The story below is from our March/April 2019 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Photo above: Kenn Bell (Courtesy of Christina Lee)
Christina and Chris Lee have brought national attention to their organization, Deaf Dogs Rock, while helping deaf and blind dogs across the region.
The Salem Animal Shelter was a frequent stop for Christina Lee.
Camera in hand, she visited the shelter to photograph dogs to post on her Facebook page to help them find homes. But nine years ago, a routine shelter stop changed her life.
She met a 10-week-old white boxer puppy named Nitro. Nitro had just arrived at the shelter after he was found near the Roanoke River on a cold November day. He was deaf.
Lee had never before owned a deaf dog, but after showing pictures of Nitro to her husband, Chris, both agreed–they had to have the puppy.
Fast forward to today, where the Lees have helped more than 3,000 dogs like Nitro find homes through their growing nonprofit, Deaf Dogs Rock. The nonprofit, which Christina Lee runs, lists on its website deaf and blind dogs for adoption throughout the country.
That’s not all. Deaf Dogs Rock provides a wealth of online information and training tips for owners of deaf dogs, from videos showing how to teach canines sign language commands to specialized leash training. The nonprofit also uses the money that it raises to sponsor these dogs into rescue operations nationwide, vetted by the Lees or local shelters.
“It’s my job to advocate for the dog, above all else,” says Christina Lee, who formerly worked in advertising.
The nonprofit’s mission is to keep deaf dogs out of shelters, where they could be euthanized, and to equip owners of deaf dogs with training tools.
“So often, a deaf dog shows up in a shelter, and it’s at risk. It can’t get the care that it should have,” says Chris Lee, who is a math professor at Roanoke College.
Their work and training videos have garnered much media attention, locally and nationally. This past winter, they were featured in American Kennel Club’s magazine. Christina Lee also was invited to appear on Hallmark’s Home and Family show (she declined because of the West Coast travel distance). Last April, The Dodo, a media company that creates animal videos and other shareable pet stories, featured Deaf Dogs Rock’s story. It went viral, with nearly 128,000 views just on YouTube.
When the Lees adopted Nitro, they searched frantically online for deaf dog training resources. They watched videos to learn American Sign Language and read articles. But largely, the resources were slim, they said.
Along with puppy training courses, they began teaching Nitro American Sign Language commands. It wasn’t long before a local television station heard about them and wanted to do a story about the boxer puppy who was learning sign language.
The story was picked up by national news wires, and soon the Lees were getting messages from people across the country asking them questions about how to train their own deaf dogs.
Christina Lee knew she had to do something. Deaf Dogs Rock’s website was born in 2011, and the nonprofit launched in 2012.
Initially for the Lees, there was much to learn about owning a deaf dog, including communication differences. For example, deaf dogs may not pick up on certain social cues from other dogs, such as growling, because they cannot hear.
The upside is that sounds, such as fireworks or thunder, do not bother deaf dogs, as they may hearing dogs, says Christina Lee. Also, some deaf dogs may not bark as much as hearing dogs, she says.
Still remembering that they are a dog first is key, says Chris Lee.
“They are a dog first, a breed second, and they are deaf third,” he says. “You don’t let their deafness define them.”
Christina Lee manages the nonprofit’s daily work, answering questions via email, monitoring dog postings on its website and visiting deaf canines in local rescues to help with training. She also regularly stops at Angels of Assisi, a private animal shelter in Roanoke, to work with deaf dogs placed there. She taught the Angels of Assisi trainer sign language so that they can work with deaf dogs.
“What she has done has brought about an awareness” of deaf dogs, says Lisa O’Neill, executive director of Angels of Assisi. “Typically, deaf dogs are misunderstood in a shelter.”
Deaf Dogs Rock also provides funds to help with medical care for deaf canines at Angels of Assisi’s pet clinic.
Since 2011, the Lees have committed much of their lives to finding homes for deaf and blind dogs and helping the pets’ families. For three Sundays a month, Christina Lee transports dogs to rescues using the Deaf Dogs Rock van, often driving a route between Wytheville and Salem.
At their home in Salem, the Lees have a fenced outdoors area for people to bring deaf dogs to socialize.
And of course, they have four deaf dogs of their own–Bud, Bowie, Cornell and their newest addition, Axl Blu, a boxer puppy from Ohio. That’s in addition to two other dogs, two horses and 10 chickens. Nitro passed away last November.
One evening in January, the Lees sat inside their spacious living room with a dog nestled under each of their arms. They said they hope to see Deaf Dogs Rock continue to grow.
They also want to continue to celebrate the canine who started it all. This year, they launched Nitro’s Fund, a new area for the nonprofit’s fundraising dedicated specifically to deaf boxers and their families.
“We want to keep Nitro’s memory going,” says Chris Lee.
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