Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes

Patchee the Playful Deaf English Setter

2026-09-29T10:36:07.394-05:00

Patchee the deaf English Setter has been with us now for almost three months. She's made herself at home and her personality is shining through. It turns out she's a bit of a character.

She hasn't shown much interest in dog toys, but enjoys a good game of slap paw and has no qualms about giving you a poke or slap if she feels like she isn't getting enough attention.

We enjoy this playful side of her.

Cappy is Officially Adopted

2026-08-18T09:21:33.424-05:00

Foster pup Cappy has officially had his interim "Foster" status removed and is a permanent part of the family. His full name and official title shall henceforth be "Prince Cappuccino Capybara of the Woodland Realm".

We fostered Cappy for 6 months and in that time he was adopted and returned twice, and only had a handful of people interested in him. We truly meant to only foster him, but it became apparent that he wasn't going to get adopted to a place where he could thrive.

Cappy will have to settle for a life of luxury; treats galore, toys in abundance, tasty things to chew, soft beds to nap in, a big backyard to romp around in. It's what he deserves, and what we thought we could find in another home. But it turns out he was meant to be with us all along.

Our New Pup - Patchee

2026-08-03T15:39:46.627-05:00

We have been working quietly behind the scenes to adopt a new pup. It was a process, took several months, and we traveled down to Southern California to meet the foster parent, then drove back home to Oregon.

This is Patchee. She is a deaf English Setter and is about 6 years old. We got her from Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue and she's been an absolute love so far.

We’re learning about her and she’s quickly getting acclimated to the house, yard and daily routine. She isn't into playing with toys, but enjoys chewing a little bit on a bone or chew toy.

We are also slowly allowing interactions with Cappy. He’s super enthusiastic and she’s made it clear that she’s not interested in that intense level of play, so we’re slowly allowing them time together to get acclimated to each other.

Foster Dog Cappy Summer Activities

2026-07-05T13:13:02.108-05:00

After a trip to North Dakota to see family, we've returned to our regularly scheduled Summer programming. For our foster pup Cappy that means lots of outside time burning off energy. We've turned our yard into a playground of activities for a high energy a pup.

The rope in the tree. We have several rope toys and we suspended one from a sturdy tree branch in the back yard from a spring so it has lots of give and responsive action. Cappy doesn't play with his rope toy every day (a few times a week), but when he does it tires him out pretty quickly. You can probably see why.

The pool. This is just a standard plastic kiddie pool from Walmart. They're cheap enough that if he gets overly playful with it and it doesn't hold water, we can just buy a new one. It took him a while to get comfortable with the pool, but after a few weeks he enjoys it.

The sprinkler. Cappy was initially reluctant to play with the kiddie pool, but was happy to play with the sprinkler. We combine them now, putting the sprinkler in the kiddie pool to slowly fill it and maximize the appeal.

Cappy also gets great enjoyment from the rest of the yard. He loves digging, and we've needed to redirect him away from some of the plants that we want to live, into areas that are wide open and he can dig to his hearts content. Cappy also enjoys just being outside, wandering around basking in sunbeams and watching the birds.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Foster Dog Cappy is Back

2026-06-13T15:40:22.757-05:00

Cappy is back with us after his adoption didn't quite work out. It was no fault of his own, it just wasn't a good fit. It happens, and Cappy is back with us, no questions asked. As you can see, he made himself quite comfortable very quickly.

We had to make a few adjustments to our schedule, turn back on our Chewy autoship for treats (can't run out of those!) and food, and resume lots of walks and outdoor play time. It's going to be warm this weekend as well, so we're moving his outside bed into the full sunshine to maximize his sunbathing, and we'll probably get the kiddie pool set up for him today as well.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Foster Dog Cappy Has Been Adopted!!!

2026-05-10T12:52:00.001-05:00

Our 3+ month journey into the world of fostering ended the other day when Cappy was adopted. We met his new family and roamed and scampered around the play yard at the Oregon Coast Humane Society. His new family was perfect for him - understanding that just over a year old still means he's a puppy and comfortable with his snuggle buddy/Tasmanian Devil personality split.

Cappy let them give him lots of pets, played fetch and tug-of-war, and got tummy rubs too. We knew once the tummy rubs happened that this was going to be a good fit. We handed them a small gift bag we brought of Cappy's favorite snacks, toys, and a couple of Chuck-It balls. We gave him a few last pets, told him we loved him, asked him to be good, and he was off on his grand adventure. The last we saw of him he was riding off into the sunset with his new family, standing on the center console of the car trying to dole out some kisses.

This was our first foster experience and we learned a lot! We'll digest everything and decide what our next steps are as we look for a forever family member(s) and explore more future fostering opportunities.

Three Months with Foster Dog Cappy

2026-05-04T13:22:00.002-05:00

Our foster dog Cappy has been with us for three months now. He's changed and learned a lot in his time with us, and we've worked through some of his puppy behaviors with positive reinforcement and lots of consistency.

We've learned what he likes (all manner of snacks and treats, most toys - but especially Chuck-It balls, things to chew on, sunbeams) and what he's not fond of (early morning wake ups) and are able to let potential adopters know what to expect with him.

Though there may have been a few patience trying moments, Cappy is a really good boy and he strives every day to try to be a good boy. With enough walks and playing outside and some time to zoom in the yard, he's extremely well behaved. There has been some interest from potential adopters in Cappy and we look forward to helping him on his journey to his forever home.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Foster Dog Cappy Chasing Sunbeams

2026-04-10T10:20:00.001-05:00

Sunbeam season has started here on the Oregon Coast.

Our adoptable foster dog Cappy loves a good sunbeam and follows them around all day, indoors and outside. We try to periodically move his dog bed around the living room so he always has a soft cozy spot to bask in a sunbeam, but he is usually 2 steps ahead of us. There is a dog bed for him outside as well, but prefers to bask in the mulch.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Adoptable Foster Dog Cappy Learns Life Skills

2026-03-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

We've had our foster dog Cappy for nearly 5 weeks now and everyone is learning a lot. The humans are re-learning what it takes to tire out and entertain a 11 month old pittie pup. Cappy is learning about living in a home and all about how to be a happy family member.

He's mastered the electric blanket on the couch. It's his favorite spot in the house. In the morning after dog breakfast and people breakfast, he usually lounges there with Alycia as she has Zoom meetings. And again in the evenings after everyone has had supper and is ready to settle down, he parks himself on the couch with Alycia and has some evening snuggle time.

Cappy already knows about toys and enjoys destroying them, but is pretty good about not ingesting the toy. He still occasionally gets excited and picks up a sock or shoe and runs around with it, but we quickly try to redirect him and haven't had any sock or shoe casualties. We've made some toy purchases from Chewy (stuffed toys, rope toys, bones to chew) to provide plenty of options for things to satisfy his chewing urges.

It's been a whirlwind here this last month, but we're enjoying remembering what it's like to have a puppy in the house. And he's helping us get out of the house, by needing longer daily exploration walks and adventures on the weekend.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Foster Dog Cappy Gets Comfortable

2026-02-13T10:54:00.006-06:00

Our foster dog Cappy has been with us for almost two weeks now and is settling into our household and getting comfortable with our routine. He's really well behaved for an 11 month old pup, hasn't had any accidents, and is very receptive to positive training and treats.

We haven't had a puppy in our house in 15 years (and 30 pounds ago), so we're having to relearn the level of exercise, patience, and tolerance needed with a young pup around. It's a adjustment process.

We dug out all the toys that we've collected over the years that Shaak Ti and Shadowfax played with and then ignored. And we've bought a whole bunch of new toys (stuffed toys, rope toys), bones to chew on, and interactive puzzle games to get Cappy's brain working hard and help tire him out.

Cappy is available to adopt from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon.

Our New Foster Dog - Cappy

2026-02-04T09:25:00.005-06:00

Shadofax's passing left a huge dog sized hole in our hearts and lives. In the 18+ years we've been together there has always been a dog or dogs in our house and lives. Without dogs in it, the house felt cavernous, quiet, empty.

We've always been inspired by the devotion and selflessness of people who foster dogs and wanted to participate. But Shadowfax made it clear that she didn't want to share the house with another dog after Tito and Shaak Ti left us.

As a way to help us navigate life without Shadowfax and to help get a pup out of the shelter until they can find their permanent home, we started fostering Cappy, a 10 month old pup from the Oregon Coast Humane Society in Florence, Oregon. He's helping us deal with our grief from losing Shadowfax and we're giving him a place to hang until he finds his forever family, a win-win for everyone.

Cappy is a really good pup. It's been so long since we've had a young dog in the house that we've forgotten what it's like. There are sustained bouts of energy and enthusiasm followed by crashes and naps. He's also getting acclimated to our schedule and the sights and sounds of our household, a big adjustment for him that he's mastered quite well.

Saying Goodbye to Shadowfax

2026-01-27T09:58:00.000-06:00

We had to say goodbye to Shadowfax yesterday. She let us know that it was time. It was a peaceful and gentle transition for her to a place with no more pain. She can ramble about on steady legs and join Tito and Shaak Ti frolicking in the great beyond.

We'll try to compose a more fitting tribute to our companion of 15 years, but for now we're stuck with mourning the life of the best dog.

Shadowfax's Year in Review

2026-01-11T15:42:00.000-06:00

Shadowfax would love to leave you a review of 2025 in pictures. She's a pretty photogenic pup and as such there are lots of great photos of her. We've selected the best handful for you.

2025 had lots of trips in the car, quick drives to town to pick up the mail or stop by the local park for a sniff-n-stroll. We're always safe and secure in the car in our harness and seatbelt.

Some trips to the vet. Don't fret, we're pretty darn healthy for a 15 year old dog. Our medication list is now pretty long, and we have to chop up the pills into smaller bits. Those Vetmedin pills are pretty big!

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit three times during the year. They needed lots of help and direction in the kitchen. Shadowfax is a huge help.

Seriously, Shadowfax probably loves the Grandparents more than us. We might not be exaggerating on this one.

Lots of paying attention and looking pretty.

Lots of naps, some of them in sunbeams.

Other naps as needed. Lots of naps were needed.

There are also some great video posts from 2025:

Shadowfax slurping down a pup cup.

Shadowfax getting in some afternoon indoor play time.

Shadowfax is also world famous, thanks to all the wonderful readers of this blog and followers on Instagram and Threads. By our accounting she the most famous 15 year old deaf pittie on the Central Oregon Coast!

Where We've Been the Last Few Months

2025-11-07T11:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry in advance for the downer of a post. We've been quiet the past few months on the blog. My Dad passed away in late Summer and we've been dealing with all the repercussions of that. Travel, family, sadness, supporting loved ones, legal and financial obligations, some semblance of self care.

This photo is from Fall, 2024, the last time he was able to visit us in Oregon.

We'll have a longer post at some point honoring my Dad with some stories and memories, but for now we're in emotional hibernation as we try to keep life going while we allow for the grieving process.

Shadowfax Turns 15

2025-08-02T18:48:00.000-05:00

Shadowfax is 15 years old! Since she was adopted/rescued we don't know her actual birthday, but we got her in mid-November when she was 3-4 months old, which puts her likely birthday in July or August.

These were the first few photos we got from her foster mom Michelle back in the year 2010 AD. That feels like a lifetime ago. We posted gobs of photos and more photos of her puppy antics and daily ridiculousness.

Shadowfax did grow into her huge ears and giant noggin'. Sort of. At 15 she has some health issues (Cushing's Disease) and some cysts between her toes, along with the lumps and bumps that we all get as we get older. But at her regular vet visits they are always impressed with how good she looks for her age.

And she may not have the flexibility to sleep all tangled up in her bed like this, but we love her all the same. Actually we love more than ever, and each day with her is a pretty special gift.

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Is It The Weekend Yet?

2025-06-23T20:25:00.003-05:00

Shadowfax with her patented “Is it the weekend yet?” Bonus for completing the look with a disheveled ear. Well done Shadowfax.

Sorry kiddo. Sadly it’s only Monday, we’ve got a long ways to go until the weekend.

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Overnight Train Trip on the Amtrak Coast Starlight

2025-05-29T17:09:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago I took a trip down to Southern California to visit the family. I'd always wanted to try a long distance overnight train trip and studied up on the logistics. These are a few photos from the Coast Starlight Amtrak from Eugene, Oregon to Union Station in Los Angeles.

This is the interior of the train station in Eugene, Oregon. Small, quiet, safe, and a delightfully old-fashioned place to wait to board the train.

I booked a "Roomette" for the trip, a private space with two seats that folded down into a bed at night. There were lights, temperature control, an electrical outlet and just enough space to store one larger backpack or a small suitcase. I was traveling light an only had a backpack, so it worked perfectly.

There was additional luggage storage right outside my space if I had more bags. The restrooms and showers were also shared with other passengers and were both functional and tidy, and I didn't have to wait for either to open up, they were always available.

The train briefly meandered across bridges and along rivers in the Willamette Valley and then we were quickly in the forest. There was still plenty of snow and the winter scenery was lovely.

Other Amtrak trains have Wifi, but the Coast Starlight doesn't. There is cell reception for most of the journey, but no Wifi. If I was a committed worker I could have tried my phone hot-spot to see if I could get Internet and get some work done, but I chose instead to lounge around, read a book, and watch the scenery roll by.

I did take the round trip on the train and combined the photos in this post. The trip down started in the evening and so I missed much of the mountains going South, but headed North we were treated to numerous views of Mt. Shasta.

After passing through the Central Valley and the Bay Area there were lovely hills and pastoral scenes as we made our way to the California Coast.

Booking a roomette includes meals (including a drink with lunch and dinner) in the dining car. The food was OK, better than airline fare and considering the logistics of the moving train, served up quickly. The dining car has limited seating so you are joined with other folks at the four person table. I had pleasant conversations with people at each meal and really only struck out once with some odd dinner companions.

North of Santa Barbara the train tracks start following the coast for a few hours and there are great ocean views until the Ventura area.

The Coast Starlight ends at Union Station in Los Angeles. I still had to take another train to reach my final destination, but the layover was only an hour. Union Station is a great old Art Deco train station and there was lots to look at. It also happened to be the night of the Los Angeles Dodgers home opener, so it was a very lively place. But there were a lot of security all around the station, so it never felt unsafe.

The first overnight train trip was a great experience. The views were fantastic and it was nice to slow down and spend hours reading a book on a gently rocking train. We'll be taking the train again in the future and have already discussed a car-free vacation trip to Paso Robles or Santa Barbara for a long weekend.

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Indoor Playtime with Shadowfax

2025-05-04T19:26:00.005-05:00

Shadowfax at 14 years old is a different version of her younger self. But many similarities remain, like enjoying the “chase around the couch” game. Where we used to race around the couch at full speed and wrestle, now it's slower speed game and involves mostly her barking at me, and me trying to reach over the couch to touch her nose.

We've made posts before about how we made some modifications to our activities with Shadowfax and made some minor changes around the house. We still play with her but are more gentle with tug-of-war, slower with chase around the couch, try to keep her on the carpet so she doesn't slip on the tile, and make sure she doesn't over exert herself.

Oh what a silly pup. Shadowfax definitely enjoys letting the world revel in her glorious singing voice.

Shadowfax enjoys chasing us around and barking up a storm. It's all part of a happy home for this deaf pup.

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Grandpa Comes to Visit and Shadowfax Gets Treats

2025-04-10T19:55:00.002-05:00

Shadowfax got a whole lot of quality time with her Grandpa when he came to visit for a couple of weeks. She loves her Grandpa and he dotes on her with lots of attention and pets. And treats. So many treats.

Every meal was an opportunity for Shadowfax to demonstrate all the manners she had now completely forgotten. Every trip to the kitchen an opportunity to “help”.

It took Shadowfax about a day to forget EVERYTHING she learned over the years and become a shameless begging dog. In her defense why pine for a dog cookie or liver treat when there’s meatloaf, glazed donut bits, and cheese galore.

It was hard to be mad since she was exhausted, full and happy at the end of every day. Now to relearn some basic manners.

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Search Dog Lennie Being a Dog

2025-04-03T20:08:00.001-05:00

We posted previously about search dog Lennie and his handler. Lennie may have a very important job as a search and rescue dog, but he still gets to be a dog.

Lennie has three human siblings and four canine siblings and loves all of them. He gets plenty of attention, exercise and mental stimulation.

He also spends a lot of time hanging out in the neighborhood, visiting with the dogs and people alike. Getting to show off all his tricks, like “hug” and his very steady “sit”.

All that thinking can leave a fella pretty tuckered out, so there’s some crashing on the couch time built in to every day too.

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Shadowfax Has a Pup Cup

2025-03-23T13:30:00.002-05:00

We took a morning road trip and stopped by our local coffee shop for some coffee and a pup cup. Shadowfax enjoys her pup cups and looks forward to them. If we stop for a coffee she will whine and get impatient until she gets her pup cup.

We posted videos of Shadowfax slurping her way through a pup cup a few different times before since having her first one last year. We just never get tired of watching her enjoy herself.

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A Trip to the Doctor

2025-03-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

We had a recent health care visit about our awesome high cholesterol, and our post-visit notes from the health care provider stated:

"(Blog Author) is a delightful (age redacted) - year-old who has, I suspect a familial mixed hyperlipidemia."

This make me chuckle and smile. I haven't been called "delightful" in quite some time, maybe ever. Though admittedly I am indeed a delight, it was nice to hear this assessment from an unbiased medical professional.

One of the tough parts of living in a small town is health care. We knew this when we moved to this lovely slice of heaven on the Oregon Coast. Our small town has a clinic and is a great point of contact for primary care, but anything more complicated than a few stitches or a course of antibiotics we need to drive a half hour to the next larger town up the coast.

The larger town has a hospital with almost all the amenities, imaging, and care necessary for a more serious health issue - heart attack, fall from a ladder. If we need to see a specialist though, it's an hour and a half drive into Corvalis in the Willamette Valley, or a three plus hour drive into Portland, the big city.

We put up with minor inconveniences like this to enjoy the incredible surroundings seen in these photos. As we get older, our health needs may increase and we may rethink this trade off. But for now the price seems well worth the benefits.

Couples Furniture Assembly

2025-03-06T17:57:00.007-06:00

One of the few things we miss about our old house in Idaho was the gas fireplace insert that we had installed in the living room. Our new house doesn't have natural gas and we were missing the warmth and ambiance of the fireplace. I'd seen some entertainment centers with built in heaters that look like a fireplace, so we started looking and found one.

Plus our current entertainment center stand was a 20+ years old IKEA item and has taken a beating. It was actually a dog bed stand at our house back in North Dakota and provided a perfect perch for the dogs to look out over the neighborhood.

We haven't participated in the stereotypical "couple assembles IKEA furniture together and hi-jinks ensue" sitcom story line before. It actually went well and we were on speaking terms before, during, and after assembly.

Shadowfax helped. What she lacks in opposable thumbs she more than makes up for in her abilities to sigh disapprovingly and look bored.

Our project turned out quite well. The entertainment center and heater provides some ambiance on a cold evening and the heater helps keep the room nice and toasty. It's not quite the same as the gas fireplace insert, and doesn't put out as much heat, but it is much safer and looks quite nice. After all her hard work, Shadowfax took a nice nap in front of the new entertainment center.

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Traveling with Shadowfax - Car Safety

2025-02-16T12:52:00.006-06:00

We spend a lot of time in the car with Shadowfax, both on local trips around town and longer road trips. We're on the overprotective end of the dog guardian spectrum and want to make sure that everyone is safe in the event of any sort of accident. We try to harness our over-protective feelings to mitigate any possible issues before they happen, so we can have silly Shadowfax in the car pictures like this and still be safe.

There is no intention of shaming anyone who doesn't keep their dog restrained when they are in a vehicle, whatever works for your lifestyle, budget, or personal preference. My sibling and their spouse are first responders though and have numerous awful stories of what happens to pets in vehicles during accidents. Crates, harnesses, and seat belts are no guarantee of a safe outcome from a crash, but like people wearing their seat belts, safety measures can decrease the odds of serious injury or worse in a crash.

When we go on longer road trips or vacations, we take our slightly larger vehicle that fits Shadowfax's large wire crate. The crate is roomy enough that she has room to stand up, stretch out, and move around enough to make herself comfortable. On longer road trips we stop every few hours and take her out, let her walk and sniff and do some business, and just be out of the crate for a little bit.

On shorter trips into town we take our smaller vehicle. The back seat has a washable seat cover and we keep Shadowfax in her harness and attach a lead from the harness to the seat belt. She has freedom to move around the back seat, look out the window, and lay down, but is fully restrained.

Again, this isn't meant to shame anyone or make them feel like they are inadequate pet parents. This is what we do, it works for us. Nobody wants to be in an accident or think about what might happen to their pets, but life can happen at unexpected moments.

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Time Travel Back to 2014 - A Shaak Ti Video

2025-02-03T19:33:00.003-06:00

Let's hop in our trusty time machine and travel back to 2014. This is probably the first video we ever made of Shaak Ti using our iPad. Our camera work is shaky, unrefined, and needs significant improvement. Our technology and camera skills have improved dramatically since then.

We used to feel a little self conscious about taking a ton of pictures and videos of our dogs, especially out in public. But as time passes and dogs leave us, the photos, videos and memories are all that we have. We no longer care or feel self conscious and take every effort to document our daily lives. There will come a time when photos and videos will be cherished.

Shaak Ti loved a vigorous tummy rub and butt scratch session, you can hear her grunts of approval. While this may seem a bit rough, she loved being squished and manhandled. Loved it. We greatly miss Shaak Ti and think of her often. We were so glad that to have gobs of photos and videos to remind us of what an awesome little pup she was.

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