Thread:Crowsoul50/@comment-33229352-20190304041126/@comment-33229352-20191028034040

Welcome to another episode of Ishmael Infodumps About Daycare Dogs

Sorely tempted to name my cyber sect bloodhound hybrid OC after one of the dogs at my work.

His name is Chelios, and I just met him today, but I already know we're going to get along swell. He's at least 10 y/o and a lab mix, so he's a study, dependable dude, if a bit grumpy. He's also deaf, but I don't think he started out that way based on how he vocalizes.

That's the cool thing actually-- a lot of dogs born deaf still bark, and dogs born blind still display body language like play bows and rolling, despite have never seen or heard those things in their life. It's amazing to see how much of that behavior is intrinsic rather than learned.

Anyways, a lot of our deaf dogs don't have a "normal" voice, but Chelios does, so it's probably an age thing. He's a good dog to have in the room with younger dogs, because he takes it upon himself to teach them manners. If he thinks that a pair is playing too roughly, he'll shoulder his way inbetween them to break them up, and they listen to him. I watched him separate a St. Bernard from a boxer, two dogs who could have beat him into next week if they wanted to, and they let him. He'll also stand nearby and bark at them, which means if my attention is focused elsewhere, and I can check on the dogs playing and see if his concern is valid. Sometimes he gets a little too into it, or the dogs he's correcting are playing nicely, and since he's deaf, I can't call him away. Typically all I have to do is touch him and he'll stop messing with them, and I watch the pair with him to make sure he knows I see them and I think that the dogs are engaging in okay play.

He doesn't really play with the other dogs, either, but he seemed to have a good time. Along with him, we had a golden retriever of about 12 named Pikachu, and she wasn't as in-your-face with the other dogs as Chelios was, but they bonded, probably over their Elderly Energy. She outright solicited for affection from me, to the point that when I was holding the St. Bernard on his side on the ground so he would chill out for a minute, she came up behind me and gently put her head against my other hand and waited patiently for me to finish to I could talk to her. Not a mean bone in her body, but I almost wish she was a little bit more assertive. A lot of our dogs are young and need to get a little better at reading the body language of their buds, so they don't get their butts kicked when people like me aren't around to make sure it doesn't escalate that far. She'd lay down to rest for a little bit and she'd get plowed into by a pair chasing each other, and she would just get up and give a little huff before going to a less active part of the room.