At first glance, Ludwig appears to be your typical boisterous, happy, playful and energetic puppy. At first glance, you would never know that Ludwig was dropped off at the Sacramento SPCA at just 4 weeks old. At first glance, you would never guess that Ludwig is 100 percent deaf and visually impaired.
Ludwig is my current Sacramento SPCA foster. As is the case with most of my previous fosters, I received an email from my former co-worker and SSPCA Foster Care Coordinator asking if I was up for taking a lone puppy. The email, accompanied by one of the pictures attached above, stated they believed he was approximately 4 weeks old and possibly deaf- due to his young age, it was hard to know for sure. Having just finished with a batch of kittens the week before (and adopting one of them!) my husband and I were a bit hesitant to take on another "project" so soon, but those big blue eyes and baby face reeled me in, and my husband picked him up later that day.
As most of you may know, puppies under the age of 8 weeks should not yet be away from their litter mates or mother. Four weeks is extremely young to be alone, since at that age, he would still be periodically nursing and receiving very important immune system boosts from mom's milk. In addition, he would be receiving much needed socialization skills form his litter mates.
Find out what's happening in Rosemontfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
I suspect little Ludwig (named after the famous deaf composer Ludwig van Beethoven) is the product of a backyard breeder. What is a backyard breeder you may ask? A backyard breeder is someone who breeds animals for the sole purpose of turning a profit. Said individuals know nothing about the careful process of breeding for genetics, health or temperament. They have no intention of having their litters registered or showing them in an American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club event.
While I am largely opposed to breeding as a whole, there are many reputable breeders out there who do extensive genetic research prior to breeding. This is because their purpose is to better the breed and show the best possible example of that breed in a formal show setting. This means working diligently toward eradicating any health or temperament issues via the breeding process.
Find out what's happening in Rosemontfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Backyard breeders, in contrast, only see dollar signs as they breed for looks and profit alone. It is my guess that once the "breeder" realized Ludwig had special needs, this individual turned him into the shelter claiming he was a stray. In reality, what is the likelihood of a four week old deaf and blind puppy who is barely aware of his surrounding somehow escaping and traveling far enough away from home to be "found" as a "stray." But that is just my theory. Only Ludwig knows for sure!
Despite Ludwig's beginning, I am grateful he was turned into the SPCA. As I mentioned above, we originally believed he was only deaf. After bringing him home, it became clear he had vision problems as well. He bumped into things, didn't appear to see toys, and even stuck his whole face into his water bowl at first as he could not see where the water began. His deafness was very apparent, particularly when I was able to vacuum around him as he slept soundly.
As the first week passed with many sleepless nights, for us and Ludwig (he woke up every 3 hours–a typical nursing schedule–and his deafness allowed him to have no concept of how incredibly loud he was screaming!), he finally began to acclimate to our home. He particularly took to our newly adopted 3-month-old kitten, Ranger. Thankfully, since Ranger had been in our home since he was 4 weeks old, he is very familiar with dogs and was happy to fill in as litter mate, sleeping and wrestling with Ludwig every chance he got.
As more time went by and Ludwig began to mature, we began to suspect he was developing some limited sight. When out in the yard, he can see you waving and will come running. He no longer bumps into things, even things that are not always there, such as a mop bucket or box. However, he has trouble focusing close up and seeing fast moving objects, as he loses sight of toys that are tossed.
Despite his physical challenges, Ludwig is as happy as can be! And why shouldn't he be? He is very smart and as mischievous as any other normal puppy. He has escaped his gated area in the kitchen more than once, enjoying having run of the house as we were at work. He has a special love of plants, which he showed by proudly running around the yard with one of my snap dragons in his mouth, roots and all! He is not particularly fond of water and will run and hide if he is unintentionally sprinkled with the hose as I water in the yard.
With a positive outlook and patience, training basic commands using hand signals has been a breeze (see attached videos). Ludwig has picked up on the training process very well, even better than some of my past hearing, sighted puppies. He doesn't lunge for the treats, but instead waits patiently for instruction, an impressive task for such a young pup!
While our time with Ludwig is winding down (he is now approximately 8 weeks and large for his age!), and he will soon be heading to his new home (which has been found!), I can't help but get a bit sad for his departure. Out of the many foster animals we have had over the years, this little guy has really touched a special place in my heart. He has challenged me as a trainer to adapt to his learning style and has made me smile as an animal lover. I feel fortunate to have had the privilege of helping him survive his first few months of life, and look forward to hearing stories from his new family of his future adventures!
While Ludwig's story has a happy ending, many animals are not as fortunate. If you are interested in adding a new furry, feathery or scaly member to your family, please visit a shelter or rescue. The pet population problem is worse than you probably know, so please, spay and neuter your pets!
**For pet training services, free consulatations, questions, additional comments, or more pictures, updates and video of Ludwig, you may contact me via Facebook at facebook.com/melsmenagerie or via email at melsmenagerie@gmail.com.