Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. -- Anonymous

I bet you're wondering how an Australian Cattle Dog got her own page (and her own wallpaper) on an Australian Shepherd website!  Truth is, I am part Aussie even though I look more Cattle Dog.  The reason I ended up at Aussielads is because I'm deaf and they find really good homes for Aussies with disabilities.  Melissa, the nice lady in Utah who rescued me, thought I had a much better chance of finding a great home if she sent me to Phoenix...and I did.  So, here's my story:

Kayla is a sweet 4-month-old Aussie/Cattle Dog mix who is totally deaf with a natural bob tail.  She was rescued by a neighbor from a home in Provo, Utah where a family member was seen kicking her in the head because she was barking.  Since she couldn't hear, that was his way of telling her to be quiet!  Kayla will be arriving in Phoenix on 3/23/03.  She is spayed and up-to-date on all shots, including rabies.

  Kayla arrived today...and she is definitely a sweetheart!  She has a great Cattle Dog personality; bold, fearless, active, curious and very, very intelligent.  She will be a challenge to any first time owner.  She has a very outgoing and "okay, let's play" personality.  As you can see from her pics, she has no fear of the swimming pool and thinks it is her oasis.  We have no doubt that Kayla is capable of multiple activities despite her hearing impairment.  Hand signals will be no problem because Kayla watches everything and learns as she goes!  Even without hearing, she is a great watchdog...seems she just knows when something is going on that she should alert you to!  Kayla also LOVES to play ball...she will chase it and bring it back to you :-)

 ADOPTED 05/02/03

Kayla went home to a wonderful family in Tucson today.  I took some pics, but the flash wasn't on...duh!  Kayla was more interested in going to her new home than she was having her pic taken :-)  Hopefully, we'll get new ones soon!

   09/03 Great news!!!  I got a sister, Jezebel, who looks just like me and is deaf too!

Yes, we did get a friend for Kayla . . . I've attached pictures of them both. Jezebel is INCREDIBLY sweet, but a chewer . . . I think she is going through a teething phase. Of course, she is not as beautiful as Kayla and you won't be able to see her best feature which is her ice-blue/white eyes (no apparent vision problems). She doesn't appear as smart. Kayla is just so incredibly bright that I think it would be difficult to compete. (do I sound partial?) But Jez also has a different style, which we're starting to recognize. She does not like the heat, but she will go running with us at night. She is sweet to all animals, adults, and children. She is the calm to Kayla's energy. She doesn't like to swim, but she will lay on the step to cool off.  She has terrible gas (had it from day 1) - so she may not feel well. We use a very good dog food: high in chicken and lamb, low in corn, and we're giving her a tbs of lowfat yogurt with her meals. I do think it helps a bit. I also give her beano. Any advice? We don't feed table scraps. It must be miserable! I'm thinking that when we get her tummy under control, she may be more focused on doing stuff . . . although she plays just fine!
They are a wonderful pair and we love them very much. Cyn - hopefully the next time we are in Phoenix with our "girls", you and Dave will be home and we can stop by for a quick visit.
best, Dani
It appears that we have the gas somewhat under control.  However, any advice you have would always be welcome.  Jez has become more comfortable with the pool and now she is a swimming pro - like Kayla.  Chris and I have decided that we will take a trip shortly with just Jez so she can learn to gear more toward us than toward Kayla.  We did this with Kayla and it made a tremendous difference in our bonding and her training.  We now know that she is definitely as bright as Kayla, she is just such a different personality - VERY laid back - so she seems "slower".
best, Dani

See more pics of Kayla  also see Hope & Kayla having fun!