Wallace – goofy, snuggly deaf puppy
Meet Wallace: a goofy, deeply loyal, 9-month-old deaf terrier mix with a big personality and an even bigger heart. She's about 55 lbs and likely a pit/Jack Russell mix.
Wallace lives for adventure. She loves hikes, splashing at the beach and the bay, camping, and riding along on errands, and she's been on many road trips. At the end of the day she turns into a total snuggle bug who melts for belly rubs. Every morning, and every time her person comes home, she greets them with a full-body wiggle.
She's smart, food-motivated and loves to learn. She finished a two-week positive-reinforcement board-and-train focused on hand signals for deaf dogs. She reliably sits, lies down, shakes and comes when she has eye contact, and she's working on "drop it." Watch her training video here. She walks well on leash, is fully potty trained, and sleeps through the night in her crate.
Wallace adores other dogs. She can be shy at first, so slow introductions work best. Once she's comfortable, she's a wiggly, playful pack dog, and she's at her most confident with a calm dog friend beside her.
Please read before applying. Wallace has recently become fearful of unfamiliar men, especially when she's startled or someone enters her space without her seeing them coming. In September she bit two men on the back of the leg, leaving shallow scrapes with no punctures and no medical treatment needed. Neither incident was reported, and she has never shown aggression toward me, women, people she knows, or other dogs.
This started only after we moved into an apartment that shares a courtyard with an Airbnb, where strangers come and go all day. From May through August she went everywhere with me and was friendly with every person, child and animal she met. She's on trazodone under her vet's care and needs an adopter committed to ongoing positive-reinforcement training. I will share a full written incident history and vet records with every serious applicant.
I'm rehoming Wallace because I can't give her the calm home, space and training she needs. Since adopting her in May, I've been through a breakup, several moves and health challenges. I now live alone in a small one-bedroom with no yard and work a demanding job. I love her deeply, and I want her placed while she's young and so trainable. I'm happy to contribute financially toward her first months of training, and she comes with all her gear, vet records and training notes.
For the right person, Wallace will be a funny, affectionate and fiercely devoted companion.
Wallace is fully deaf and communicates through hand signals and eye contact. She's spayed and fully vaccinated, and she had two abdominal surgeries because her original rescue didn't know she was already spayed. She has some leaking while sleeping, which seems to be improving with age. Her vet ruled out infection and UTI. If it continues, the next step would be spay-incontinence medication, then an ultrasound if needed. She takes trazodone for anxiety. Otherwise she's very healthy.
Her ideal home
• Adults only, in a quiet household with few drop-in visitors
• A calm, friendly resident dog who likes to play
• A secure, fenced yard
• An owner with the time and budget for a positive-reinforcement trainer, her medication and vet follow-up
• Experience with deaf, fearful or reactive dogs is a big plus
Hoping to place her before Thanksgiving.