This handsome young fellow is Bolt, a 1 year old, 50 pound Husky mix with stunning blue eyes and fur as soft as a bunny’s. Bolt is deaf and navigates his world relying mostly on visual cues and his superior sense of smell. He is a confident and curious boy ready for any adventure you may undertake. He is a quick and eager learner and is highly motivated to understand his people and what they want to communicate to him. He has learned to pay close attention to hands and body language and has mastered many hand signals for polite doggy behavior. Some of the hand signs he knows are: sit, down, wait, shake paw, touch, go out, go in, look at me, put the ball in my hand, come here, and good boy! Bolt loves to learn new tricks and would catch on quickly to any organized dog activity, such as agility or nose work, that you may want to explore.
Bolt has been in his foster home for the last 2 months and has been a model houseguest. He is crate-trained and sometimes chooses to take naps in or just hang out in his kitchen crate when everyone is in the room. He sleeps comfortably through the night in his bedroom crate.
He is very reliably house-trained and will wait by the door to be let outside.
He is affectionate but not needy or clingy. He loves to have his face and ears rubbed and can be instantly calmed, almost hypnotized, by ear rubs and shoulder and chest rubs.
He likes other similarly-sized dogs and really enjoys living with his resident foster brother. We think he’ll do best in a home with another dog since he thrives when he has a companion dog near him.
He has a medium energy level and enjoys fast trail runs, mountainous hikes, and long, sniffing walks and is learning to appreciate a good game of fetch. When he’s not enjoying his outdoor fun he is happy to nap or watch out the window at the birds in the trees and the people walking in the neighborhood. Anytime after 6:00 pm he can be found curled up in a little white ball, asleep, until it’s time for bed.
He has an intuitive sense of what is an appropriate object to play with or chew (dog toys) and what not to touch (shoes, furniture).
He likes meeting new people and is especially attracted to children, who seem to find him very interesting as well. He enjoys meeting them on walks and will sit politely to receive treats from them.
Because he may find them a little too compelling, Bolt would be best-suited in a home without small animals, including dogs and cats.
Bringing a deaf dog into your life may seem like a challenge, but it’s mostly just a matter of getting used to relying on other ways to communicate without sound. We use verbal language with our dogs almost exclusively and it can get a little wordy and unclear sometimes. Communicating with a deaf dog keeps your signals more concise and clear and more consistent. Bolt is so eager to learn and understand what you want that his enthusiasm is contagious. Learning new things is his favorite game and will soon become yours, too. Additional benefits of having a deaf dog include no distractions or drama from barking dogs, postal carriers and delivery trucks, thunder, fireworks, fire and ambulance sirens, doorbells, vacuums, howling cats and so much more.
Bolt is such a nifty fellow and is so ready to be someone’s best friend and adventure partner. If you want to see more of Bolt’s daily life he can be found on Instagram @SoCok9fostermom