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KELLER

Gender: Male
Age: 3 yrs
Size: 60 lbs
Color: Blue
Cats: Yes
Dogs: Yes
Kids: No
Traits: Deaf

Keller was accepted into the ACES program as a deaf 3-month old English Setter mix on May 20, 2005. As he grew, the English Setter became harder to see and Herding Dog popped out all over … Australian Cattle Dog? Border Collie? Australian Shepherd? Keller may not be the most handsome ES on the block but he has always been one of the sweetest. He loves to give kisses and snuggle in your lap (even though he has grown into a 60 lb. muscle man). As a pup, Keller went to puppy classes and doggy daycare. He was well socialized with other dogs and their owners. Keller was a good pup; he just needed to find his furever home. But no one called about a deaf English Setter mix puppy.

When Keller was almost a year old, herding instincts kicked in and his demeanor changed. He was still the sweet lovable goofball with his friends, but he became quite wary of human strangers. He started growling, lunging, and snapping at new people. Strangers were no longer potential friends; they were now scary monsters. When human friends (people Keller already knew) came to visit, Keller might knock them down … with his happy enthusiasm. He would jump straight up in the air to plant a kiss firmly on their mouth. He became well known for his affectionate flying “nose pokes” which would send eyeglasses sailing across the room and bring tears to your eyes.

Keller’s foster mom worked to redirect his enthusiastic greetings so that after a while the nose pokes were reserved for a few very special occasions. Keller learned to weave back and forth between your legs as his own unique HELLO, bouncing and dancing as he weaves. His special friends may have to stand spread-eagle while Keller weaves back and forth between their legs as many as 20 times. You can never accuse Keller of being unemotional! Keller likes to scoot between his foster mom's legs for fun, often stopping and pointing his nose toward her face to give sloppy kisses.

Meanwhile, Keller’s wariness around strangers grew. A vet visit resulted in growling, snapping and lunging. Keller had to be muzzled and could barely be restrained to get blood for a heartworm test. Keller’s foster mom decided to bump up his socialization even more. Keller went to a shy dogs class, which he has repeated 3 times so far. As a result, Keller is pretty well trained. He responds quickly to hand signals. Keller has been taught to target his foster mom’s fingers and Keller LOVES to target. Sometimes he will just bump his nose against your hand to say he wants to play. On Keller’s last vet visit, there was no growling, no snarling, no snapping, no lunging. Keller even responded to hand signals from the vet and took treats from her hand, proving that he could learn to meet new people under careful guidance. He does, however, still panic and struggle violently if restrained.

As Keller has matured, his herding instincts have continued to blossom. He plays well with other dogs but the ‘real’ English Setters in his household sometimes tire of being herded away from their birds and critters. When that happens, Keller hangs out with his foster mom, which is his favorite place to be anyway. After dark, he likes to be the last dog to come inside, making one final lap around the yard to ensure his pack is safe indoors.

Keller loves it when his foster mom offers to foster a puppy. The older English Setters sometimes get annoyed with puppy pranks, but not Keller. He lies on the floor and lets the puppy crawl all over him. Keller gently wrestles, plays tug, and lets the pup chew on his ears. It’s a common sight to see Keller lying on his back mouth-wrestling with a puppy lying on his tummy. Keller has infinite patience with the little ones. A foster pup couldn’t ask for a better big foster brother.

Since Keller has so many wonderful endearing qualities, you may wonder why he isn’t a featured dog on the ACES Website. Sadly, Keller may never be offered for adoption because his fear of strangers and his deafness pose a very dangerous combination. Having no way to “call Keller off” when a stranger approaches could result in disaster. A vibrating collar has been used; however, Keller does not responded to it consistently as yet. If Keller were a hearing dog, his foster mom has no doubt that he would respond well to verbal commands. However, unless Keller is on leash so that you can put your hand in front of his face to give a signal, there is no reliable way to get his attention while he is in the midst of a fearful reaction. Unfortunately, Keller could not be sent safely on a transport with strangers or go to a home where he didn’t already know the humans.

Keller’s foster mom will continue training efforts. However, unless Keller learns to conquer his fear of the unknown, ACES will never put him into a position where he might bite a human.

Keller is well loved and is welcome to remain in his foster home. Keller would love to have lots of long-distance friends … to Keller, that’s the very best kind.

UPDATE 01/09

Keller remains the best puppy sitter ever! He still likes to play with the young ones and, in fact, is the only dog in the house who can keep up with foster sis, Eden. Keller and Eden both love toys and often play tug all over the house, each trying to "win" a particular toy. Keller usually triumphs ... not only because he is bigger and stronger but he can also carry 3-4 toys in his mouth at once!

UPDATE 04/08

Keller continues to enjoy having foster dogs visit. He bonded quickly with foster Ella and he considered it his job to watch over her until she moved to her forever home. While Keller likes puppies the best, he also enjoys having adult foster visitors. There are photos below of Keller playing with Maggie Moo. When new foster dogs arrive, Keller initially greets them with caution but he turns into a gracious host within the first couple of hours. Fosters are quickly integrated into Keller's pack and he watches over them just as he takes care of the rest of his family.

UPDATE 11/07

Rough and tumble Keller has a new favorite toy ... a stuffed teddy bear. He carries it everywhere, even outside in the yard. He sleeps with it and won't let any other dogs touch it. He will only share with his foster mom. He will take the bear in his mouth and press it up against his foster mom's mouth for her to take it from him. She sneaks in her hand and pretends to take it in her mouth, then presses it back against Keller's mouth. He seems very pleased with himself for sharing this way. Keller is also quite a football fan. Look for a photo below of Keller in his Colt's gear.

UPDATE 08/07

Keller's foster mom is fostering a puppy, so Keller has a new friend. They often spend an hour or more at a time playing tug and wrestling with each other. Keller is the best puppy-sitter ever!

UPDATE 05/07

Keller recently stepped up his perceived herding duties with the other dogs in his foster home. He became quite pushy to the point of acting like a real bully. He would block and sometimes even scuffle with the other dogs to get his way. Keller's foster mom took immediate action, supervising and managing all circumstances where Keller liked to bully the other dogs. The training techniques have worked well and Keller has stopped the scuffles altogether. Despite a short detour into obsessive herding behavior, Keller is once again working and playing well with others!

KELLER'S FRIENDS

We'd like to be one of Keller's special friends. Glad he is making progress. Who would have guessed Keller would take to puppies? That's great to see.
Greg Bonetti

Keller sends his thanks and a flying "nose poke" to his new friend Pamela Miller!

Many thanks to the Warfields: Heidi, Bonnie, Carmen & Mike

Keller sends a big thank you to his friends Lisa Rigsby Griffith & Dell Direct Giving Campaign

Keller is excited to have a new friend, Marti Hyland. Thank you, Marti!