Connie Bombaci - Hogans Hope: A Deaf Heros Inspirational Quest for Love and Acceptance

April 10, 1992March 31, 2008

Mamas Boy

There are none so deaf than those who refuse to li sten.

(adapted) Mathew Henry, Commentaries, (1708-1710)

HOGANS HOPE

A DEAF HEROS INSPIRATIONAL QUEST FOR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE

CONNIE BOMBACI

HOGANS HOPE

A Deaf Heros Inspirational Quest for Love and Acceptance

Copyright 2017 Connie Bombaci.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-1460-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1461-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1462-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017900445

iUniverse rev. date: 02/04/2017

Contents

A union made in He aven .

Connie is one of the sweetest, nicest people I have ever met in my life. Years ago she came to see me with her handsome Dalmatian dog, Hogan, who, like so many Dalmatians, was deaf. Connie loved him as much as anyone could love a dog, or a person for that matter. He was indeed a lucky boy to find himself in such a loving home. Connie did not treat Hogans deafness as a weakness, which of course it is not, but devoted herself to learning to communicate with him using American Sign Language (ASL). This became an all-consuming project and Hogan, being a very intelligent dog, caught on quickly. One of the signs she used was the one for I love you (two middle fingers touching the palm of an open hand). Hogan knew the sign and what it meant. He also knew his own namethe first two fingers held together and pointing sidewayssignifying H. And so much more. It was a beautiful thing to see the two of them so closely bonded and understanding each other so perfectly. One problem was that Hogan could not see Connies signs when he was out of sightsay upstairs. So Connie devised a vibrating collar to communicate with him that dinner was ready and he would come bounding down to get it. All was well in the Bombaci household. Connie and Hogan both learned so much together that she made it a mission to teach other dog owners that their deaf dogs were not stupid when they looked blankly at their owners trying to get some message acrossthey were just not hearing. Connie tried and succeeded in communicating with so many of them about what could be done to help their dogs understand their silent world via the medium of ASL. She would drive miles to attend gatherings to demonstrate the wonders that she had discovered by working with Hogan and the two of them became celebrities here in the Northeast.

A day came when a problem struck. Connie woke up to find Hogan tearing around the living room floor and then jumping and diving at unseen creatures beneath the floorboards. It was as if there were imaginary rabbits scuttling around the floor and disappearing down imaginary rabbit holes. Connies first thoughta mouse infestation with mice running around under the floor boards. But, after careful investigation, Connie and her husband found there were no mice. So what had suddenly caused Hogan to behave this way? No one knew. That was when she brought Hogan to see me. I had seen this behavior before, and it is referred to as light and shadow chasing, a canine compulsive disorder. I am certain that deafness predisposes a dog to this visual compulsionnot that it exclusively affects deaf dogs. Theres no solution to the deafness so we had to work with other strategies. More exercise and more mental occupation were high on the list of suggestions I made. Accordingly Connie built an agility circuit in her back yard and worked with Hogan every day teaching him many new tricks. They both had fun in this endeavor and Hogan gradually improved. I must admit, an anti-compulsive medication helped pave the way for Hogans turn around.

One day, I was called to the Oprah Winfrey show and asked if I had any interesting behavior cases to demonstrate. Hogans case immediately sprung to mind. I asked Connie if she would come to Chicago with Hogan to appear on the show and Connie, true to form, said yes, never wanting to miss an opportunity to demonstrate Hogan the wonder dog and how deafness need not be a great handicap. I flew to the show but Connie drove from New England to Illinoisbecause she thought flying would stress her dear boy. I agreed. On the stage, in front of the nation, Hogan and Connie impressed everyone, including Oprah, and the show was a great success. Since that time Connie and I have remained great friends bonded by mutual respect and admiration. I encourage all of you to dive into this wonderful book and learn more about this intrepid pair. It will teach you about the beauty of a perfect relationship between two completely different species and the oneness of life on this planet as well as the power of love and persistence against seemingly stacked odds. Sit! Read! Enjoy!

Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman

Professor Emeritus, Animal Behaviorist

Tufts University, Boston MA

As a person who was owned by dogs for many years, it was a pleasure to meet a special creature named Hogan, a beautiful Dalmatian, and completely deaf, as sadly, a number of the breed are. But Hogans wise and patient companion Connie had taught him American Sign Language! Hogan understood not only his master but a range of commands by anyone skilled in ASL. Remarkably, Connie brought her friend into a much richer, wider fellowship with us humans, and likewise, us with him. I treasure the memory of meeting that very sweet dog.

Dennis Murphy

Dateline NBC Correspondent

Winner of five national Emmy awards for excellence in news reporting

There are a lot of dogs. Some are good dogs. Few are great dogs. You have known an epic dog.

Michael Bower

Former Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine.

To observe and feel the relationship the author had with Hogan and, in fact, with all of her dogs, was something not often seen between human and canine. It was as though Connie could step inside Hogan and know what he was thinking and feeling. Her and Jims response, in fact the entire crowds response, to Hogan running free for the first time ever is a moment that is frozen in time in my memory. Both my husband, Tom, and I knew that they had just given Hogan the gift of a lifetime.

Trina Bianchi

Partner, Injoy Lure Coursing LLC

Hogan was a special and amazing guy, perhaps an old soul, always knowing and guiding the ones he loved to overcome his handicap. I think maybe he taught us about so many things in so many ways.

John Ouellette, D.V.M.

Madison Veterinary Hospital

With love I humbly express my appreciation to all those who selflessly offered their gifts and talents in helping me realize my goal of writing Hogans Hope . I marvel in the number of wonderful folks who brought support and encouragement. I praise our Lord for His abounding love and for bringing everyone into my life. His guidance through His word made it possible for me to tell this very special story.