BLUEY HANDLES DEAFNESS
“…Bluey has learnt to understand that Cheeky can hear things he cannot hear…”
H. Dennis, Queensland, Australia, asks:
If your Bluey is deaf and your second dog, Cheeky, can hear, have you ever noticed how they interact with each other?
Reply:
I have been observing how Bluey and Cheeky interact with each other. Bluey is almost deaf. Not completely. But about 95 per cent, I would estimate. He only seems to partially hear certain loud sounds: like an aircraft passing low overhead, or a sneeze or a door slamming shut. Cheeky, on the other hand, has keen hearing and is very alert to sounds that are out of the ordinary – even a wind suddenly stirring outside among the leaves of trees making them rattle. Bluey has learnt to understand that Cheeky can hear things he cannot hear. When she suddenly tenses, he tenses, too, watching for any further reaction; if she runs off barking, he follows instinctively, fully trusting her senses, and adding his barking to hers, reinforcing her behaviour fully. Often, I am certain, he does not even realise what has attracted her attention. That doesn’t matter. He trusts her hearing. If she barks or becomes defensive, he does likewise. They have become finely attuned to each other. It is interesting to see how she trains him, quietly and efficiently, and he is thoroughly responsive to her guidance.
