Bishop

Bishop is a handsome 4-5 year old lemon hound, who is deaf. He was surrendered to one of our Virginia shelters we partner with. He is about 50 lbs., fun, active, goofy pup, that will put a smile on your face. He loves attention, and will curl up and lay on just about anything. He has flourished here at PWD and has made many new friends here. A sweet gentle soul good with people, cats and great with kids. However, Bishop has some possession issues with other dogs and so we do feel he does needs to be an only dog. Bishop would do great in a secure area or leash walking.

UPDATE: Bishop’s life change here at PWD when very experience and compassionate foster person came to visit with some of our pups. She asked if she could help Bishop. (of our long timers here at PWD) This is her first experience with a hearing impaired dog and a hound! In his first days they have accomplished a lot together! Here is her first update

He had a better night last night. He is in the doggy suite now for while in preparation to a longer stay tomorrow when I go to work. Have only heard him bark once or twice. He is a sweet boy and it is funny, we are working on sitting before we go thru a doorway, and while he is getting the hang of it before we leave the house, going back in is another story. He is smart and knows what I want but he will actually turn his head away from me like a stubborn child how doesn’t want to do something. I have lots of time so I just wait til he decides to sit, however briefly, he gets a piece of kibble then we go in but it is so funny to see him actually turn his head as if to say, nope not doing it. I normally wouldn’t be doing this this soon but he is so smart, that I think he needs and can do these simple challenges. He gets a treat and a thumbs up sign each time he does something good. He gets a high value treat, a tiny piece of chicken, each time he potties outside as inside still is an issue.

Oct 1st - Foster mom UPDATE: Bishop has been amazing in short time he has been here. Has he been a perfect angel, no, but in just two weeks he has learned the signs for come, sit, wait and down. He sits and waits to go out and to come inside and he sits and waits for his breakfast and dinner. His leash manners vastly improved once he became comfortable with his new walking areas. Is he 100% no, but then who is, he is still a work in progress and with each day we practice, he improves a bit more and is proud of himself, you can see by the smile on his face.

With any dog, if you want them to do something you must first get their attention usually by calling, clapping etc. but Bishop is deaf so you have to get his attention another way. To help with this challenge, he just got a present, a vibrating collar. Over the next few weeks we will be working on training with him to understand that the jiggling of his collar means look to me for a command sign. This will be a learning experience for both of us, there will be lots of treats involved, chicken for him, hot fudge sundaes for me, He is so smart bet he does much better than me.

Bishop is thrilled to have visitors come to the house, male or female, young or old, he loves them all. He is respectful, does not jump but follows them everywhere in the house. He loves his walks, running in the yard and chilling on the deck. I know he would love to go hiking or jogging, something this foster would love to do with him but can’t ....Could you?

Oct 20th - Foster mom UPDATE: Bishop continues to amaze me. He is a love, full of energy who lives to explore new sights and smells...especially the smells as his nose works overtime. He would be a great walking or hiking companion provided he was always on a leash. He is always thrilled greet anyone he meets along the way with a tail that doesn’t stop wagging. We had to abandon the vibrating collar as it really frightened him even set on the lowest setting and are now exploring others ways of communicating. As long as treats are part of this process Bishop is always happy to try

His Aunt Jane gave him two doggy puzzles and he loves the challenge ( and of course all the treats he uncovers).

July 2020 - Bishop is a sweet, quirky ,independent and stubborn guy and is a work in progress. He is not a couch potato, is quite active and loves to be able to see and be outside. He loves sleeping in the sun and watching the world go by from the security of my second story front deck. Inside, if anything is blocking his view he will remove it such as shades, blinds and curtains. His nose drives his brain, if he catches a scent, specially a rabbit he goes bonkers and should the rabbit run under the fence, he is lightening fast and will try his hardest to wiggle under after the bunny. As he is deaf he can’t hear if he is called so he will not respond to a recall and will be long gone in a heartbeat. To keep him safe, he is always leashed when we go outside. He loves his long walks everyday however he is a strong guy and at times can pull very hard on his leash so needs a strong handler. Would love to take him on car rides and trips but he get very car sick even with anti nausea meds

Bishop has a fairly active bladder which means multiple trips outside at dawn, during the day and evening hours are a must. He lets you know he needs to go outside by tipping things over, plants, small tables, fans etc., if it is on the floor, nothing is off limits , even the in floor air registers, he pulls them out of the floor. He repeats this quirky behavior when he decides it is his meal time. He can not be crated, if closed in a room, will destroy the door to get out and still can not go all day without an accident

He has learned hand signals and knows sit, wait and down. He loves people and long walks but is extremely picky about other dogs and can quite bossy I am told. I do not have a cat but understand he was fine with them? While he is normally fairly quiet, he has his moments of loud barking, not great if you have close neighbors.