Life can be tough for a pup, especially for one with a disability. That happened to be the case with one deaf Staffordshire pup who couldn’t find a proper forever home. Everyone kept abandoning the poor thing until one day, he met the woman that would change his life forever.
20. The Pup
Image: Animal Channel
Meet Ivor the Staffordshire terrier. He is an adorable and sweet pup that also happens to have a disability. The sweet pup was born deaf.
19. Finding A Home
Image: Animal Channel
Because of his disability, it was difficult for Ivor to find a permanent home. Every time someone would adopt Ivor they would quickly bring him back to the shelter. Your heart will break for him when you find out just how many times this happened.
18. Abandoned
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Ivor was adopted and brought back to the shelter five times! This all happened before his even turned a year old. The owners all had the same issue: they couldn’t cope with a deaf dog.
17. Fifth Owner
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
When Ivor was only ten-months-old, he was brought back to the RSPCA’s Halifax, Huddersfield, and Bromsgrove branch by his fifth owner. So how did this affect the poor puppy? Well, it certainly gave him trust issues.
16. Trust Issues
Image: Animal Channel
After being abandoned so many times, Ivor naturally began to have trust issues. Seeing this, the staff at the RSPCA worked relentlessly to help Ivor gain back trust in humans. They wanted him to feel safe with them and to show him that not everyone would abandon him.
15. On The Lookout
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
While making sure that Ivor’s trust issues didn’t get the best of him, the staff also had another project to undertake. They needed to find Ivor a permanent home solution with someone that would never give up on him.
14. Trusting Again
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Over time, Ivor began to trust once again. His sweet and affectionate personality started to come out and the staff were incredibly happy to see him so comfortable. That was when the staff started doing something amazing that would change Ivor’s life forever!
13. Sign Language
Image: Animal Channel
Once Ivor started to trust the staff, they began to teach him sign language. Ivor was incredibly excited and willing to learn so it wasn’t long before he mastered some basic signs. So what did he manage to learn in such a short amount of time?!
12. Sign Commands
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
The staff was dedicated toward teaching Ivor sign language and the young pup soon learned two basic commands. He learned the signs for ‘sit’ and ‘come.’ This was fantastic progress for such a young pup, then, something even more incredible happened.
11. The Woman
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
In December 2017, a woman named Ellie Bromilow decided to visit the shelter with her family in tow. It was there she was introduced to Ivor. She immediately fell in love with the sweet pup!
10. Adoption Papers
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Bromilow knew that she had to adopt Ivor after falling in love with him. She also understood the challenges that she would face by adopting a dog with a disability. Once the staff at the shelter knew that Bromilow was serious they signed him off to her.
9. Happy Family
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Since being adopted, Ivor has never been happier. He fits in perfectly with Ellie and her family and he is now a happy one-year-old pooch! Ellie has even continued teaching Ivor new commands in sign language.
8. More Commands
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Ellie has now managed to teach Ivor the commands for ‘lie down, ‘all gone’, and ‘stay.’ “He’d already learned the sign command for “sit” and “come” from the staff at the RSPCA centre, but now he knows lots more like “lie down”, “stay”, “all gone” and he’s learning “roll over”,” Ellie explained. However, there is one sign that Ivor loves the most!
7. Favorite Sign
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
“When he gets the sign for ‘walkies’ he gets so excited,” Bromilow told Express. “We keep him on a long lead and, if he’s looking, he’ll come to you when you raise one hand in the air.” Ellie has stated that Ivor has a ton of energy and he’s loads of fun to be around.
6. Sense of Smell
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
Ivor also happens to have a great sense of smell and Ellie loves testing it out. Ellie will even hide things around the house just to see Ivor put his detective nose skills to the test. He always finds what he’s looking for!
5. Any Different?
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
So is having a deaf dog any different from having a hearing dog? According to Ellie there really isn’t a big difference between the two. “Having a deaf dog is just like having a hearing dog,” she said.
4. Still Chatting
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
“We still speak to him as we sign and I chat to him a lot – even though he can’t hear a word.” Ivor’s life is fantastic with the Bromilow family. He is truly happy that he has found his permanent home with people that love him.
3. Facebook
Image: Facebook
Ivor is just so sweet and adorable that Ellie decided to share his cuteness with the world. She opened up a Facebook page dedicated to him where she uploads daily photos of him and his antic. Everyone loves getting updates on Ivor!
2. Finally
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
After going through home after home, Ivor no longer has to worry about being abandoned again. It is rough on a pup to be brought back to the shelter time after time. The situation obviously took its toll on Ivor until the staff at the RSPCA worked hard to combat his trust issues.
1. Great Family
Image: Ivor The Deaf Dog’s Fun Page
It is truly a joy to see Ivor in the care of a fantastic family that loves him so dearly. This story is truly an inspiration that reminds us that no disability should ever stand in the way of someone receiving love.