That weekend I met with my Little Sister (mentee) and told her I was thinking about getting a dog. I told her about Cricket’s situation and she said “so, she needs someone to love her.” I said yes and when I told her Cricket is also deaf and some people weren’t sure if they wanted a deaf dog, she replied “then she just needs some EXTRA love and I’ll give her love when I come over.” Again, I was starting to think that maybe Cricket was meant to be in my life.
I emailed SEPR later that week as I knew they had an adoption day coming up and was curious to see if Cricket was going to be there. She was, so I went to Petco and Cricket was great! She seemed so mellow but she also was taking everything in and was very attentive. I even happened to take a friend who was somewhat afraid of dogs and she liked Cricket as well. So I thought about it and researched deaf dogs . I referred to her in conversation as “my dog” and emailed later that week to see if there was any other interest in Cricket besides mine. SEPR said there was but they seemed confident that Cricket would be good in my home. Since it was just me in a big house, she would get tons of attention and since I had an interest in sign language, I would be able to help her learn to communicate. After all this process, there seemed to be signs that Cricket was meant to be with me. A home visit was scheduled.
When time came to do a home visit, I was not sure about bringing Cricket in yet. Some temporary things came up in my life that if a dog that was in my home already could handle, but I did not want to overwhelm Cricket. I emailed again to talk with SEPR to see if there was more interest as I did not want to be unfair to Cricket and other potential families. It was a hard email to write and I felt bad as I really did want Cricket to come live with me. But SEPR worked with me to find a time that was good for Cricket to come home. Cricket came to her forever home April 9, 2011. My home has never been the same…it is now OUR home.
Cricket is doing great. She gets rawhides and bones continually, along with treats, toys, and pillows. She is super smart and knows exactly where the treats are and what to do for Mom to give her one. She loves to lay on the bed, even though she had no desire to be on the couch. She has learned a good night time routine and no longer barks when its time for bed. She is learning the neighborhood kids and dogs, but she seems to do well with all of them. Her new favorite friends are the pitbull Jewel next door and one of the children on the other side of us. Her favorite things to do in the house is run back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. She is still learning how to stop as the floors can be slippery at a dead run. She is learning new signs and knows sit. We are anxiously working on stay and come, as well as NO. Cricket even took a ride in the truck this week to my office…she was a hit and everyone loved her. She, of course, adored the attention. She didn’t do to bad in the truck either, even though I had to help her in and out. Cricket doesn’t do stairs or jumps well because of her balance. I think she enjoyed being up front and seeing everything. We are still mastering the art of house training. She does pretty good, but since Cricket never was taught as a puppy to go outside because of her difficult situation and constant crating, she doesn’t necessarily have a “potty dance”. So Cricket and mommy are constantly working together to try to get that all figured out. We went three days without any accidents, but I jinxed it when I was bragging about it.
I am VERY happy to have Cricket in my home. We’ve had some frustrations, but mainly good times with tons more to come. It was comforting to know SEPR was there for encouragement. SEPR affirmed that the first two weeks were the hardest and they were right…however, now that we are onto the third week it is getting better. Cricket is such a joy and so loveable that anything she does do wrong is easily forgotten when she comes and snuggles with you for attention or “cuddles for some lovin”. I couldn’t have asked for a better dog…hearing or not.
- Melissa