Oh Gibbie

Oh Gibbie

A Celebration of Life and Love for One Special Girl!

Written by Julie Murray, Headwriter

Photography by Stono Tides Photography

This has been a bittersweet year for the Lowcountry Dog Magazine crew. During Pet Fest, we had over 200 people enter their dogs in the Lowcountry Dog Cover Model Contest. The dogs were all winners and it was a pleasure meeting all of their families. It was up to me and a few other staffers to narrow the field down to 25 finalists and I’ll tell you what, rarely have I had such a tough time making a decision! It was fun to look through all the photos and to see so many animals who are truly loved. Over 6500 people voted in our Cover Contest and the winner was a beautiful and sweet white boxer named Gibbie. We announced Gibbie as the LCDM Cover Dog at the May the Dogs Be With You Festival at Deepwater Vineyards and Gibbie and her family were SO excited. She got her very own photo shoot with professional photographer Olivia Chewning from Stono Tides Photography. Gibbie was living her best life!! Sadly, a few weeks later we got the devastating news that Gibbie had passed away due to complications from a splenectomy. This news was even more shocking, considering Gibbie's prognosis was very good.

Through our sadness for this loss, I tried to find a silver lining. This was a special victory because not only was Gibbie absolutely gorgeous and so delightful, she was also deaf. Because of a quirk in genetics, white dogs have a greater chance of having hearing deficits. Often if a breeder finds out a pup is deaf, they decide to euthanize because they see deafness as a “defect”. In a rescue dog, this can also make it tougher to find an adopter. Luckily Gibbie met just the right person who realized her condition made her special - owner Kim Gruber. Kim told me that years ago when she decided to get a dog she knew that she wanted to rescue because she wanted to show love, care and affection to an animal that had been given up and needed a forever home. In her search for the right dog to rescue, Kim came across Gibbie. At first she was worried about having a dog with hearing problems. So many things came to mind - how would they communicate? How could she call Gibbie if there was danger? She did some research and found out that there are trainers who work specifically with deaf dogs.

Gibbie's family made "Vote for Gibbie" shirts

They help owners and their dogs learn visual cues to correct or modify behaviors and to allow you to interact with your dog. Animal Lovers of Edisto Canine Rescue referred Kim to Susan at Purely Positive training. She worked with them to find a system of training that worked for the family. Other than a few caveats, training a deaf dog is very similar to training a hearing dog and both types of dogs love feeling safe and secure, cared for and being part of a furever home (all things that Kim provided in spades).

Gibbie's Contest Photo from Annual Cover Model Contest at Pet Fest

Kim said that after she and Gibbie learned to communicate and got to know each other better, they started doing all kinds of things together. Gibbie loved to go on long walks in the neighborhood, smelling all the smells and delighting in the sights and this encouraged Kim to do even more. She met more of her neighbors and got lots of exercise and fresh air. One of their favorite things to do together was run 5K races, like the Hippie Dash. They also enjoyed going to their local dog park and meeting new friends so Gibbie could run and play just like hearing dogs. Kim also found out that some of the minor league teams in Charleston had special nights when dogs were allowed at the games and she and Gibbie enjoyed many Stingrays and Riverdogs games together.

Kim with Gibbie at our May the Dogs Be With You Festival

In 2017, Kim wrote an article on Gibbie for The Edisto News and she had some wonderful things to say about being Gibbie’s mom. “Over the years I’ve had Gibbie, I’ve come to learn so much about not only her specific needs but about other differently abled animals and people. Owning Gibbie has opened my eyes to a much bigger world than I originally thought existed. And now I have a dog that lavishes me with affection, and greets me at the door with absolute love and joy. Several years ago, I decided to get a dog. Not just any dog, but a rescued dog named Gibbie. And she rescued me.”

All of us at Lowcountry Dog Magazine thought Gibbie was an amazing dog and our hearts go out to her family during this tough time. With this issue, let’s celebrate Gibbie’s life and remember that what makes us different makes us special.