way to Oliver Springs, TN in December, 2000. I guess you'd call this a long distance adoption as we live in Harrow, Ontario, Canada! The moment I saw Bridget on the East Tennessee Border Collie Rescue web site, I knew she was the dog I had been searching for. So Terri and I set out on a journey to bring my dog home.
Arriving at her new home, Bridget faced things she had never encountered, not the least being a foot of snow and zero degree Fahrenheit temperatures. She acquired a whole new family: my husband Paul and myself and two canine siblings, Maggie and Sullivan, who were both rescued from animal shelters and also sharing sad histories. The first night was the most difficult for Bridget. After a long trip of many hours, she was confused and home sick. This required special measures! I brought out my sleeping bag and camped beside her crate all night. Within a few days she settled in, and I put away my sleeping bag.
After the Christmas holidays we enrolled in clicker class. Jean allowed us to enter class at week five so we could begin work immediately. It didn't take Bridget long to catch on to the flashlight as a substitute for a clicker. By the following class she was showing great progress. Now, in April 2001, she understands numerous hand signals and signs; sit, down, stay (the most difficult), recall, crate, stop it, wrong, leave it, take heel position from front and heel. Training can't be all serious so we needed to add some tricks. Being a ham, Bridget is a natural as a trick dog. She rides a skate board, pushes a children's shopping cart, shakes a paw, spins, weaves through my legs, and rolls over. And, oh yes, I have started her agility training. In true Bridget fashion, agility is one more adventure to be embraced.
Bridget's personality is outstanding. In mid March, she made her therapy dog dét in two nursing homes. She entered like the star she is, riding a skate board down the hallways and through the recreation rooms and dining halls. She has a spirit that melts hearts and spreads cheer wherever she goes. Bridget has done something I have never experienced in the three years that I have been making weekly visits to nursing homes, she made people laugh out loud. A few residents followed Bridget down the hallway in their wheelchairs cheering on her skate board escapades, no small task for them considering the extent of their physical limitations.
She is undaunted by her deafness. It's not an obstacle to overcome; it's simply her reality. A multitude of myths surround deaf dogs. Some say they are aggressive, untrainable, and unstable -- ticking time bombs. Not true! Miss Bridget is an ambassador for deaf dogs and shatters these untruths everyday.
I would not say it has been an easy task to train a deaf dog. It's a lot like being put in a room with someone who speaks a different language. You have to meet each other halfway if you ever hope to communicate. But it's been well worth the effort. You will never find a "poor, poor pitiful me" attitude here. Bridget's motto is "Embrace the challenge."
-- Proud Mum Nancy Stevens