Peggy, an eight-year-old collie, previously worked on a farm with her owners. Unfortunately, when she lost her hearing in December 2018, it became difficult for her to continue farm work. That was when she was turned over to the local pet adoption service, RSPCA Mid Norfolk & North Suffolk Branch.
Since it was just before Christmas, the center’s animal welfare manager Chloe Shorten decided to take Peggy for the holidays. She and her shepherd husband, Jason, initially wanted to keep her as a foster pet until the shelter found a spot for her in the kennels.
However, the collie got somewhat lucky as she was able to win the heart of her family right away. Chloe shared that Peggy fitted into her home really well and even found her place by Jason’s side on the farm. Unfortunately, getting the pup back to farm work was not an easy feat at all.
Because they couldn’t communicate with the deaf collie through their voices, the couple had to turn to hand signals to tell her what to do. It was definitely a challenge for the Shortens, but a sheepdog trainer helped them along the way. They eventually learned how to use hand gestures with repetitive and positive reinforcement to teach the pup.
The smart Peggy picked up on the new training almost immediately. And before her fur parents knew it, she was herding sheep alongside the couple’s other working sheepdogs, Nora and Sid. Although Chloe shared that Peggy was actually retired from farm work, she would still insist on being on the field to run about and play.
The couple can’t be prouder of what the deaf collie has achieved so far. And it is a solid reminder to everyone that it is possible to teach a senior dog new tricks. Watch the adorable sheepdog in action here.
Did you know dogs can learn sign language?!
Today marks the start of #DeafAwarenessWeek so we wanted to share this amazing video of Peggy, a collie who came to us after losing her hearing. She found a new home and has learnt how to herd sheep using sign language! @RSPCA_official pic.twitter.com/aikauRynGb— RSPCA Mid Norfolk & North Suffolk (@RSPCA_Norwich) April 5, 2021
Courtesy of @RSPCA_Norwich