Miss-Delectable
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One-of-a-Kind Pit-Bull Terrier Awarded a Red Cross Honor
Sasha, a deaf dog, receives community recognition for work with children
It’s not every day a shelter dog — let alone a shelter dog that is a pit-bull terrier — is given a chance to change lives. But that’s exactly what Sasha, an all-white, young 1-½-year-old, deaf pit-bull terrier rescued from a shelter was given the opportunity to do and she rose to the occasion, receiving a local Oregon Red Cross chapter’s “Animal Hero of the Year” award for her work with at-risk youth.
Back tracking a bit, Sasha came to Lane County Animal Services (LCAS) as a stray in November 2010. Though little is known about her previous person, since the shelter only receives dogs as strays and not guardian surrenders, the breeder who claimed responsibility for her was able to provide some background: she was once in a home with other dogs and was born deaf, like many all-white dogs.
Sasha was immediately amenable with people upon coming into the shelter and lead volunteer trainer Micaela Frank noticed.
Micaela helps give behavioral assessments of dogs who come into LCAS, under the supervision of LCAS behavior specialist Cindy Ehlers, and trains them to make them more adoptable. A part of her volunteer LCAS routine was to go town to Serbu Youth Campus, a center for at-risk juveniles, with a shelter dog to educate the children. Micaela and Cindy both agreed that Sasha’s natural disposition would be a good fit for this activity.
“We had taken other dogs before, but Sasha was so wonderful with people that she was quickly chosen as the best candidate to go regularly. Since then, Sasha has been helping to educate the youth about shelter dogs, deaf dogs, pit bulls, and dog training, as well as give the kids of bit of respite and a dog to hug at a time when they really need it,” Micaela explains.
Micaela and Sasha connected after that initial experience and Micaela opted to get Sasha get out of the stressful shelter environment by fostering her and continuing to working on her training in a home setting so she could expand on her existing skills. Despite Sasha’s inability to hear, that does not slow her down or make her any less trainable.
“I have been as surprised as the kids at Serbu to learn just how easy it can be to train a deaf dog. They are especially receptive to body language and hand gestures, as they do not have the distraction of sounds around them to complicate things. I did not teach Sasha to ‘come,’ she just does it. If she is looking at me, I gesture to her, and she runs from what she is doing. I think this is mostly because she loves people so much, and her relationship with them trumps whatever else she may have her attention on most of the time,” Micaela says regarding her surprise as the ease of training a dog with this special need.
“The complication comes when she is not looking at you. Then you must get her attention somehow. Sometimes it works to stomp on the floor because she can feel the vibration. Other times you must just walk over to her and tap her,” she continues.
Sasha's willingness to be taught regardless of her physical limitation has made her a great role model for the children she continues to work with. She also serves as an example of how soft, cuddly, reliable, and dependable pit-bull-type dogs can be, while also disputing the reputation this type of dog has among many at-risk youth.
“She is accepting of being handled in all sorts of ways by kids who are still learning about dogs, and she is eager to please, so the kids are sure to get a result when trying to train her to do something new,” Micaela explains about why Sasha is so perfect for working with younger people.
“Her breed also makes her great for working with this particular population. They are very attracted to pit bulls because of their image and 'tough’ looks, and Sasha provides a forum for education. We talk about dogfighting, why people get pit bulls, and how pits should really be handled. They are shocked to find out that almost every kennel at the shelter has a pit in it. We talk about treating them gently, and they are always surprised to know that Sasha got cold in her kennel at the shelter, likes to snuggle, and is in general just a big softie. She has given these kids something to strive for. They often talk about adopting her when they are released. While that is unlikely, they may get a pit someday, and we talk about the kind of responsible home a pit needs, and that a dog is a forever commitment,” Micaela says about the great example Sasha is setting for the children she helps.
Serbu Youth Campus teacher Mike Washburn also took note of the difference Sasha was making in the lives of his Serbu kids, and he and Micaela nominated her for the special Red Cross award recognizing exceptional animal heroes. At an award ceremony with over 200 attendees, Sasha received a medal and certificate for her achievements, as well as local media attention. Amongst the crowd of doctors, community activists, and other heroic individuals, Sasha sat like a lady during the ceremony visiting with all who wanted to meet with her.
“My favorite memory will continue to be her awards ceremony, where small children and tall men and all sorts of people came up to pet her, and she treated each one the same,"Micaela reflects proudly. "She really shined that day, and we were sure it would get her adopted. But Sasha doesn’t even know she’s a hero — she’s just a happy dog.”
Despite all Sasha has done to give back to her community, she is still looking for her forever home. Anyone interested in adopting Sasha can contact SashaThePitBull@gmail.com and visit her Facebook page.
Sasha, a deaf dog, receives community recognition for work with children
It’s not every day a shelter dog — let alone a shelter dog that is a pit-bull terrier — is given a chance to change lives. But that’s exactly what Sasha, an all-white, young 1-½-year-old, deaf pit-bull terrier rescued from a shelter was given the opportunity to do and she rose to the occasion, receiving a local Oregon Red Cross chapter’s “Animal Hero of the Year” award for her work with at-risk youth.
Back tracking a bit, Sasha came to Lane County Animal Services (LCAS) as a stray in November 2010. Though little is known about her previous person, since the shelter only receives dogs as strays and not guardian surrenders, the breeder who claimed responsibility for her was able to provide some background: she was once in a home with other dogs and was born deaf, like many all-white dogs.
Sasha was immediately amenable with people upon coming into the shelter and lead volunteer trainer Micaela Frank noticed.
Micaela helps give behavioral assessments of dogs who come into LCAS, under the supervision of LCAS behavior specialist Cindy Ehlers, and trains them to make them more adoptable. A part of her volunteer LCAS routine was to go town to Serbu Youth Campus, a center for at-risk juveniles, with a shelter dog to educate the children. Micaela and Cindy both agreed that Sasha’s natural disposition would be a good fit for this activity.
“We had taken other dogs before, but Sasha was so wonderful with people that she was quickly chosen as the best candidate to go regularly. Since then, Sasha has been helping to educate the youth about shelter dogs, deaf dogs, pit bulls, and dog training, as well as give the kids of bit of respite and a dog to hug at a time when they really need it,” Micaela explains.
Micaela and Sasha connected after that initial experience and Micaela opted to get Sasha get out of the stressful shelter environment by fostering her and continuing to working on her training in a home setting so she could expand on her existing skills. Despite Sasha’s inability to hear, that does not slow her down or make her any less trainable.
“I have been as surprised as the kids at Serbu to learn just how easy it can be to train a deaf dog. They are especially receptive to body language and hand gestures, as they do not have the distraction of sounds around them to complicate things. I did not teach Sasha to ‘come,’ she just does it. If she is looking at me, I gesture to her, and she runs from what she is doing. I think this is mostly because she loves people so much, and her relationship with them trumps whatever else she may have her attention on most of the time,” Micaela says regarding her surprise as the ease of training a dog with this special need.
“The complication comes when she is not looking at you. Then you must get her attention somehow. Sometimes it works to stomp on the floor because she can feel the vibration. Other times you must just walk over to her and tap her,” she continues.
Sasha's willingness to be taught regardless of her physical limitation has made her a great role model for the children she continues to work with. She also serves as an example of how soft, cuddly, reliable, and dependable pit-bull-type dogs can be, while also disputing the reputation this type of dog has among many at-risk youth.
“She is accepting of being handled in all sorts of ways by kids who are still learning about dogs, and she is eager to please, so the kids are sure to get a result when trying to train her to do something new,” Micaela explains about why Sasha is so perfect for working with younger people.
“Her breed also makes her great for working with this particular population. They are very attracted to pit bulls because of their image and 'tough’ looks, and Sasha provides a forum for education. We talk about dogfighting, why people get pit bulls, and how pits should really be handled. They are shocked to find out that almost every kennel at the shelter has a pit in it. We talk about treating them gently, and they are always surprised to know that Sasha got cold in her kennel at the shelter, likes to snuggle, and is in general just a big softie. She has given these kids something to strive for. They often talk about adopting her when they are released. While that is unlikely, they may get a pit someday, and we talk about the kind of responsible home a pit needs, and that a dog is a forever commitment,” Micaela says about the great example Sasha is setting for the children she helps.
Serbu Youth Campus teacher Mike Washburn also took note of the difference Sasha was making in the lives of his Serbu kids, and he and Micaela nominated her for the special Red Cross award recognizing exceptional animal heroes. At an award ceremony with over 200 attendees, Sasha received a medal and certificate for her achievements, as well as local media attention. Amongst the crowd of doctors, community activists, and other heroic individuals, Sasha sat like a lady during the ceremony visiting with all who wanted to meet with her.
“My favorite memory will continue to be her awards ceremony, where small children and tall men and all sorts of people came up to pet her, and she treated each one the same,"Micaela reflects proudly. "She really shined that day, and we were sure it would get her adopted. But Sasha doesn’t even know she’s a hero — she’s just a happy dog.”
Despite all Sasha has done to give back to her community, she is still looking for her forever home. Anyone interested in adopting Sasha can contact SashaThePitBull@gmail.com and visit her Facebook page.
