1613 Dog Dilema

I have 2 great danes that I was planning to take to Italy. Got passports for them and was looking forward to driving over with them (holidays etc) One of them is a rescue dog. Got her at a year old after having 6 homes previously (brits call them selves dog lovers!) But I won't get into that debate thats for sure. Had her a year now and She's now settled. But I thought there was a problem couldn't quite understand why she was so clumsy, BARKED alot.

Friday took her for tests at a specialist and they confirmed worst nightmare. [B]Found out she is completely deaf and can only see slightly from one eye[/B]. My poor baby! The vet told me Harliquins are prone to this and most are killed at birth. [B]Basically she is in her own world, cannot here her self bark.[/B] :( But she is healthy and in excellent condition the vet would not consider putting her down/ neither would I. Basically would we put a human down if they were deaf and blind I think NOT! This is probably why shes had so many homes but has any of them bothered to find out why she was so unruly I paid for the information and I am glad I have because now I can start to work with her. Next week I go see a specialist who works with Deaf and Blind dogs, who is going to train ME sign language. Got a dap plug to try to calm her down.

My dilema is about taking her to Italy I cannot face ever sending her to another home, Shes been through so much. My house in Italy is in a small hamlet of 5 houses which I think there are only 2 residents the rest are holiday homes. Can anyone tell me how tolerent Italians are of dogs?
and also last question [B]Does life get better? I hope so what with the divorce, the husband from hell, the house purchase am I jinxed or what?[/B]

Category

General chat about Italy

Kym, reading your message brought a lump to my throut and am sorry I have no advice, not having a dog. :o I'm sure somebody will come along shortly with some possative information for you. Just to say good luck again and keep us informed :)

Kym, no matter how much you love your dog, she will make your life a misery.
I am a dog lover, have seven of em, the Italian people wonderful though they are do not generally regard dogs the same way as the Brits. your dogs are large which will cause some worry to your neighbours, if one of them barks continuously the neighbours will be more concerned, I cannot speak for Emilia, but, if farther down the country, things would happen to your dogs... read the thread fed up of scaremongering for a fuller story, besides which, as you seem to have decided to come to Italy with no assured financial future, a 12 year old and a 16 year old none of you speaking Italian at the same time as you rebuild your life after divorce, do you really think a dog barking continuously will help your mental attitude. I'm sorry to say this so abruptly, but...

Hi Kym, firstly, yes, life does get better. When you get so far down, to coin a song 'the only way is up'. Think of the positive you are virtually free from your husband from hell and the divorce is nearly over :) The house purchase is well on the way to being finished as well. :) Have a cyber hug! {{{hugs}}}

Regarding your dog, I would agree with George. If I lived in a tiny village and someone moved with a very noisy dog, it would definately annoy me - and I'm a pretty placid person most of the time. It certainly wouldn't help to make new friendships, most people are tolerant...to a point :(

All the best for, what is a horrible decision to have to make.

Hi Kym,

This is just sooo sad!! The poor dog!

Hmm, I would say it depends how well she reacts to sign language training. It might also be worthwhile speaking to the specialist and telling him/her about your predicament. Perhaps they have some ideas as to either how to improve your dog's behaviour so she stops barking, or to find her a nice new home where she would be loved as much as in yours. If you'd have to work in Italy, leaving the dog on her own (even in other dog company) in a strange environment might do more damage...

I would personally hate having to give a rescue animal away (got a rescue cat & my mother's got a greyhound saved from the most disgusting so-called 'rescue' kennels for former racing dogs in the UK!) but given your situation, it might be the best. But I would definitely speak to the specialist for deaf dogs first ... after all, you'd want the dog to be happy! :)

But having her put down is not an option...

Keep us posted!

Stephanie

Hi Kym

Dont know too much about barking dogs but I imagine he will be fine if he gets plenty of attention. There are plenty of "able bodied" dogs who bark a lot. Leaving him on his own will lead to problems, I guess.

I know its not quite the same but we have a blind cat. When we had him diagnosed he was only 6 weeks old. I nearly fainted at the vets when they told me. I still remember the specialist saying to me:

"This kitten is completely blind. In 5 years time you will swear "blind" that I lied to you as he will find his way around perfectly"

Guess what!! He catches flies mid-air.

I admit he is a little overweight cos he doesnt run around "quite" as much as our other cat and he does meow a lot when he is ignored. Fortunately we work from home and he gets plenty of attention.

Ian

Hi Ian,

How lovely!!! Can't believe he catches flies! It just goes to show that anything is possible.

I guess as long as you don't move furniture around etc your cat will do just as nicely as a blind person in their own environment. Amazing!

Stephanie

Kym, I can't offer much in the way of constructive advice, other than to see how she reacts to the training you will both be undergoing. If she calms down, great, if not, you could consider either rehoming her, taking a chance with the neighbours in Italy, or having her vocal chords severed. This last option is one I would never suggest as I have normally considered it cruel, but as she is deaf, I doubt she would miss the sound of her voice, and it would make your life that bit easier to cope with.

It seems that you are now at a major crossroads in your life - only a few of these present themself in each of our lives, it sounds like you have taken some tough decisions, and regardless of what the future holds, I am sure that you will be grateful for the choices that you have made. The best kind of life to have (I think) is the one with little to none 'what ifs' and 'if onlys' in it.

That would be an easy decision for me to make Lyn. I would seek specialist help with my dog; go to Italy and to hell with the neighbours!

I know you are looking to get help via sign language, but what I am talking about is psychological help with her barking. It may not be as bad as some people might think. She may not be barking because of her deafness or her partial blindness. This could be down to her previous owner/s which could, and [B]more than likely[/B], be eradicated with time, love and care. Dogs do not bark a lot for no reason, it is up to us to find out that reason and help the dog overcome whatever it is that is causing them to bark.

As for the Italian attitude towards dogs, I can not help you I’m afraid, as I do not yet live in Italy. My knowledge is only from what I read. So I guess I too, will find out the only way to find out, and that is by experiencing it my self. Let’s hope we are both lucky enough to have dog loving neighbours.

You are clearly a dog lover Lyn and I am sure that what ever decision you take will be the best for [B]you[/B] and for [B]her[/B].