We took in a couple of double dapples from Oconee County a couple of weeks ago. They had been turned in by their owner, and came with their breeding papers.What an adventure we are having. (At least, I’m trying to look at it as an adventure, rather than a tragedy.)
One of the dogs, Blossom, had no apparent issues.
The other, Bree, has the full gamut of health issues associated with double dapples, which are the offspring of 2 dapple dogs. (You can read more about what this means at this link. ) The fact is, many puppies born “double dapple” are blind, deaf, both, or worse. Breeders who create these puppies consider the destruction of those puppies as a cost of doing business.
Bree on the day he came to DREAM
The bottom line is that this pattern should NOT be recognized by the AKC, and should NOT be bred by anyone. It is far too dangerous to the puppies.
I hope you’ll consider doing the following:
1. contact the AKC and ask them to stop accepting double dapple registrations.
2. not patronize any breeder who offers double dapples, even if you are not buying a double dapple yourself. (You know, as a rescuer who deals with the downstream effects of the high population problems we have, I’d prefer you not patronize breeders at all, but if you must, at least do not finance this practice).
I don’t know if we will be able to help Bree. Having him in the house is like having Helen Keller, so he needs a special foster home, and right now I don’t know who that is. He can’t communicate with us, and we can’t communicate with him. The other dogs running around scare him. He picked one of the other dogs and constantly humps him in what I imagine is his only feeling of control. He is frustrated and reactive, and cannot settle himself down. He snatches at food, because he also can’t smell very well and he’s afraid he’s going to lose out when he finally does smell something yummy. It’s like he’s having a 24/7 anxiety attack. Then add the other health issues — cushing’s disease, heart murmur, undescended testicle (and we can’t neuter him yet because of all the other risks — ARGH!)
We have found a trainer who will work with Bree so he can learn sign language with the little sight that he has. I hope that will alleviate some of his anxiety. He will go there in the next day or so. His cushing’s medication is beginning to work. He is having X-rays today to understand what is going on with his heart, and how dangerous it would be to neuter him.
We are trying to do right by this dog. He loves people, he loves to be held in a lap. His life is worth something.
Somewhere out there, a home awaits. A quiet home without too much activity to startle him. A patient person who will learn his sign language. A soft bed for him to lie in next to his person. Is that really too much to ask for a little deaf dog?
The world says yes, but we, at least for now, say no. We will keep trying with him as long as we can.
Bree is doing so much better! The wonderful guys at Frogs to Dogs training helped him tremendously. He is now in a foster home and doing great. We are still working on getting the Cushing’s disease and heart murmur under control.
What a cuddler he is. He will make someone a great little companion.
Hi! Wanted to let you know I adopted a rescued double dapple over a year ago. She is deaf but otherwise seems to be fine. She was passed over to a person at a Wal-mart from a teenager whose mother rescues collies and put out a call to a person who handles dachshunds. Initially she was very hyper and nervous. I have other dachshunds and at the time an older dog that was part lab (Sweet Pea). Between Sweet Pea and the one male dachshund — Butler — she was able to settle down and feel at home. She is guidely largely by her nose and tends to still be a bit hyper and getting into things. I have adjusted the whole environment to make it safe for her as I know she doesn’t know any better. She makes us laugh. She LOVES baths. (Apparently the young girl had bathed her alot and not “hearing” actually makes her less fearful.) I have taught her some sign language and tend to always pick her up to hug and “mouth” kisses onto her neck and face and top of her head so she can FEEL the love directly as opposed to my hearing dachshunds knowing by the love in my voice as well as hugs and kisses that I love all of them. God bless anyone who will “step outside the comfort” of the normal love and carry the love onto these special ones! Her name is Faith and she is quite gentle in her interactions with me. Best wishes for much success! Kim
Thanks so much for your comment, and especially for your opening your heart and home to your little double dapple! Faith sounds a lot like Bree. He too was very nervous and hyper at first, and he will probably always have some of that nervous energy, but it is amazing to see him now “out on the town.” He greets everyone he meets with a waggy tail and a big smile. He is very social and loves new people! His cushing’s medication seems to be working and he’s a lot healthier. He’s really a funny, quirky little guy with tons of personality. I hope he finds a home like your Faith’s soon.
I am so glad to hear that Bree is doing better. And I hope he finds that special home. He reminds me a lot of our Helen. We adopted her when she was 8 weeks old. She is now 2 1/2 and she is a completely blind double dapple. She has added so much love to our family and now I can’t imagine life without her. She gets along fine, runs, fetches her toys, speaks for treats, swims, etc. She has 2 sighted sisters (peekapoo and maltipoo) and they helped so much with her acclimation to our home and office. We own our own business and they go to work with me every day. And we got a camper several years ago just so our dogs could travel with us. These special needs dogs are truly special and deserve all the love and attention that other “normal” dogs do.
Hi,
I just wanted to tell you that it is absolutely possible to have a happy deaf and blind dog! we adopted a senior dalmatian that was already blind in one eye, supposedly from an object. Turns out he had glaucoma, and we couldnt stop the other eye from going blind. He was older, yet did just great adapting. Some tips, up to you if you want to use them
Besides the usual stuff like not moving your furniture, teach your dog a lot of tactile signs. always communicate, tell him “stairs/steps” each and every time. tell him “dinner” every single night. everything. guide him through new places the first time, and then allow him to explore alone after that. when waking him up, gently put your hand up to his nose and let him wake up that way. Don’t pet him until he is awake. tap him on the shoulder indicating which way you want him to go instead of just pulling on the leash. My dog loved being the leader, walking ahead of me knowing that I would just tap on his left/right shoulder when he veered off course. Communication is key! “Talk” to him constantly. You’ll find his anxiety dropping at least some. With his cushing’s disease, the cortisol in his blood is a major cause of anxiety. But at least this way, he won’t jump up thinking there s a fire! Best of luck, and how lucky is he to have found you!
My family and i already have one completely blind and deaf Double Dapple that we rescued. We named her Helen Keller and she is the sweetest dog. She is happy as can be and is unconditionally loved. Bree sounds precious and he has caught our attention. Can someone please tell me where Bree is currently located? Thankyou
HI all — thanks for your outpouring of love and support for Bree. He is still in his foster home in Decatur, Georgia. His heart improved enough that the vet felt comfortable neutering him, and that has helped him feel better too. (A neuter surgery takes only 7 minutes, so is pretty low risk for anesthesia-related complications.)
A wonderful family is interested in adopting him. But we just found out that he has thyroid cancer. He is going to UGA Vet School’s oncologist tomorrow. We hope that it will be a simple tumor removal and he can go on his way to live out his life with a loving family. (How many families are willing to take a little sweetie with Cushing’s, heart murmur, stressful behaviors, and now cancer?) Hope you’ll follow us on twitter @DreamRescue — we tweet often about Bree. Wish us luck tomorrow.