JARRETTSVILLE, Md. — The dogs confined to kennels bark in unison at the prospect of receiving attention, yet at least one suffered in silence.
“He was a handful and the being deaf thing didn’t help,” recalled Atticus Fagan.
A few years ago, Fagan first encountered Kobe, a deaf pit bull, when he began working weekends at the Humane Society of Harford County.
“He actually was not a dog that I liked very much, because he didn’t like going back into the kennel,” Atticus told us, “He had anxiety. He still does.”
But over time, Atticus began working individually with Kobe, coaching him to react to some basic sign language and introducing him to a vibrating collar to enhance their ability to communicate with each other.
He even began fostering Kobe at his home in Jarrettsville overcoming the sound of silence.
“Because of just the anxiety that he has, we didn’t feel super comfortable sending him to just anyone, especially a first-time deaf dog owner, a first-time dog owner at all,” noted Fagan. “I think that his best chance was with me, because I don’t know how long he would last otherwise.”
Ultimately, the two developed a special bond and Fagan has now adopted Kobe, ending his long-term confinement at the shelter and overcoming the long odds of a deaf pit bull finding a forever home.
“Yes, I think that definitely worked against him,” said Erin Long, the marketing director at HCHS. “But I love that Atticus was teaching him hand signals and trying to help him as best he could and then he just fell in love and I think it’s wonderful.”
A bond built through time and trust leaving Atticus and Kobe both left wondering who saved who.
“He’s everything I need right now. He’s very important to me and he’s meant a lot to me for a long time now,” Fagan said. “I have a lot of anxiety, myself, and just having a presence there that loves me as much as I love him… that really means a lot.”
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