Bruce the blue heeler cross was born deaf. As a dog, he can’t understand vocal commands from his owner like sit, drop, roll and down. His life is at risk every time he steps outside not being able to hear cars and other potential dangers. Bruce needs an owner who’s going to be able to talk with their hands, have animated facial expressions and be able to communicate to him using signals alone. As fate would have it, Bruce met his match with Greek Australian owner Yolanda Evagelistis.
“My dad – who loves Bruce to bits – laughs about how lucky Bruce is that he got a Greek owner, because we wave our hands around so much when we speak,” Yolanda tells Neos Kosmos.
Yolanda first came across Bruce when he was abandoned at the Lost Dogs Home in Melbourne. His previous owner hadn’t disclosed that the blue-heeler cross was deaf and Yolanda adopted him that way. When she took him home, she noticed he wasn’t like the other dogs she had owned before.
“I thought he was being a cheeky puppy that wasn’t listening to me, but I did notice he would listen to hand signals,” Yolanda explains.
It was a visit from her sister-in-law a few days later who revealed her new best friend was in fact deaf. Yolanda took him back to vet at the Lost Dogs Home who confirmed it. She was then faced with a heartbreaking decision – to give Bruce back, or to be there for that special dog for the rest of his life.
When she discovered there was the possibility of Bruce being put down because of his disability, she knew there and then she had to have him.
Yolanda took Bruce to puppy school where they learnt additional training techniques and a variety of hand signals for different doggie commands. Her and her partner Luke also researched training techniques for deaf dogs on the internet and have implemented a variety of styles at the home, all to protect their loved one from harm. The difficulty is in order for him to listen to Yolanda and Luke, he needs to be looking at them. She says she had trained him to be reliant on him and understand signals so he is not in harm’s way.
“He knows when I am angry because I will point and wave my finger up and down, but I only really get angry at him when he’s in danger so he knows not to,” she says.
Just like her parents once did to her, Yolanda takes her Greek background and uses it to the fullest when training her dog. Animated facial expressions are also used to communicate feelings to her dog, something that comes second nature to this Hellene.
“He is such an amazing little dog,” Yolanda gushes, clearly besotted with her top dog.
If you are interested in adopting a dog or want to learn more about how you can help The Lost Dogs Home, visit http://dogshome.com/