My name is Ivory!

11/2/14: Ivory Is A Quick Learner

Below is the latest update from Ivory’s foster mom:

“Ivory is a sweet, intelligent, silly, and very energetic boxer girl. No one knows she is deaf until I tell them. In just the past month she has really settled in and let her personality blossom. As part of the two of us getting to know each other, I enrolled us in a beginner obedience class. She really did well, and I learned quite a bit about her, and, about teaching a deaf dog. Ivory showed me how quickly she learns and how intelligent she is. I also learned she has a stubborn side and can become bored easily at times.

A typical energetic day consists of a 1-1 1/2 mile run, a 1-2 mile walk, a run around the
backyard like it is a racetrack (about another mile or so), about 45 minutes of playing fetch
outdoors, another hour or so playing fetch indoors, a few games of tug a war, time chewing
on a bone, and following me around. On the weekends, add another mile + run, another 1-2mile
walk, and once in a while an energetic dig in the garden to see how deep and wide she can make the hole. She usually settles in and stops around 9 PM.

Ivory still needs work remembering that people are not "chew toys". I still have to walk away
sometimes while she is jumping on me and go into another room for a while. She is starting to
"get it" and will get a toy and bring it to me to play, once I return.
She really loves to eat anything and everything that she thinks should be on her menu, and
has a bad habit of begging for whatever people are eating. She is leery about being in a dark area and refuses to go outside in the dark. So an outdoor light and an inside night-light are a must.

Since I take my dogs with me most of the time, Ivory gets to travel a lot. We go to Pet Smart, Tractor Supply, Outdoor festivals, etc. She does very well with all the people and children. She doesn't jump up very often to meet someone - but if they bend down to her level she jumps and gets excited. At first she seemed amazed at everything she saw while on our trips and walks, but now she is more confident. Flying crows and leaves are things that she thinks should be chased. She really rides well in the car.

We both have learned a bunch of visual commands- basic obedience, sign language, and some
made up signs - sit, down, stay, come (short distance), move to heel position, good job-happy, good girl, go, no(she hates this one), walk or run. The signs for car, eat, and sleep - we're still working on.

Ivory really likes having someone close by so being left alone while I'm at work is still a work in progress. Tipping over the garbage can and probably looking on top of the counter is still happening but, hopefully, since I don't leave anything that she can get to rip apart or eat, she'll stop the habit.

Ivory will only keep getting better as long as we, as her human counterpart, can keep on track, and teach her new things in a fun and exciting way. Deaf dogs definitely do rock.”

09/10/14: Ivory is Precious

We received an email from a local Shelter asking if we could take a 2 year old deaf white boxer who they described as “lovely”. They said she was playful with other dogs and received the best behavior grade upon evaluation. They named her Ivory and we thought the name was appropriate. We were lucky enough to have a foster home available so when we heard that none of the other rescue groups responded we did not hesitate to take her.

Ivory has proven to be a wonderful girl. She is a typical energetic boxer and would do best in a home with another dog who likes to play. She is not a fan of being in a crate and can escape from both wire and plastic versions. Luckily, she is OK loose in the house as long as she is not left for an extended period of time.

When Ivory arrived she had some skin issues so we took her to the vet for an exam. The vet did a skin scraping to rule out mange and determined that she had a bacterial infection. The doctor sent her home with antibiotics and other medication and Ivory’s skin now looks much better. She also has an old injury to one of her back legs which is mostly healed. It appears that the leg was caught in something which almost de-gloved all her skin on the top of her foot. The vet said that this injury was never given medical treatment when it happened (poor girl).

Ivory’s foster mom has started taking her to obedience classes and she is doing very well. She is a fast learner and is starting to understand more hand signals. She loves her daily runs in the neighborhood and relishes playing catch with a ball or Frisbee. She likes to lounge on the sofa and sleep on her foster mom's bed. She likes everyone she meets and enjoys life to the fullest.

Below is an update from Ivory’s foster mom:

“Ivory is a very sweet energetic girl. She is starting to settle in and her personality is starting to come out. We think she was living with other dogs and is learning to be alone in the house while I'm at work. So far so good, but she would really benefit having another canine companion.

She is very smart and has learned the daily routine quickly. Someone has worked with her. She is house broke and goes to the door to let you know that she needs to go out. She sits for treats and for her food. She is gentle when she takes treats.

In typical boxer fashion, Ivory loves her toys. She doesn't rip them apart but does like to chew on her rope toys. Chasing a ball or a Frisbee is always great fun for her. She is pretty good at chasing down the Frisbee and catching it before it hits the ground. She enjoys our daily run and walks nicely on a leash. She does know a couple hand signals and we are working on more so I can communicate better with her.

Ivory is definitely a City Slicker. She saw a horse tonight and wouldn't take her eyes off him. She was fascinated. We watched for about 4 minutes then went for a run and came back and watched for another 5 minutes. We moved a bit closer and watched for a few more. She will have fun this weekend. It's the last horse show of the season and she'll see a bunch of them. She is a city slicker that I have to make into a little town girl.”