Ruby & Me - Part 2

Ruby and I had always been very close, but another milestone in our relationship happened a little over three years ago. I mentioned to my wife I thought Ruby was having hearing problems. She wouldn’t respond when I was in another room and I called out her name. If I was right in front of her, she would respond as she normally does. We took her to the vet and found out that she was definitely losing her hearing. In fact, when the vet stood behind Ruby and clapped her hands together, Ruby did not even respond.

For me this was a beginning of a crisis. How could I protect her if I sensed that there was some approaching danger if I couldn’t get her to return when I called her. If we were walking in the woods and she started to venture off, how could I make sure she wouldn’t get lost. I began to worry about her safety. I kept on asking myself what should I be doing in this situation.

At first, I tried using a dog whistle thinking she might still be able to respond to that, but it didn’t help. I tried to think of new ways that we might be able to communicate. I started working with her using various hand signals, and she was a quick learner. A couple of months later, while we were at at nosework practice for Annie and Gail, my wife introduced me to Joanne and her dog, Riley. After talking to Joanne and watching her interaction with Riley, she told me that Riley was deaf, and he had been deaf for quite awhile. If I hadn’t known that Riley was deaf I would never have noticed it as they worked so well together. She told me that sometimes it is easier for the dog who is deaf to adapt to the situation than it is for their owner. Dog owners tend to be more anxious about events/situations than their dogs do.

I returned home after watching Joanne and Riley with a new perspective. As I watched Ruby, I could tell that she had already adapted and was getting along quite well. I was the one who had to get over my fear of not knowing how to work with a deaf dog. That would come along as Ruby and I worked together. 

Our first test really came when we stayed at the Northern Queen in Nevada City. The reason we like the Northern Queen is they have cabins we can stay in, and it is located in a forested area where the dogs can get plenty of exercise. The dogs, all three of them, love staying there. They can run around, jump in the water and hike around the area with us. Nancy usually ends up taking Annie and Gail to a nosework trial while Ruby and I stay behind and hike the area most of the day. This would be our first test, how would Ruby and I manage to hike together.

I kept Ruby on her leash for the first 15-20 minutes of our hike and she was doing quite well. When we were away from any people I went ahead and released her from her leash. She stayed with me until she was distracted by a squirrel running along in the underbrush, and ‘off’ she went. I didn’t move from my location and waited a couple of minutes and she returned. You could tell by looking at her, she knew that she had wondered too far away. She was relieved when she saw me and was able to return. For the rest of that morning hike she pretty much stayed right with me. We returned to our cabin and had lunch. We even rested a bit.

After our lunch break we went back on another hike. I didn’t put her on the leash, I let her walk beside me. She would run around and do some exploring, but she always tried to keep me in sight. Once or twice she would run off and get out of sight, but she would immediately return. When she was out of sight, I stayed where I was until she returned. When we approached other people who were also hiking, she would look at me first, asking for my approval, before she would do anything.

Since then we have returned to the Northern Queen on several occasions where Ruby and I have been able to hike together. I haven’t worried anymore that she might run off and get lost. She never ventured very far out of my sight. Both of us were depending on each other more and more, and that brought us much closer together. This taught me that even in times of diversity there can still be a positive outcome.