Karl The Deaf Boxer
It’s really difficult for a dog to be deaf. It takes a lot of training and effort from the owner to achieve a certain level of communication.
However, Karl, a deaf boxer, was fortunate and got adopted by a willing woman to help him. Nobody could ever imagine how this deaf dog would end up being a hero! Click next to learn more!
SIGN LANGUAGE
Joanne Hart-Rittenhouse, who already had the other three dogs, didn’t seem to mind that Karl was deaf. She knew that training him would be a challenge, but she was ready to fight for him and invest her time learning to obey sign language.
That was a really tough job! Do you want to know how the deaf pup managed to communicate? Click next!
THREE SIBLINGS
Joanne’s other three boxers had already become a therapy dog, and that’s what she wanted to achieve with Karl, too. After some training, Karl managed to understand about 100 commands in sign language. It was incredible! Moreover, the little pup was really sympathetic and compassionate.
Click next to find out how he managed to save the day!
TRAINING
Even though Karl was well-behaved and ready to help people, there was a major problem.
Karl was deaf, and he could only understand sign language commands, so the people who would work with him need to learn to communicate in sign language.
THERAPY DOGGO
However, Karl wasn’t destined to become a regular service dog. Instead, he would become a therapy dog that would help children that were really afraid to speak up in the courtroom.
And the most important thing was that his disability would help even more!
ADVANTAGE
Because Karl was deaf, he wouldn’t be distracted by the noises inside the courtroom, so that he would focus on the child he would be with.
And ready to help at any time it needed to.
REALLY HELPFUL
Karl started helping children deal with their fears through Companions for Courage, a program with that cause.
“As soon as the kids realize the biker is there for them, they want the biggest one they can find,” said Laura Brimmer, who was a K9th-Circuit manager. “And I think it’s the same with the dog.”
ALWAYS WEARING HIS BLUE HAT
However, because Karl was working with kids, his large size could scare children away and make them feel uncomfortable.
That’s why he would always wear a blue hat, to seem more approachable to the children he was working with.
LEARNING HOW TO TRUST
Every time a child has to testify in court, there are some sessions that the child has to go through to be prepared for the court.
During these sessions, Karl’s presence has proven to be really helpful for the children.
COMFORTING
The children also practice many times before the trial, the ways that they can communicate with Karl for both of them to be ready for that tough day.
As a result, during the trial, a child can ask Karl to come closer if they feel afraid or nervous.
FILLED WITH FEAR
That was the case for a little girl in 2016 who was filled with fear when she had to testify about the man that had abused and caused her many serious problems.
It was tough for a little girl to stand in the courtroom and speak up.
A TOUGH JOB
“She knew the gentleman who had wronged her were going to be in that courtroom, and she really had a fear to go in front of him and tell him what he had done to her,” Joanne Hart-Rittenhouse said.
Luckily, Karl came to her rescue. Click next to find out what happened!
SKEPTICAL
At their first meeting, the girl was a bit skeptical about Karl. “Is he going to protect me?” she asked.
However, when the girl realized that Karl was there to support her and be by her side, she felt strong enough and ready for the trial.
RECALLING BAD MEMORIES
It was definitely tough for her to recall these bad memories of what the man had caused her to testify in the courtroom.
She was only a kid, and the whole situation was really challenging for a young child.
FROZEN
As a result, when the time came for the little girl to speak up in the courtroom, she froze. She was really terrified, and the words just didn’t come out of her mouth.
However, her testimony was crucial because the man who caused her so much trouble would go free without it.
HELPING EACH OTHER
Even though the little child was terrified, she looked down at Karl, and when he looked at her, she remembered that she was strong enough to overcome everything with him by her side.
However, she needed to feel him, too.
SURPRISE
Because the girl couldn’t reach down in order to pet him, she did something undetectable. She took off her shoes and started running her feet through his soft fur.
As a result, she started feeling more comfortable and ready to testify about what that man had done to her and she managed to speak.
JUSTICE
Even though Karl is the best therapy dog for children that have to testify in a trial, he also visits hospitals and libraries.
“We’ll be there as long as the child wants Karl to stay in their life. He’s helped a lot of children,” said Joanne
NOT SO LUCKY
Unfortunately, not all deaf dogs are as lucky as Karl was. For example, Echo was given to a family by a breeder, and neither of them knew that she was deaf and couldn’t comply with their rules.
As a result, the family stopped feeding her and decided to put her down.
A BETTER LIFE
However, Marion Dwyer and the local rescue team managed to save the poor pup and provide her with everything she needed.
Marion managed to train the Echo and make her a happy dog that knew that she was in a place filled with love and food.