Kai
(aka Wiz)

Attending the Pet Expo 2010 in Colorado Springs, I figured I would go peruse the dogs available for adoption. At the pet Expo I saw a bunch of dogs, including two beautiful Dalmatians at the Dalmatian Rescue booth, Great Danes, and of course the various combinations of breeds from some of the other rescues. I spoke with a volunteer from the Humane Society about the cat spay/neuter and release program. I had lengthy conversations with many other vendors, but ultimately walked out without a dog. I had been toying with the idea of getting a new dog. Being a dog trainer, and pet parent of an older 8 year old dog, I figured it was time to start transitioning her to retirement. Who wants to work all the time as a demo dog anyway? I figured it would be about that time to get a new pup, while my current dog was still young enough to tolerate a new pup. Something held me back though; the questions of “do I have enough time, money, and energy to handle a new pup” always entered my mind. I had been really toying with the idea of adopting a deaf dog. I figured “hey, I’ve trained tigers, wolves and monkeys in my life, I’m sure I could handle the challenge of a deaf pup.” With those thoughts, and still very much on the fence about adopting at all, I was surfing the web and came across a website dedicated to finding homes for deaf dogs. There was a puppy on this website named “Wiz” and his picture was too cute! He had a big black patch over one eye and little ears that perked up above his head. I figured I could reach out and see if he was still available, after all a dog this cute probably got swooped up immediately. His story, tied up to a tree at 6 weeks old and covered by ants, shuffled to a few homes, tugged at my heartstrings. My 8 year old was a severe abuse case that I rehabilitated.

I typed up an email, hesitated for a minute but ultimately clicked on “send”. Wiz was still available, and being fostered in Colorado Springs. Ironically, he was scheduled to go to a home a couple of days before I emailed but the folks changed their mind. After a few back and forth emails to Beth, I agreed to fill out an application, and do the home inspection. The gentleman, Karl, who showed up to my house looked very familiar. Of course! The gentleman at the Pet Expo with the Dalmatians! We talked for a long time. That night, I called Kellie the foster mom, to set up an appointment. A couple days later, I met her. Once again, she looked familiar. It was the lady I had spoken to about the cat program at the Humane Society. I believed at this point it was fate! Although, who was I kidding, I went to meet Wiz for the first time, new collar, leash and kennel, and check for the adoption in hand. On Facebook, I posted a plea for suggestions for names. All this before I even met Wiz. We went inside the house, and Wiz came trotting around the corner, tail wagging, all full of spunk. I picked him up, and of course as most puppies do, he licked my face and wriggled around in my arms. Love at first slobbery kiss. No way was I going home without him. I had Kellie snuggle a towel that we could bring home with Wiz, so he would have a familiar smell. Once at his new house, he said hi to the cat and the dog, played a bit and off to bed. There began our happy beginnings story. October 1, 2010.

Wiz was renamed to Kai; a name that has so many meanings in different languages. It all seemed to fit him. I won’t lie, it was an adjustment to have a new puppy in the home, he was super mouthy, cried loudly in the car, was super rough with my other dog… but with some patience and understanding I knew I could make those behaviors diminish a bit. Today, Kai isn’t AS mouthy anymore. He is an expert face reader and knows when he’s gone too far in his game play, mainly because I used to just stand up and walk away when he played too rough. This made him run behind me “wait! I wasn’t done! C’mon back, I know I can be a good pup!” He eventually learned that toys are for chewing, and human hands are not. They are for receiving loving and belly rubs, and of course, to feed yummy treats. He has learned hand signs for “no, no”, “good job!”, “down”, “sit”, “Go Potty”, “outside”, and “let’s walk”. We are working on “ball”, “touch” and “bring it here” at this time. His favorite is his thumbs up for “good job!” because it is followed by cookies and excitement. Now that Kai is neutered and fully vaccinated, he comes with me to client’s houses to play with the puppies. He romps around and wrestles; much more fun than that boring grumpy 8 year old dog. He sits at doorways, and is trying hard to learn not to jump on people and sit instead. It is a bit different having a deaf dog, but nothing we can’t tackle along the way. It has taught me so many lessons about dog training and Kai has just made me a better dog trainer. I thank him for his patience as we learn together.

We often go on hikes at Red Rocks, where he rocks his SPF 50 sun protection shirt, and purple harness. With a dog as cool as Kai, we have to dress him up a bit. Plus, the vet recommended a SPF protection shirt as he could sunburn easily because he is so white. He also loves going to Yobel Market in Old Colorado Springs. The owner is always happy to see him. We have been going in there since I first picked Kai up. We hang out with the store owner there and talk a while. Then Kai strolls to the nearest coffee shop to get his tiny cup of whipped cream as a reward. We go to baseball games a lot, as Kai does have some fear issues and is aloof of strangers. Lots of praise and cookies raining from the sky when he doesn’t growl at folks has made some of it go away. Playgrounds always serve as fun obstacle courses. Around Halloween, he met a lady that looked a bit scary for a Dalmatian. Uh, oh… it was Cruella DeVille! I reassured him it was okay, and we got some great pictures. We recently went on our first 3.5 mile hike. It took us FOREVER as we had to take many water and sniffing breaks. Kai climbed on the rock formations, and did so well! He was totally tuckered out after the walk and slept soundly in the car on the way home. After some victory laps in the backyard, he went to sleep for a long, long time. But, being so “puppy”, he was up and ready again for play that evening. It is now Christmas time, and I’m sure Kai wonders why we put trees INSIDE the house, but he hasn’t knocked it down once. The cat and some of my client’s dogs are another story, but that’s one of the fun parts of the holidays. Kai is a local celebrity as I take him everywhere I can with me, my friends, vet clinic, and all of the clients that have met him love him and welcome him with open arms. I am blessed to know so many dog people and am getting a special training class together to let some of the puppies play a while.

Kai is truly a joy, and provides lots of entertainment in the house. He is always into something. I recently spotted him trying to sit on top of the back of the sofa pretending he was the cat; a bit harder for a 50 lb dog than it is for the cat. I almost fell on the floor laughing. Kai is always full of tail wags, and still gives wriggly sloppy kisses. He recently also told me how much I cannot sing as he started howling and crying as I was cleaning and singing while doing that. Hey! You’re deaf, goofy! He always sleeps on his back, paws in the air and head turned to the side. I have caught him snoozing in a play bow position on the sofa though. He chases the vacuum and always tries to get the good spot on the dog bed. I am so glad I finally made the move to adopt a new four legged friend. Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado made my transition so smooth. Thank you to all who have helped me along the way, to Kellie, who fostered Kai in such a loving environment and to everyone at Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado that makes stories like this possible.

Anke R.
Colorado Springs, CO

Kai the Explorer                        

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