Miss-Delectable
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Helping to teach a deaf dog new tricks - Local News - Bay of Plenty Times
For deaf dog Taffy, learning new tricks is all about having the right teachers.
The boisterous pup was lucky enough to find them in dog-loving Katikati couple Mike Pilcher and Fiona Damm-Pilcher, who are also deaf themselves.
The couple, who were both born deaf, use sign language to help them communicate with both humans and their new-found canine friend.
The couple adopted Taffy two weeks ago from an animal shelter in Tokoroa after she was rescued from a farm.
The inability to hear her owner's commands nearly cost the 2-year-old former working dog her life.
Mr Pilcher said the farmer had planned to shoot the sprightly pup because she was unable to hear his commands and as a result was no use as a working dog.
Ms Damm-Pilcher, who teaches three sign language classes a week, has already taught Taffy the signs for walk, car, rain, eat and naughty.
To speak to her she gets her attention, waits for her to relax, looks her in the eye and speaks the words as she signs them.
"She's part of our family now, she's the same as me," she said.
The lucky pup has settled in well with the couple's other two male dogs, a poodle named Tipsy and a fox terrier called Tiny.
"They just play.
The poodle's a bit fussy but Taffy seems to accept that," Ms Damm-Pilcher said.
Mr Pilcher said he needed to think of another name starting with T and remembered a halfback named Taffy from his rugby days.
The couple only ever adopt dogs from the SPCA or animal shelters and Ms Damm-Pilcher has had deaf dogs in the past, teaching them up to 16 different command signs.
"All deaf dogs should go to deaf carers or guardians because the deaf guardians understand the deaf dog," Mr Pilcher said.
The couple were at the Historic Village yesterday where Deaf Aotearoa was hosting a New Zealand Sign Language Expo to mark national NZSL Week, which runs until Sunday.
Ms Damm-Pilcher said the week was about getting out in the community and raising awareness of sign language so others could learn the skill.
"People can see that we're normal people, we're not dumb, people can communicate with us."
Mr Pilcher said that being deaf made it harder to meet people and secure employment. "We find that there are people that out there that are a bit impatient when dealing with deaf people."
For potential employers he said the extra time required to train deaf people could also be off-putting.
Ms Damm-Pilcher said people needed to take the time to communicate with deaf people.
"We are equal.
"In lots of different ways we are discriminated against. It's not easy, some people just don't understand," Ms Damm-Pilcher said.
For deaf dog Taffy, learning new tricks is all about having the right teachers.
The boisterous pup was lucky enough to find them in dog-loving Katikati couple Mike Pilcher and Fiona Damm-Pilcher, who are also deaf themselves.
The couple, who were both born deaf, use sign language to help them communicate with both humans and their new-found canine friend.
The couple adopted Taffy two weeks ago from an animal shelter in Tokoroa after she was rescued from a farm.
The inability to hear her owner's commands nearly cost the 2-year-old former working dog her life.
Mr Pilcher said the farmer had planned to shoot the sprightly pup because she was unable to hear his commands and as a result was no use as a working dog.
Ms Damm-Pilcher, who teaches three sign language classes a week, has already taught Taffy the signs for walk, car, rain, eat and naughty.
To speak to her she gets her attention, waits for her to relax, looks her in the eye and speaks the words as she signs them.
"She's part of our family now, she's the same as me," she said.
The lucky pup has settled in well with the couple's other two male dogs, a poodle named Tipsy and a fox terrier called Tiny.
"They just play.
The poodle's a bit fussy but Taffy seems to accept that," Ms Damm-Pilcher said.
Mr Pilcher said he needed to think of another name starting with T and remembered a halfback named Taffy from his rugby days.
The couple only ever adopt dogs from the SPCA or animal shelters and Ms Damm-Pilcher has had deaf dogs in the past, teaching them up to 16 different command signs.
"All deaf dogs should go to deaf carers or guardians because the deaf guardians understand the deaf dog," Mr Pilcher said.
The couple were at the Historic Village yesterday where Deaf Aotearoa was hosting a New Zealand Sign Language Expo to mark national NZSL Week, which runs until Sunday.
Ms Damm-Pilcher said the week was about getting out in the community and raising awareness of sign language so others could learn the skill.
"People can see that we're normal people, we're not dumb, people can communicate with us."
Mr Pilcher said that being deaf made it harder to meet people and secure employment. "We find that there are people that out there that are a bit impatient when dealing with deaf people."
For potential employers he said the extra time required to train deaf people could also be off-putting.
Ms Damm-Pilcher said people needed to take the time to communicate with deaf people.
"We are equal.
"In lots of different ways we are discriminated against. It's not easy, some people just don't understand," Ms Damm-Pilcher said.
for another "happy ending" rescue story, Miss D.