Spyke was found when he was about 3 months told with a horse chain around his neck, emaciated, had a broken leg, and dragging that chain down a country road. A farmer saw him and got him, called a rescue. I got him on March 9, 2001, when he was about 10 months old, and Spyke and I bonded immediately. He was a cattle dog, probably had a mix of something else. He was deaf and I taught him sign language with clicker training, but using a penlight, which he caught on to immediately, and it opened up a whole new world to him. I always told him he was my precious baby boy. We had a very special bond. He was my pal, my buddy, my shadow, my Velcro dog, my special love. He passed away from liver failure on March 11, 2011.   RIP, Spyke June 2000 - March 11, 2011  ~Marvel

I knew I'd get another deaf dog one day, but had no idea it would be that soon after Spyke passed. I had no intention of getting one that soon, but I couldn't let this fellow die. He was neutered, microchipped, HW negative, got along with the other dogs.  I can still grieve, but I  can save a life at the same time.  Even now, I can be having a bad time and teary thinking about Spyke, and Trypp will come over and I pet him and talk to him and concentrate on him and start to feel better. I miss Spyke so much!!!! I still can't believe he's gone and reliving all that happened those 2 weeks, especially the last week, just kills me!!   He was 7 months old when he was owner surrendered to a shelter in January. He was 9 months old when I got him at the end of March 2011. He was going to be killed because he had been there two months and no one had shown any interest in him. He had a limp and they shelter thought he had fallen on ice.   Examination and x-rays revealed that he had patella luxation. He had major surgery in April 2011 and got that fixed and now has 3 pins in his knee that are permanent. The surgery revealed he had worn off part of his knee cap and also had exposed nerve endings, and muscle wasting of that leg. Poor guy must have been in terrible, terrible pain for a very long time, and no one bothered to find out why he would walk, then sit down, and also limped. He walks better since the surgery and runs like the wind when he gets the zoomies. He still has exposed nerve endings, but will grow fibrous cartilage that will cover those. He still has some discomfort, but not like he did prior to the surgery, and that should improve with time and growth of the cartilage.   The shelter had him listed as an ACD, but I never could see ACD in him. Turns out, he's Basenji with something else mixed in. He has webbed toes, likes to grab our feet when he's following, and the other funny thing he does is runs between our legs, or just stand there between our legs. I can have my gown and robe on and suddenly there's a dog between my legs with snout sticking out from underneath the robe. That's why I named him Trypp, because he almost trips us. He is SO FUNNY!!!   He makes us laugh.  ~Marvel