When I first arrived in Richmond from New York City a year ago, one of the first things I did was look for a local humane society at which to volunteer. I had worked at the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as a Major Gifts Fundraiser, and although I had moved from Manhattan to Richmond looking to make a change in my lifestyle, what remained the same was that I still wanted to dedicate time to helping homeless animals. That, in a nutshell, is how I came to volunteer at the Richmond SPCA.
As a volunteer, I particularly enjoyed working in adoptions and naturally in this capacity saw many dogs pass in and out of the shelter. During all my time there, there was one dog in particular who caught my attention. He was a German shepherd mix who had one floppy ear and a cage tag which read, "I'm a senior, are you?" He looked particularly forlorn and, as with so many of the animals waiting to be adopted, I wondered what he had been through in life.
Several weeks later, while volunteering at the front desk, I received a call from an individual who had recently adopted a dog from us. She explained that she needed to return the dog due to behavioral difficulties. When the owner mentioned the dog's name, I was in complete shock. It was the German shepherd mix that I had seen while volunteering in adoptions. I was not the only person who was puzzled by such behavior of a dog who was seemingly docile at the shelter, yet was being returned due to behavioral issues.
Recently, I was offered the opportunity to become the Manager of Volunteers and Programs. On my first day of work, I asked one of my colleagues about some of the animals whose lives I had wondered about. Ryan was the first that came to mind. "Ryan?", my colleague said, "he's here and is downstairs in the kennels." After his return to our humane center, it was discovered that he was deaf, and so our behavior team was working with him, while the veterinary services team performed a thorough health check.
We now understood that his seemingly "aggressive" behavior was not due to his disposition, but to our misunderstanding of how differently he experienced the world from us, and how we needed to communicate to him appropriately so that he knew he was safe and loved.
Although I am not in a situation where I can adopt Ryan at this point, I certainly can office-foster him. I am now learning about a whole new world out there for deaf dogs. Special needs dogs like Ryan have great potential, especially because there are behaviorists here at the Richmond SPCA that specialize in working with deaf dogs. I am beginning to feel as though I can understand Ryan's muted world and the new ways in which we can effectively communicate to each other.
Had I not been volunteering here, I would never have been able to follow the story of this dog's life. To understand what he had been through, and where he is now. And now, with the all the training and behavioral resources at the shelter, I have the opportunity to open up his world and mine, as well.
Celine Burn is the volunteer and programs manager for the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that a first and last name must be used as your screen name for comments to be posted.
Great job, Celine!! Thanks so much for your love of Ryan and showing people that special needs pets are deserving of love too!
Posted by: Angi Baber | September 16, 2010 at 03:12 PM