Happy tails (with video)

A welcoming committee barrels down the lawn of Duane and Cristene Justus’ home in Hauser when a vehicle pulls into the driveway.

White and gray coats fluff in the breeze and a few excited “woofs” can be heard. Several of the curious canines lift their snouts to the air so they can find their ways to the fence to say “hello” to their guests.

Before long, the black iron fence at Double J Dog Ranch is lined with pink, white and black noses, ready to catch the scent and interact with the newcomers. Their furry faces and wagging tails express their excitement to make new friends.

Deaf, blind, deaf and blind or otherwise impaired, the canines at Double J Dog Ranch are perfect in every way that matters. This is the heartfelt sentiment of Duane and Cristene, who open their home to special needs dogs.

“They don’t know they’re any different, and I love that about them,” Cris said.

It all began with Bunny Bumble, a petite double Merle Australian shepherd who entered their lives in 2009.

Cris said a friend of theirs who worked in an animal hospital called and said a breeder brought in an 8-week-old Australian shepherd puppy to be euthanized because the breeder thought no one would adopt a blind and deaf dog. The vet at the clinic had the owner relinquish the rights, so they needed a foster for the puppy. Cris happily agreed to take her.

“Bunny came, and Duane and I looked at Bunny, this little cottonball,” she said. “We looked at each other, and we said, ‘We’re not going to foster her, we’re going to keep her.’”

Bunny motivated Cris to research her breed, a “double Merle” Australian shepherd, sometimes called “lethal white.” A double Merle gets a homogenous stamp of the Merle gene. This means 25 percent of the offspring of two dogs with the Merle gene can wind up deaf, blind or both. Double Merles can also exhibit behavioral issues, such as obsessive pattern running and tail chasing.

“There’s other anomalies that go with it, but that’s basically what it is, it’s the breeding,” she said.

Cris and Duane already had a blind German shepherd from Afghanistan and a three-legged German shepherd when they got Bunny. Bunny opened a whole world of special canine love for the Justuses. They now have 17 dogs, eight of them adoptable, and each one with his or her own unique personality.

Among the double Merle Australian shepherds that frolic at the Double J Dog ranch are others, such as Eli, the straight-legged German Shepherd; a Boston Terrier named Barnaby who has a wild tongue and liver shunts; Marshall, the deaf and visually impaired white border collie; the overly affectionate blind English lab Frank the Tank and the very sweet new additions, 8-week-old Angel and Cheeto, who are blind and deaf Australian shepherd mixes.

“We consider ourselves a halfway doghouse,” Cris said.

Their property is tailored to allow the dogs freedom to roam, interact and come and go as they please. The Justuses have a conditional use permit for their property through the county and city which allows them to have more than the usual five-dog limit.

“When is it too many? When there aren’t any at risk of dying in shelters or being passed around on Craigslist,” she said.

Double J is a nonprofit sanctuary and serves as a re-homing center. Cris and Duane have adopted out nearly 30 special dogs in their mission to give them chances at a good life. They network with rescues and shelters across the United States and Canada, but Cris said local dogs are always the priority.

“In animal advocacy, people are networking all the time,” she said. “We don’t look for dogs at all. There’s no reason to because I get requests near daily to take dogs. Unfortunately, I can’t take them all, but every time we’re able to find a great home for a dog, I can bring another one in.”

Duane said it’s a great feeling to be involved and the ranch is constantly evolving. He admits that he gets deeply attached to the dogs, especially a cattle dog mix with a heart condition he fondly calls “Cowpoke.” She is scheduled to be adopted soon.

“Luckily, it’s a friend, so I’ll get to see her,” he said.

Cris and Duane agree that the dogs will have good days and bad, but the rewards of taking care of them are worth it.

“Never in our wildest dreams when we started doing this did we realize what a need there was for these dogs,” Cris said. “It has gotten bigger than we ever imagined.”

The couple owns Justus Trading, buying and selling grain commodities. Cris actually hired out her position to be with the dogs all the time.

“There’s just too much to do now with too many dogs to not be doing it 24/7,” she said. “Otherwise it’s just not fair to the dogs.”

She and Duane have trained the dogs through touch, hand signal and leash communication. They make sure they are properly vetted before they adopt them out. The “big dog house” barn allows them a safe, enclosed place to sleep at night, with access to the main house at all times. Dogs have gone through acupuncture and aqua therapy to help with behavioral and physical issues. And Duane and Cris will admit some of the canines get to sleep on their bed.

“We make them part of the family,” she said.

Theresa Upton is a neighbor and employee for Justus Trading. She volunteers when the dog ranch needs her.

“This is what we do, and it’s just hard to say. You just get emotional,” she said. “It’s too much to put into words. All you can do is pat your heart.”

Duane, Cris and some dogs from the Double J Dog Ranch will be at the Rock’n and Walk’n Hauser fundraiser Sept. 13 with their “Woof-Wagon” and possibly their “Smooch Booth,” an old-fashioned kissing booth where people can “try their luck” to get a smooch from a pooch.

“It’s too hard to put into words the hard work and devotion, unconditional love they have for these animals,” Upton said. “No thought for yes or no or anything. It’s just amazing.”

Special canines can be adopted for a minimum donation of $100. Visit Double J Dog Ranch on Facebook or visit www.doublejdogranch.org for information about the ranch, the fundraiser or how to donate.

“They are great family pets,” Cris said. “They’re really smart dogs, perfect in any way that matters.”