Polar

by DWWilson
(Colorado)

Polar Smiling

We loved a white boxer for 13 years. We adopted Polar as a 9 week old puppy. We paid a tray of chocolate chip cookies to the breeders. The mommy of Polar cried giving up Polar to us. Polar was a treasure to us. He died of cancer the summer of 2009.

Polar was a deaf white Boxer. He learned to communicate with us through sign language. I knew about thirty individual signs to say what I needed to say to him. He knew a lot more, our family, each of us, communicated to him in a slightly different way. So, in truth, he knew a lot more signs. We used a combination of American Sign Language and stuff we made up our selves. Consistency is a must when communicating with a deaf animal. We would string short three and four word sentences (signs) together to request our desires to him. He could determine new meanings using short reparations of the signs. He learned, understood new concepts, very quickly.

Polar figured out that he could communicate with us too. We would give him the sign of ?Show us What?? and he would go to the ?Cookie Box? and hit it with his paw, go to the back door and bang on it to go out, touch his nose to a walking stick to go for a walk, touch his nose to my car keys to go for a ride, touch his nose to his food dish or food container to indicate that it was time to be feed (first thing in the morning or around 5 in the evening). He would get really excited just before I would get home (we still have no idea how he knew this, I would get home anywhere between 4pm and 8pm and 10 min before I drove in, he would be on the couch looking out the windows ?talking? to let ?MOM? know I was about to arrive.). He would stand parallel to a person if he wanted to be scratched or sit down in front of a person if he wanted his shoulders rubbed. I would tell him each night that I was going to bed, he figured out that if I pointed to him and gave the same sign, he was to go to bed. I could sign to him that his water dish was refreshed (pretending to lick my finger tips), he would tell us that his water dish was empty by banging on it with his paw. He understood the Invisible Fence within the first two weeks (normally it takes four or five weeks to be fully training to the fence)(We found out later that he knew if he did not have the Invisible Fence collar on, he could go where he wanted to; he spent a lot of time at the local elementary school playing with the kids). He would crawl into our laps if he was feeling down and needed reassurance (he spent some time in a ?CONE? and was really depressed). Dance, as Boxers do, to show us he was excited or happy. Talk to us, for what ever. I could sign yes and no questions to him, he would wink his eye if the answer was yes or look away if the answer was no. We could tell him it was time for a bath (actually shower) and he would reluctantly go to the master bath and walk voluntarily into the shower, and put up with the bathing process. If he was wet, covered with snow or just cold, we would ask him if he wanted to be warmed up with a hair dryer, he would walk into the master bath, get warmed up with a hair dryer and walk away when he was done.

Understand that he did all of these things (and many more) willingly. There were very few things that we forced onto him. He loved the vet (the vet loved him a great deal and wept when he had to put Polar down. We held each other, consoling one another. We have put down four other dogs prior to Polar. He was the first to get this reaction.).

He was very aware of his surroundings. He watched us very closely. It was unnerving to visitors. They thought he was going to attack (they didn?t know Boxers. Boxers would love them to death or help a thief carry out the household belongings in exchange for a car ride).
Deaf Boxer puppies are a treasure. Love them, train them, watch them and understand them. They have a lot to teach you, if you only pay attention.