Profile
of Bug:
Owner: Chantel McEwan
Age: Ten and a half (Eleven in August)
Breed: Smithfield Heeler (Which is basically
a Queensland Heeler)
Class: 4
Favourite Pastime: Chasing magpies and sleeping
Personality: Very loyal and extremely friendly
Friends in Bug’s life: Sheep, chooks and
dogs at BDOC
Greatest Achievement: Passing into class 4, and
hopefully soon trialling!
Special Skills: An expert in sign language (She
has been deaf since birth)
I purchased Bug from a breeder in Melbourne when she
was eight weeks old. I was only 16 at the time, and Bug
and I have never been separated since.
Bug is very smart (well smarter than me anyway) because
I actually owned her for quite a few months before I realised
she was deaf and had her checked. In the time that I didn’t
know, she had learnt to sit, come and drop, however, it
did make training slightly easier once I knew! Bug is
trained on hand signals and has achieved so much.
Bug
and I don’t see her being deaf as a hindrance, as
we both have only ever known and trained with hand signals.
Bug knows when she is in trouble with a pointed finger
and stern look! Even though she is deaf she loves to be
talked to and always acknowledges smiles and words with
tail wagging.
She is a very unusually marked dog and is often mistaken
for a Blue Heeler or a cross. She is actually a Smithfield
Heeler and is a loyal companion. Bug is a farm dog and
has run of the farm (much to Dad’s disgust sometimes).
She is a very social dog and gets along well with all
of the farm animals.
Bug and I came to BDOC about twelve months ago for a
social outing. We love doing Obedience and have worked
hard to reach level 4. We are hoping to soon begin trialling
and have applied for membership at Dogs Victoria.
Even
though Bug is an older dog the training and friendships
we have developed have made every Sunday something we
both look forward too. I would also like to thank my skilful
and patient instructors who have always been more than
happy to accommodate my deaf dog and me, and have offered
the best advice over my training time.
.
