It all started with Homer.
A big lug of a dog, the mostly white Australian Shepherd was the Kiburz family’s beloved pet.
Rick and Karen Kiburz adopted the blind pup from a rescue group that had taken him in but didn’t quite know how to handle the little guy who’d just spin in circles.
“We harnessed him to our old husky,” Karen says. “She taught him how to walk.”
Taught him so well, in fact, that neighbors didn’t even realize when Homer strolled through the neighborhood on his walks that he couldn’t see.
“He was the best dog,” Karen says.
Homer died three years ago, at 13½. When the family — which includes daughters Ellie, 12, and Maddie, 8 — was ready to bring home another pet, they sought out rescue group Amazing Aussies Lethal White Rescue of Arizona, based out of Mesa, that specializes in dogs with vision and hearing defects, the result of poor breeding practices. Australian Shepherds, Catahoulas and Border Collies are some of the dogs that have merle coloring, a mottled pattern. They can end up with a white coat and have other abnormalities when two merles are bred.
In the summer of 2014, the Kiburzes fell for Flower, a charming deaf and blind puppy with a freckled nose. Pretty soon they realized the exuberant, playful Flower needed a buddy. They reached out to Amazing Aussies and when founder Jim Kilgos brought Molly for them to meet, he happened to have with him 8-year-old Leya, who sports a pretty awesome mohawk. The Kiburz family took them both.
“It wasn’t planned,” Karen says of the double adoption, but she didn’t think blind and deaf Leya had much chance of finding a forever home at her age. “How can you not?”
But Molly is more the mothering type and Leya has anxiety issues, so Flower still needed a playmate. Enter Marney.
With one good eye and ear and boundless energy, she gives Flower a run for her money.
And that’s how the Kiburz family ended up with four dogs, all visually and hearing impaired.
Not exactly the best guard dogs. But, Karen points out, they don’t chase rabbits either.
“For what they lack, they make up in so many other ways,” Karen says. “People don’t understand what good pets they are.”
And they make pretty entertaining video subjects, too, if you ask Ellie. She has some footage of Flower attempting to ride a broom as it pushes past. In another video, Flower snoozes soundly while a loud vacuum is just inches away from her.
“This is how you know you have a deaf and blind dog,” Ellie says over the roar.
Their pack of pooches is a mellow crew, but they all love their morning walk with Rick to escort Ellie to the bus stop. Two walk in front, two walk in back and while it can take awhile to get going again if they stop, everyone navigates fairly well.
For Karen, who works part time for a company that makes respiratory products, and Rick, a pharmaceutical rep, the question isn’t why they’ve adopted disabled dogs but why wouldn’t they?
“They’re just like any dog — they just want to be loved and petted and fed,” she says.
Karen shrugs off any notion that they’ve done something special.
“We just adopt,” she says and then Ellie finishes with a smile, “because they’re suckers.”
