Give it up for Cheer! This precious poodle girl may be deaf, but she certainly hasn’t let that dim her sparkle. She’s wonderfully mellow, incredibly sweet, and just looking for a soft place to land where she can spend her days feeling safe and loved. Cheer doesn’t need to be the loudest one in the room to steal the show. She has a gentle little spirit that makes you want to scoop her up and tell her everything is going to be okay. Her forever family will get a sweet, easygoing girl who deserves all the love and a standing ovation. Go, Cheer, go!
Here’s some notes from her foster :
Despite having vision and hearing problems, she walks just fine, seems to understand when she reaches a curb and can navigate that without a problem. Stairs are a different story. So far, she doesn’t seem to know what to do with them, so I carry her up and down them.
Because she can’t hear or see me approaching normally, I’ve learned to move very slowly when I reach toward her face. Otherwise, I can startle her. I let her smell my hand first, and then she’s perfectly happy to be petted.
I’m not sure she has had a lot of human attention or affection in the past. She seems to be getting used to being petted, but interestingly, when I stop, she doesn’t yet seem to say, “Hey, excuse me…we weren’t finished.” I’m hoping that may come with time as she gets more comfortable and learns that this attention is here to stay.
She eats VERY slowly. And I mean very slowly. It can take her a couple of hours to finish what’s in her bowl. She is drinking water normally and has happily accepted the dog treats I’ve given her. Again, it’s only Day 2, so I’m still learning what is normal for Cheer.
She really likes going for walks and is very easy on a leash. Her tail initially spent most of its time tucked between her legs, but it has already started coming up, and I’ve seen the occasional little wag. I’m taking that as a positive sign that she’s beginning to feel a little more secure.
Cheer sleeps a LOT. When she’s awake, she wanders around my condo and seems to enjoy exploring at her own pace. She especially loves pacing around on the deck and looking out toward the trees and golf course. I’m not sure exactly what she can see, but she seems to enjoy being out there.
She doesn’t respond to verbal commands, which obviously makes sense given that she’s deaf. I haven’t tried introducing hand signals yet because she doesn’t really know to look at me. I’m just letting her settle in and get comfortable before trying to establish any kind of communication system.
She is VERY sweet and incredibly easy. When I pick her up, she actually seems to try to help by positioning herself appropriately, which is pretty adorable and kind of jump up in my hands. She has not barked or made a single sound since she arrived. Not one. I’m beginning to wonder if I actually have a dog or a very quiet furry roommate.
She sleeps on my bed on a towel and rarely moves during the night. She also travels beautifully in the car. She sits or lies down in her car seat and is a completely perfect passenger. Zero drama. Zero backseat driving. Five stars.
Overall, Cheer has been a quiet, gentle and remarkably easy house guest so far. And honestly, that’s pretty impressive considering she’s in a completely new environment, surrounded by unfamiliar smells, sounds (well, not sounds for her!), a strange person named Dan (me), and a whole new routine.
For only two days, she has handled the transition amazingly well. I’m looking forward to seeing what more of her personality comes out as she realizes she’s safe, comfortable and, apparently, has landed at a place where the treats keep coming.
