Sampson is going to be thirteen in July, and I’m pretty sure he’s losing some of his hearing. It’s not at a horrible stage, just sometimes in the woods he’ll wander off trail, and I’ll call him, but he doesn’t respond, so I’ll have to go tap him on his shoulder to get his attention. It could also be he has SELECTIVE hearing, but I can’t tell one way or the other.
I’m trying really hard not to be sad about it, and instead find the humor in the silly things he does.
A lot of times when I head out the door for his morning walk, I walk out the door without his leash, and I have to go back inside to get it.
So on Thursday he stepped out the door, and I was right behind him. The birds were making the most beautiful music and I said, “Isn’t that beautiful” as I headed around the back of the house towards the gate.
I got to the gate, and turned to snap his leash on him, but he wasn’t there.
So I headed back towards the door only to find him standing in front of it, staring into the house.
Apparently he didn’t hear me head around the corner, and thought I’d gone back into the house. When I got close enough, I clapped my hands and called his name, and turned right towards me, all smiles and tail wags.
I just couldn’t help but smile as we headed out the gate for our walk.
You know losing hearing is not really a bad thing. Katie started losing hers around 12 yrs old, but it accelerated quickly to the point where the last year she was almost deaf. Mom always uses voice and hand signals with us, so it was easy for her to know what was asked of her when she was looking. She had no more fear of thunder or fireworks, she slept like a rock and it didn’t really seem to bother her much at all. Since she was older and moving slow, it wasn’t a real problem if Mom needed to call her, she could easily run up and tap her to get her attention. The hard part in the beginning was waking her up as it would startle her, but Mom started gently touching her forehead and running her hand over her head. After not too long of a time, that no longer startled her. It is a sad thing, but honestly, we are glad she didn’t lose her sight, hearing was not so bad.
I agree, it’s not totally a bad thing, but you are also right, I have scared him a couple of times when he’s been sleeping soundly. I like Mom’s technique!
Hearing loss happens to a lot of us as we age, Jodi, and our pups (or cats) are no different. it’s just part of life. I think Shadow may be losing her hearing a little, too; but she can hear well enough in the house. Out in the yard is another story with all the ambient noise. But as long as the gates are all closed and locked, I don’t have to worry about her. I love the pic of Sampson looking for you through the door!
I’m glad you can find ways to smile about this, and not let it get you completely down. Kobi lost some of his hearing in his later years, and the worst thing for us is that he slept more soundly too, so just speaking to him would not wake him up. That gave us a few scary moments, but once we got used to it, we could smile about it.
I’ve known dogs who were totally deaf and led full lives. Their owners were creative in handling them so the dogs had no idea they were missing anything.
Awww, so sweet. It’s challenging to realize our fur-kids are aging, but on the plus side, when my OES went deaf, the mail-lady could drop off mail without a cacophony of racket. But he’d nearly jump out of his skin when I gently touched his shoulder to gain his attention. He was clearly in his own little world.
I am glad you can find things to smile and laugh about. He’s a sweet boy, at least he was waiting for you!
Hailey is definitely a selective hearer because there are somethings no matter where she is in the house she hears!
One of our old dogs, BamBam, a wonderful Cocker Spaniel lost his hearing. We’d be out in the field playing with the kids and Bam would be running around chasing them. Then he’d start exploring and forget to watch us for hand signals. If he was looking at you, you could signal him to come, but he was like a kid in a swimming pool when he didn’t want to come to us. You know how when you try to tell them it’s time to get out of the pool, they duck under the water? Bam would look at us and when he saw the signal begin, he would whip his head around to look away. I used to laugh so hard I couldn’t make him think I was serious. Such a clever sweet boy. Thanks for rekindling the memories of our funny old BamBam.
That’s a great story Shannon, thanks for sharing. It reminds me of Sampson. There are certain instances, where he gives you THAT look, and you know…you just know that he is going to do something he knows he shouldn’t. But you can’t help but laugh. It sounds like BamBam was a great dog.
I think you will always find something to laugh about with Samson. He’s a character and you have a great sense of humor!
My foster dog was losing his hearing–he couldn’t hear a thing when I’d call him or clap, but open a bag of treats or a can of food and he came running every time. I’m glad you’re finding the humor–it’s never easy watching our dogs get older, but finding the humor helps 🙂
That story reminds me of our Beagle, Roxanne. She would ignore you if you called her, but I joked she could hear a flake of tuna drop on the floor from 25 feet away. 🙂
One of the dogs I fostered was old and also had a hearing problem but nevertheless, she was like all the other dogs. Sweet and lovable!