RSPCA: Happy ending for Blue the deaf collie

Tuesday, 14 December 2010 12:00 AM

Blue the blue merle collie first made the news back in 2006, aged eight months, when the RSPCA's Little Valley Animal Shelter in Blackhat Lane, Exeter sent out a plea for someone to adopt him.

Deaf from birth, Blue was given up by his previous owners as they were expecting a baby and felt they could not devote enough time to him. He was often overlooked by prospective adopters so staff at the centre taught him his own special form of sign language. After they publicised his plight, hundreds of people offered to take him in.

Julie and Gary Chivers from Cheddar in Somerset fell in love with Blue after seeing him on the news, and were chosen as his new owners after going through a rigorous selection process. When they took him on he still needed plenty of extra care and training but four years later he is settled and happy with their other three dogs.

Julie said: "When we called in to see him he looked like a little lost soul. Nobody had wanted to take him on. He was deaf and confused and chasing everything that moved.

"If we let him off the lead he would just take off and run and run. But now he's Mr Cool - he's the best behaved out of our four dogs."

The couple took Blue to special classes and worked with Gill Hodge, Little Valley's animal behavioural assistant, to help train the collie.

A key tool in improving his behaviour turned out to be a tennis ball that the Chivers's used as a reward toy.

Mrs Chivers said: "He had never been interested in toys but we were on the beach in Cornwall when he suddenly took an interest in the ball. Once we had that we could use it to help train him."

Blue is now calm and mature, and Mrs Chivers said people should never be put off adopting a deaf dog.

She said: "It is hard work and you have to be committed, but the rewards are even greater than with a hearing dog. I would do it again in the future with no hesitation: the poor things shouldn't be put to the bottom of the pile just because of their disability."

Neil Edwards, manager at RSPCA Little Valley, said the shelter only takes in about one deaf dog a year and it can be harder to find them a new home.

Neil said: "We would look to place a deaf dog with someone who already owns dogs and has experience of training them. They need to be understanding, willing to listen and to take on the specialist sign language training. It's also very beneficial to have a trained dog already in the household as dogs pick up quickly on how other dogs are behaving."

Notes to editors

For images and further information please call the press office on 0300 123 0244/0288.

RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk

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