Editor’s Note: Inspired by our founder Ali Jarvis’ “lemon” dog, Luc, this series is dedicated to local, special-needs pups who are looking for loving furever homes. Please consider sharing this post — you might help Kiva from Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Minnesota find hers!
Photo: Australian Cattle Dog Rescue MN
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Name: Kiva
Breed: Australian Cattle Dog / Blue Heeler mix
Age: 3
Gender: Female, spayed
Size/Weight: 35 lbs
Time in Foster: 10 months
Foster’s Name: Cynthia
Location: Delano
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SWD: Tell us about this bright-eyed cutie.
ACDRM: Kiva is one happy little girl — happy to play, happy to meet people and dogs, happy to train and learn new commands and tricks. She has a fun, high-energy personality, and makes you smile with her enthusiasm for making new friends and discovering new experiences.
SWD: What’s Kiva’s favorite thing to do?
ACDRM: She LOVES playing with any kind of toy, but paws-down, her #1 thing to do is chase frisbees. If she could convince someone to play for 5 hours straight, she be over the moon!
SWD: What is her special need?
ACDRM: Kiva is deaf, so she needs her humans to communicate via hand-signals and other physical attention-getting measures. She also has some OCD tendencies, and will keep herself busy with pattern-based behaviors such as tail chasing or spinning. What makes her special is that she will make you a better, more creative dog owner/trainer. Finding inventive ways to communicate with Kiva has been rewarding because it tunes us in to how she experiences her life, moment to moment. Her forever person (family) will need to be imaginative in order to help her learn in non-traditional ways.
SWD: Share something interesting or quirky about this special girl.
ACDRM: When an animal (or human) is missing a main sense, they will often find that another increases in capacity. Kiva’s sensitivity to visual movement is amazing! She notices the tiniest things, and Kiva’s perceptions are funny and even childlike in many ways. For example, we’ve seen her study the reflection off the water dish on the wall, and she seems completely fascinated. She will make you laugh and appreciate her sharp eyes. Some of these behaviors are what label her as OCD, but we see the wonder with which she takes in her surroundings, and it makes us smile to see that curiosity and focus in our hyper-busy world. She’ll really change your perspective in a lot of ways!
SWD: What would make an ideal home for Kiva?
ACDRM: A loving home with active people that match her enthusiam for play. Other dogs would be great, too — they’d help with her energy level. Most of all, though, Kiva needs a committed and patient human partner (family); a friend(s) dedicated to teaching her the skills she needs to live safely and happily in a world that relies on hearing ability. Kiva will definitely need a fenced-in yard, and will have to be on a leash at all times when outside an unfenced area. On the plus side, deaf dogs are never afraid of thunder storms, sirens, or fireworks — and you can open a bag of potato chips without immediately attracting an audience. (But you won’t have long, ’cause her sniffer works just fine!)
If you’re interested in learning more about this happy pup or giving her the forever home she deserves, head to Kiva’s adoption page for more info.
Our Special Dog Seeks Special Home series features local special-needs pups in need of loving homes. You can help, too: Adopt a dog we’ve featured (see Special Dogs, Special Homes), share their stories, and email submit@sidewalkdog.com if you know a special dog who could use our help to find a home.
The post Special Dog Seeks Special Home: Kiva the Cattle Dog appeared first on Sidewalk Dog Blog.
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