Ruger

We have a VERY special boy to introduce to you... meet Ruger!! Ruger landed himself at the shelter after being found as a stray and had a severe case of demodex mange (a mite harmless to humans that can cause hair loss and redness). Check out his before and after pics! His foster mom gave him lots of medical baths and his hair is completely back to normal now! Shortly after Ruger joined us in foster care, his foster started noticing that he wasn't responding like a typical dog to noises and we soon after confirmed that Ruger is in fact DEAF! He doesn't let this slow him down though and would love to find a family that has experience with deaf dogs or is willing to learn together with him how to navigate the world. Maybe you could learn doggy sign language together! Because of this impairment, Ruger needs to learn differently from other dogs and doesn't respond to cues from people and dogs the same way, well, because he can't hear! He is a very playful boy and sometimes doesn't know his size (and clumsiness) so we're looking for a family with a tolerant resident dog or a family without other dogs, either way! In addition to his, we had an inkling that Ruger may be struggling a little bit with his eyes irritating him when he first arrived. His eyes were a bit squinty and we were unsure if he could consistently see things at different distances. After visiting an eye specialist it was found that Ruger has mild cataract in both eyes, but his vision is fortunately not effected at this time and no therapy is required! The cataracts may progress in the future but we aren't able to say for sure. He also had a condition called entropion, where his eyelids rolled inward causing irritation on his corneas. Ruger successfully went through a procedure to correct this and he now has no discomfort surrounding his eyes and no more squinting! With all this being said, Ruger has one of the most easy-going, friendly, happy-go-lucky demeanors ever. He absolutely loves meeting new people, gets along wonderfully with other dogs (both big and small) but sometimes needs to take a break or he will play play play. He's truly the best boy and despite everything he has gone through, is so trusting of new people and ready to be everyone's best bud. He could use some training around his excitement impulse control, but he means so well! Because he can't hear, Ruger makes some pretty silly noises when playing, but all in good fun! Also due to his hearing loss and eyesight, in addition to still needing some socialization, Ruger can be surprised by new sights and objects and would love an owner willing to help him learn to associate positivity with new things when he's unsure. If you are interested in applying to adopt Ruger or learning more about him, consider filling out an application today!