Here's someone you haven't seen in a while ... our wobbling, dancing girl Soba. I took these photos on Sunday afternoon. Soba is the one who was born with cerebellar hypoplasia, which means her cerebellum -- the part of the brain that helps with motor skills and balance -- wasn't fully developed. Soba came to us many years ago from a shelter in Iowa, along with her sister Noodle, who we subsequently lost to another medical condition.
Cerebellar hypoplasia can happen if the mother contracts a virus while pregnant, and it can affect the entire litter in different degrees. In Soba's case, one brother in the litter was almost completely paralyzed, one was unaffected at all, and the three puppies in the middle of the spectrum -- including Soba and Noodle -- had varying degrees of it. Noodle was hunched over and could only walk in short bursts, then tumble over.
Soba, on the other hand, though distinctly compromised in her coordination, rarely falls over and prefers to get around under her own power. We tried wheelchairs with Soba and Noodle a long time ago but found that Noodle's body was too bent to use one effectively, while Soba chafed at being confined to the wheelchair and wanted to be free to wobble and dance around.
The funny thing is that Soba, the most physically challenged of our animals these days, still considers herself the watchdog of the pack. (She says, "Hey, at least I can see, unlike those other guys!") So she'll be quick to start barking as soon as anyone shows up in the driveway above the dog yards.
Whoever is visiting will look down at the barking dog, who is wobbling and looking like she's going to tip over at any moment, and ask, "What's wrong with that dog?"
"Nothing," we say. "She's just been drinking again."
(Yes, then we go on and explain.)
In the photo at top, you can see the wide stance of her front and back legs. As a puppy, cerebellar hypoplasia dogs learn to make these kinds of adjustments to increase their stability. They also use their tails a lot more for balance, so their tails are frequently in motion. Here's another view of Soba:
She doesn't stay that way for long, but it's the classic stance for a dog with cerebellar hypoplasia.
New Shelter Challenge Contest -- Please Vote for the Farm!
The latest Shelter Challenge started Monday, January 7 and ends on April 28. Grand prize in this round is $10,000, $3,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
*** You will find us listed as Rolling Dog Farm. The state is NH for New Hampshire. ***
Please remember, you can vote every day ... consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
We just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the last contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Thank you for your votes!
Wow!! It's great to see Soba again, I have her sister Chelsea who has luxating patellas, but no other physical issues.(her mental issues are myriad) Seeing Soba makes me miss her brother Jack, who I also had. He also suffered from CH and epilepsy. Sadly, he passed from a grand mall seizure while I was out running errands several years ago. I have always wondered how the girls would react to each other, as Chelsea LOVED Jack and protected him like a baby...
Posted by: Lisa Clark | February 21, 2013 at 05:36 PM
So glad to see Soba so happy!! Your wobblers have always been my absolute favourite! Especially Allie, do you still have her??
Posted by: Kylie | January 30, 2013 at 09:15 PM
It is so nice to see Soba again. Thank you for the posting
Posted by: Ev | January 17, 2013 at 05:52 AM
Oh, Soba! I sure fell in love with Soba & Noodle! I know Bindi (a.k.a. Nevada) LOVED playing with those wiggly, wobbly sisters, and I adore the photos you have in your archives of them together. I'm glad Soba is doing so well. She looks healthy and SO happy! What a good girl! :-)
Posted by: Cassie Betz | January 15, 2013 at 09:33 PM
It was so nice to have a blog featuring Soba. It has been a while since we've seen her. She certainly looks happy. It's obvious she likes being the watchdog. So glad to see that she's doing well and enjoying life, thanks to you and Alayne.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | January 15, 2013 at 09:17 AM
Absolutely adore Soba!
Posted by: Glenda | January 15, 2013 at 06:56 AM
It's very nice to see Soba! What a beautiful girl, and a happy one at that, which is the most important thing of all. Keep on dancin' Soba!
Posted by: Ann | January 15, 2013 at 01:56 AM
Do you still have Smokey the wobbler? I know you lost his brother Charlie, but wasn't sure if Smokey was still part of the pack or not.
Posted by: Heidi, Emmett the Beagle, and Moxie the kitty | January 14, 2013 at 09:02 PM
Nice to see Soba again! She looks very happy. I'm always struck by how outward-focused dogs are, compared to people. Their attention is generally fixed on whatever they are currently observing, and they don't seem to notice their own physical difficulties. As long as they can eventually get where they are going, so that they can investigate that fascinating smell, they are happy. Glad Soba is doing well and has appointed herself to an important post in the household!
Posted by: Tonya Allen | January 14, 2013 at 06:47 PM
Soba was one of the first dogs at RDR years ago when I started following you all. It is good to see she still takes her "perimeter security" job seriously.
Posted by: Bob | January 14, 2013 at 06:10 PM
I am delighted to see Soba again! It's so good to know she's doing well. As the happy owner of two cats with cerebellar hypoplasia, I have a soft spot for other animals who have it, too. Soba's a beauty, and the snow highlights her pretty coppery color.
Steve, what became of Soba and Noodle's brother, if you know?
Posted by: Moon Rani | January 14, 2013 at 03:32 PM
We have a cat with CH and he too has that typical stance. He's very funny when he attempts to run full out but the sweetest little man ever! Everyone who meets him instantly falls in love with him.
Posted by: Kelly | January 14, 2013 at 02:15 PM
AND SHE LOOKS INCREDIBLY HAPPY - JUST LOOK AT THAT SMILE. SO THE SAYING GOES "YOU JUST CAN'T KEEP A GOOD DOG DOWN". THANKS FOR SHARING AN UPDATE STEVE.
Posted by: FELICIA | January 14, 2013 at 01:28 PM
So good to see Soba again. She is a very pretty dog. Glad she 'has a job' as watchdog...Good girl keeping an eye on things.
Posted by: Anne in FL | January 14, 2013 at 01:23 PM
Bless her heart. The wagger still works though!
mamma heartbeat
Posted by: Heartbeats | January 14, 2013 at 01:02 PM
I love Soba! It is so good to see her again. She is the standard bearer for the beauty of just being yourself.
Posted by: Linda Murphy | January 14, 2013 at 12:47 PM
What a wonderful surprise to see Soba in your post today. I just love when you give us updates on long time residents. Soba is so beautiful and I always chucked at her and her sister's names!! Speaking of chuckle - I almost choked on my banana at ".. at least I can see.."
I wonder if y'all still have wobbly Allie~
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | January 14, 2013 at 12:29 PM
I just love, love red heads! Soba and Roo are a lot alike.
Neither one wants to be confined to a wheelchair! They figure they don't need it and don't understand why we can't see that. I dust Roo's off and think of all the money I could have saved if only she had told me she wouldn't use it!!! Go Soba!! :) :)
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | January 14, 2013 at 12:00 PM
It is so nice to see Soba again! We ended up adopting our CH foster kitten last June and that is her standing still (well for her) stance also.
Posted by: Karla | January 14, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Soba is beautiful any way she stands!
Posted by: Mary H./Washington state | January 14, 2013 at 11:21 AM
GREAT to see Soba--what an amazing dog with so much SPIRIT! Another example of a happy dog who gets to live her life out happily at RDF who otherwise would have been another statstic! Give her a big hug from us! Thank you Alayne and Steve!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | January 14, 2013 at 11:15 AM