The dog you see your neighbor walking down the street, or the cat that rubs against your leg and purrs, might be deaf. The puppies you cuddle are all deaf, but as they grow and become hearing one of their brothers or sisters may never become hearing. Yes, dogs and cats can be deaf too! Some breeds actually have a propensity for hearing loss. In the case of dogs, some people believe that if a dog is deaf, it should be destroyed because of the effects of the hearing loss; others have disproven this by successfully training deaf dogs.
Issues and Articles
Issues
There are also behavioral concerns. The Dalmatian Club of America's position is that deaf pups should be "put down." This position is outlined on their web site. The June 1994 issue of Deaf Life magazine addressed the "destroy versus raise issue" of deaf Dalmatians. In addition, the Deaf Dog Education Action Fund website has a FAQ page that addresses the issues involved with deaf dogs, calling them "myths" and explaining why the myths are not true. An About visitor pointed out that there have been no studies comparing the behavior of deaf dogs to hearing dogs.
Articles
Dr. George Strain has written a long article on congenital deafness in dogs and cats. The article also includes a short list of references, and a table showing the prevalence of deafness in certain dog breeds. Another table lists susceptible cat breeds, affected by the "white" gene associated with deafness in cats.
Strain's article covers the types of deafness, the genesis and genetics of deafness, diagnosis, and the issues involved for breeders/owners when a dog or cat turns out to be deaf. For example, there is a greater likelihood of death from being hit by cars because of the inability to hear the vehicles coming.
Deaf cats were the cover story in the February 1992 issue of Deaf Life magazine.
Resources
Books
The owner of a deaf dog (Susan Cope-Becker) has written a book on living with and raising deaf dogs: Living with a Deaf Dog. An About visitor also suggested Barry Eaton's Hear Hear! A Guide To Training A Deaf Dog.
Support Groups
People who find that their pet is deaf or who are willingly raising deaf pets, have discussion lists that they can turn to for information and support:
- DeafDalmatians - As the name implies, this is a list for people caring for and raising deaf Dalmatians.
- DeafDogs - This is a broader, large discussion list for people who have deaf dogs of any type.
Advocacy
The aforementioned Deaf Dog Education Action Fund (DEAF) is an organization that advocates for deaf dogs, trying to prevent their destruction.
Identification and Training
The DEAF web site addresses identification and training. Another article, "Why the Deaf Dog Barks" explains how an owner or breeder can identify hearing loss in a deaf dog.
Deaf (Pet) Pride
Many people who have deaf pets are proud of them and want to show them off! Profiles of deaf dogs and cats are plentiful on the web. Here are but a few:
- Directories - DeafDogsAtlas - On this web site, subscribers to the DeafDogs discussion list (and others) post profiles of their dogs.
- Personal Pages (There are MANY out there; this is not an endorsement of any particular pages) - Pogo, the Little Deaf Dog - Personal site of a Jack Russell dog, the emphasis on this site is on how "normal" the dog while providing some information on deaf dogs.
Adoption of Deaf Pets
About Deafness/HOH has a Frequently Asked Questions page, "Can I adopt a deaf pet?" for those who are interested in adding a deaf pet to their household.
With so much information, support, and resources available, owners and breeders who discover that a dog or cat is deaf, or knowingly take in a deaf pet, have a better chance of keeping and raising the animal with love and confidence.
