Destructive, Deaf Dalmatian Becomes Sweet Service Dog After Learning One Simple Thing
About a year ago, this sweet Dalmatian was dumped by his owners at a New York City kill shelter. The owners told the shelter workers to put the pooch down: He was destructive and a biter with no interest in being house-broken. To top it all, the super-high-energy dog was deaf.
Flash-forward to today. Charlie is sweet and calm around everyone: four-legged and two-legged, young and old.
How did his owner do it? By learning American Sign Language and using hand signals instead of spoken commands to teach her pup. Not only does Charlie know basic commands–like sit, stay, heel, lie down–but he’s also a certified service and therapy dog, which required even more training.
In fact, Charlie is so laid-back now, watch what he does outside of Penn Station, New York City’s train-and-subway station hub at the height of rush hour.
As Charlie’s owner wrote on his Instagram account (@defdal): “Goes to show you that any dog can be amazing with the right amount of exercise and basic obedience! Before you give up a dog or even when you get a new one, get a GOOD trainer… You get what YOU put into the dog!”
Inspiring words for any dog owner. But a great thing to remember during Deaf Dog Awareness Week, which ends on September 26, 2015.
via Buzzfeed
