Laid Back Boy
Due to his calm demeanor, Karl was very popular with the kids. His size also made them feel safe and protected as he was so big. A K9th-Circuit program manager by the name of Lauren Brimmer compared Karl to a biker, “As soon as the kids realize the biker is there for them, they want the biggest one they can find,” she said, “And I think it’s the same with the dog”. In addition, Karl wore a blue cap when he went to court which gave his appearance a more relatable and silly look that helped the children feel calmer. There is one girl that Karl helped the most.
Laid Back Boy
Difficult Communication
Training Karl was quite the challenge due to his deafness. Joanne had already 3 boxers who were therapy dogs before she adopted Karl. With that, she had never trained a deaf dog. Dogs who cannot hear need a different kind of training as they can’t hear the commands said. This leads to a need in eye contact which can be problematic with an excitable puppy. Shouting is useless when they are running around as it won’t catch their attention at all. In order to train Karl, Joanne had to think in a creative way to figure it out.
Difficult Communication
