HUMPHREY

Introduction

All Dalmatian Rescue is run by Jan Gent (founder member) and Sue Hemmings. Jan Gent has been successfully re-homing dogs for over 30 years and has a `knack` for matching the right people to the right dog. Sue Hemmings adopted her first Dalmatian, Disney almost 11 years ago, she trained him herself to a very high standard (at that time information on training a deaf dog was non-existent). She has since taken on and trained a further 17 deaf dogs (aged between 10 weeks and 15 years) and 7 hearing dogs (sadly some of the dogs have now passed on, but a number have lived to almost 18 years of age). All the deaf dogs, even the very old ones, learnt to respond to hand signals.

The Issue of Deafness

Research has shown that approximately 8% of Dalmatians are born deaf, but in the past no one has ever really wanted to address the issue of deafness within the breed. Indeed, so called 'experts' still brush the problem under the carpet by arguing that deaf puppies should be destroyed when hearing tests show them to be profoundly deaf and recommending that deaf adults that come into rescue should be euthanized. However, there are no sound reasons for destroying a dog just because it is deaf. Deaf dogs can make wonderful pets and there is no limit to what can be achieved with the right training and understanding, as Humphrey's story illustrates. Indeed, deaf dogs compensate for their deafness by fine-tuning their sense of sight, smell and touch.

Setting up the Rescue

All Dalmatian Rescue was set up about five years ago to address this issue and to take over from a Dalmatian rescue kennels that went into decline (Jan and Sue had both adopted deaf dogs from the kennels in the past). Sadly the closure of the kennels was not a happy one, with some 16 Dalmatians and two other dogs being removed from the premises. All the dogs were in a very poor condition. Some of the dogs were successfully re-homed in spite of their terrible ordeal, but Sue and Jan took in the remainder, most of whom were too old, too frail or not suitable for re-homing.

How All Dalmatian Rescue Operates

The rescue operates across the UK and is run as a 'home to home' service because it does not have the facility or the resources to take dogs into kennels. Only in cases of real emergency (where a dog is likely to be euthanized) is it able to offer a foster home (a few people who have had a deaf dog in the past will step in to care for the dogs under these circumstances). The rescue does not have any funding, and sadly receives very few small donations. Any donations received go towards paying for the cost of neutering entire dogs, as the rescue insists that all of the dogs that they re-home are neutered as no deaf dog should ever be bred from. Unlike most other organisations, All Dalmatian Rescue does not have an army of people to man telephones or undertake other tasks, but Jan or Sue will always endeavour to return any calls received as soon as humanly possible.

Vetting Process

The rescue accept that not everyone can or should have a deaf dog and are very careful to vet the homes their dogs are placed in. Jan and Sue ensure that prospective owners fully understand the complexities of what they are taking on; provide them with comprehensive information sheets and during the first few weeks a dog is in its new home regularly call and check on the dog's progress. Once a dog has settled, they are always available to provide help, advice and support.

The Re-homing Approach

All Dalmatian Rescue have a clear criterion: to place the right dog into the right home. Unlike other organisations the rescue does not place restrictive conditions on who can have a dog, but endeavours to match dogs to owners based on years of experience and extensive owner checks. Dogs have been successfully placed with families who have young children; with people who have to go out to work and in homes that already have dogs of the same sex as the dog that needs to be re-homed. This approach has led to a 99.9% success rate, so that dogs stay with their new owners for the rest of their lives. However, on the very rare occasions where a dog does not settle into its new home, immediate steps are taken to remedy the situation. Many clients return for a second or third deaf Dalmatian as they know of the joy of living alongside these `special` boys and girls.

All Dalmatian Rescue are happy to be of assistance to other rescue centres that have a deaf Dalmatian to re-home. In these circumstances experience suggests that the dog will the placed faster if staff at the rescue centre vet any prospective owners, but it is suggested that the prospective owners are then asked to contact All Dalmatian Rescue so that they can be provided with information sheets and support.

The rescue also offers to help breeders who find themselves with deaf puppies. However the Jan and Sue believe that if someone chooses to breed a litter of Dalmatians, for whatever reason, they are then TOTALLY responsible for the welfare of ALL the puppies they produce. Destroying puppies because they are deaf is not only heartless, but an easy way of avoiding this responsibility.

Conclusion

It is a sad fact of life that the majority of deaf Dalmatians taken into rescue are bred by unscrupulous breeders and 'puppy farmers' who breed for profit and do not bother to have their puppies tested for deafness. These puppies are then sold to well meaning people, who, because the puppies do not respond, think that they are stupid, stubborn or un-trainable. By the time they realise that the pups are not responding because they are deaf, the pups have become young adults who have become switched off to humans. These are the type of dogs that Jan and Sue spend most of their time re-homing, however time and again they have proved that most problems can be overcome if the right home is found and the new owners are provided with the correct advice and support.

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