Connie Bombaci has been in education for most of her life, but she may be best remembered for one of her most unique student: Hogan was a dalmation that she took into her family years ago – and Hogan was deaf, much like 9-22% of all dalamatians.
So, how do she communicate with her dog? She taught Hogan American Sign Language – and it worked.
“The second thing I taught Hogan was ‘cookie’. As soon as he learned that my hands were saying something yummy, he watched my hands from then on," recalls Bombaci.
Her efforts went worldwide because at the time, its was best recommended that deaf dogs , namely dalmatians, should be destroyed. This was a game changer, and her efforts got her, and Hogan, on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Jack Hanna, and Reading Rainbow.
Years later, Connie still teaches deaf dalmatians how to communicate – and with Judea now by her side, thousands of dogs now have been saved, kept alive, all because of a better way to communicate with them.
Her efforts can be found in the book “Hogan’s Hope”.