Missouri’s School for the Deaf has taken in a Dachshund puppy fluent in sign language, trained and donated by Puppies for Parole, a program designed for puppies and dogs that need to be behaviorally rehabilitated or have had no training at all.
Reuters reports:
The idea made sense to inmates at a Missouri prison who trained a deaf dachshund in sign language and then asked the Missouri School for the Deaf in Fulton to take him in.
Today, the dog named Sparky is right at home with the school’s youngsters, who have taught him additional sign language. And a second deaf dog, a Boston Terrier named Petie, may be on his way to the school soon.
Superintendent Barbara Garrison approved bringing Sparky to the school. “She really thought it would be a great learning experience for the kids,” Garrison’s secretary Barbara McGrath said in an interview Tuesday.
Sparky came from the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Mo., which has also offered Petie. Garrison is interested in taking in Petie but only if she knows it can eventually be placed in a permanent home after some sign language training, McGrath said.
Sparky responds to hand signals to sit, heel, lay down, and stop and is working on additional signs that mean “food” or “outside.”
Sparky and Petie come from the Puppies for Parole program of the Missouri Department of Corrections in which inmates train animals with behavioral or other issues that make them difficult to adopt. The program saves dogs that might otherwise be euthanized and it gives inmates a constructive activity, said Tina Holland, activities coordinator at the Licking prison.
“It’s been wonderful — it’s gone far beyond what we thought it would be,” Holland said. “Their goal is just to get these dogs a home.”
(Writing by Kevin Murphy, edited by Mary Wisniewski and Greg McCune)
Puppies for Parole is a unique program made possible through partnerships with animal shelters and animal advocate groups statewide. Selected offenders have the opportunity to become trainers to rescue dogs in the program. Offenders work with the dogs teaching them basic obedience skills and properly socializing the animals, making them more adoptable.
Once the dogs have successfully completed the program they will be sent back to their original shelter to be placed up for adoption. Last year in Missouri, more than 46,000 homeless canines were euthanized. Puppies for Parole hopes to reduce that number by producing loving, obedient, adoptable dogs.
*Update 5-11-11 – a new report provides another look at Sparky now that he’s settled in.
Read the latest dog door reviews to find the best doggie doors available.
What an amazing program!!! Kudos to them all.
Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara
Dogs are wonderful!!!
AWESOME!!!…A Win-Win for all involved!!
How awesome!
Awesome!!!
Its wonderful to see that deaf dogs are getting the recognition they deserve. Having two myself, they can do anything a hearing dog can but hear. My dogs are registered therapy dogs and also teach Fire Safety and Dog Bite Prevention Programs. Please visit the TN Safety Spotters website and enter the world of deaf theray dogs.
Patricia Belt
731-764-0238
Awwww………….. ♥
Love this story this dog is richly blessed!
what a fantastic program for everyone (and every dog) involved
Nice to see some positive news about Missouri regarding dogs…… sounds like a great program.
I cannot say enough about this program…only that I wish we had one here in Northern California. I volunteer for Doberman rescue and would love to help start a program like this here in California. When fostering you get very attached to these dogs but knowing that you are helping this dog find a forever happy home builds pride and hope in the future for the dogs and the inmates! I have the dream to start a similar program here in Northern California.
That is so touching. Win-win situation for all involved. Great!
That is really cool!
What a wonderful program. Everyone benefits … the dogs, the inmates, the prison staff, and the lucky adopters for both the service dogs and the pets.
Sweet. So cool!
Fantastic program. Baby Signs for Dogs!
I love this story! Thanks for sharing!
I wish we had a program like that here in Illinois! Deaf dogs are wonderful and what a perfect setting!
Brilliant!
What a fabulous story…for the dogs, children and inmates!
That is such a cool story! How wonderful!
Holly & Khady
How wonderful!
Awwwww that’s amazing! 😀
This is awesome! Our dog ‘Huggie Bear’ is deaf too, and he is trained in sign language 🙂 When Huggie Bear does not want to “listen/see” or be cooperative ..He looks UP at the ceiling!!!!! 😀
That’s awesome!!!
love!
That is so cool..I have two deaf dogs one is a Aussie and one is a BC mix..my BC mix Shakespeare knows sign and he just retired recently (he is turning 15) from pet therapy..I think that is AwesomE..so good to see positive things concerning these dogs..so many were PTS due to just being deaf. And it is a practice Aussie breeders still do to deaf puppies.
And BC breeders. Our deaf Border Collie was an amazing fellow.
I am deaf too.. Deaf dogs are smart and can reading sign language… They are good trained!!!! Shared!
I watched a similar show on Oprah where prisoners were living with and training dogs for vets! When they brought some of the dogs back to visit the trainers – these big bully ciminals were crying like babies!! It was so wonderful to see everyone invloved come through this program better off!! Awsome program!
This is a great story and a great program.
We use the standard signs on any deaf dogs we train. They do not seem to know there is a problem. Many of them are so adept at reading our body language that once we get them accustomed to keeping an eye on us for cues we no longer need to use signs!