Sing, oh, muse, of the rage of Athena...
...no, seriously, tell me what she's barking about 'cause there's nothing there but she sounds really mad.
Jason and I have embarked on many adventures together. Our most recent has been getting a second dog. We'd been talking about it for a while - Baldur, our corgi/German shepherd mix - will be eight in August and we thought getting a friend for him might help keep him energetic and youthful.
We finally started actively looking this winter. One of our neighbors volunteers for a private shelter and mentioned three dogs specifically that she thought might work well as playmates for Baldur. With these three in mind, we started looking up dog profiles on their site and others. One of the ones our friend recommended really stood out to us: a medium sized little girl who had been surrendered by her owners due to divorce, who liked playing and snuggling, and who was deaf.
Our hearts kind of went out to this little one - we thought that there might not be a lot of people willing to take a chance on a deaf dog, plus, according to her story, she had been very close to her previous mom. Since Baldur is already very much a Daddy's Boy, we also thought having another dog that might bond with me would be a good balance.
We have had Athena for 3 months now. She is still adjusting and, though it gets easier from day to day and week to week, we still have challenges. We've been dealing with inside potty accidents. She sometimes tries to steal Baldur's spot, toys, or food. She has very smelly farts. Athena is not a delicate flower.
Because she is deaf, she relies on her other senses. We're not sure if her sight is so well-developed and precise that she barks at small changes in light that we can't detect... or if she maybe also doesn't see well and is barking at new yard signs that she can't see until we get close. She has three barks; one sounds like a 6th grader left alone with a clarinet, another sounds like a normal dog bark, and the third... the third is a window-shaking bark she obviously got from her boxer mother. Athena is not a delicate flower.
For a dog who is deaf, she is awfully noisy. In addition to the barking (which, in her defense, she can't tell how loud she is being), she squeaks, squeals, grunts, snorts, and snores. She might be part teacup piglet. Athena is not a delicate flower.
But our new little baby is also a brave, strong girl who has come back from a lot.
When we started going through the adoption process, we found out more about her backstory. She was surrendered to the shelter in November. She hadn't been to the vet in the year that her previous owners had her. She weighed 22.5 pounds when she was returned to the shelter; she weighed 27.5 when we adopted her three months later. She now weighs 29, which is what the vet says is a good weight for her.
She used to squirm in a weird mix of panic and relief when we would come to get her up in the morning, or come home from work. Now she's still excited to see us, but I think now she knows that Mommy and Daddy always come back.
She used to gulp so much water that we had to take her out every hour, but now she knows that she will always have enough.
She used to be afraid of ceiling fans - we had a note from the previous owner that said that she wouldn't even come in the same room with one running. But we have coaxed her past that. Now our brave little girl sleeps next to one or both of us on the couch, not caring that the fan is on.
She might still have some things she needs to work on, but she has come along way. And we know that one day she will be the good, sweet, brave, strong girl that she is already becoming. Because Athena is not a delicate flower.