This is both National Dog Week and International Week of the Deaf.  Organizations devoted to making life better for deaf dogs have declared it Deaf Dog Awareness Week and we are joining with them in celebration.

Dalmatians have the highest incidence of deafness among dog breeds. It is estimated that 30% are born deaf in one or both ears. We have taken a number of deaf dogs into rescue over the years, and placed them with great success. We believe they deserve a chance to live out their lives in loving homes, where they are well cared for and understood.

Deaf dogs have four other senses which serve them well and they possess the full range of canine emotions. They enjoy the world and the company of their own species. Like other dogs, they love and are devoted to the humans in their lives.

Deaf dogs are capable of being trained and learn in the same way that other dogs learn, through operant and classical conditioning. They are experts at reading our body language, and experts at using their nose.

Please visit our pages on Facebook for more information about deafness in Dalmatians and about living with deaf dogs.

Other links:

Deaf Dog Education Action Fund

Spirit of Deaf Dogs

Last week we took a very handsome four-year-old boy into rescue. He had been relinquished to a shelter in Chicago earlier in the week. A volunteer had contacted us about him. Although she knew little about this dog, she said he seemed to be a very nice boy. We agreed to take him. One of our volunteers drove to Chicago to pick him up.

Dalmatian in Chicago shelter

Most of our Dalmatians come from shelters, and often we know little about them. Animal control is run by counties, and every shelter is run differently. Sometimes the shelter has a veterinarian on staff, as well as experienced employees and volunteers who are trained to do temperament testing. More often, there is no veterinarian, few employees, and many volunteers, all of whom may love animals but who have little or no experience in judging temperaments or behavior.

This boy was left at a shelter that gets thousands of dogs every month. When dogs arrive, they are given one basic vaccination and then put in a kennel. That’s it. There is no evaluation, no human company, nothing more. Kennels are hosed down daily with the dogs inside of them. Dogs leave the kennel to be adopted, go to humane societies or rescue groups, or to be euthanized.

We have taken in 355 Dalmatians over the past ten years. Nearly all have been healthy, happy dogs that did well in their foster homes, were adopted, and lived, or are living still, happy lives. A few have come to us too old or too ill be adopted and those have remained in their foster homes until the right time came to send them to the Rainbow Bridge.

Until last week, we had euthanized only three dogs for aggression towards humans. This boy became number four. For him, a human hand meant trouble, and he lunged and snapped, and even tore clothing. He was clearly not going to be adoptable, and was even too dangerous to keep in an experienced foster home. We did take him for a nice long walk in a green field, and gave him lots of chicken treats before he died. Our hearts broke and we shed tears for him. This is never, ever, an easy decision, and it is never taken lightly.

This boy had clearly been severely neglected. Some of his nails were so long that they curled around under his paws. His urine was the color and consistency of mud. While he must have been uncomfortable, he did not appear to be in pain and his condition cannot explain his behavior. We have taken in dogs that have been hit by cars and have serious injuries but who nevertheless had wagging tails and gave plenty of kisses.

We know nothing about this boy’s background, but our best guess is that he was severely abused in addition to being severely neglected. Was he punched and kicked on a regular basis? Did someone use a shock collar on him, or use other sorts of pain-inducing “training” tools? We will never know. It was clear that this mistreatment was done long enough and intensely enough to change him into an extremely fearful dog.

Ending a dog’s suffering is sometimes the most humane thing that we can do.

What we do know is that dogs love humans, and ask little of us in return. It is up to humans to treat dogs kindly, learn as much about them as possible, train them with love, and share the joys of life with them. So that this poor boy’s life was not in vain, do one wonderful thing today for the dog that shares your life: a nice long walk, a special treat, a rollicking game of fetch. Let your dog know that you care.