Deaf puppy Snowy learns sign language
A deaf puppy has learned to communicate with her master using sign language, the Telegraph reports.
Snowy, a small pure-white Jack Russell terrier, was handed in to an animal charity because her owners couldn't cope with having a deaf dog. However, she's made the news for learning a task that humans certainly wouldn't be able to accomplish at her age; she can understand sign language at the age of only four months.
Snowy can sit, stay and walk, by responding to hand gestures. Infact the pet has learned a vocabulary of different commands including stop, lie down, roll over, come back and walk on.
Staff at the Dogs Trust Salisbury in Newton Tony, Wiltshire, hope that they will now be able to find Snowy a home because of her newly-acquired obedience.
Her trainer, Leslie Carley, described Snowy as "the brightest spark" among the animals at the centre.
Mrs Carley, a support relations officer, said: "Snowy is very bright and learned remarkably quickly, so she's picked up half a dozen commands already.
"When she first came in she didn't have a clue what was going on and would chase around causing trouble.
"But she has these amazing big soft eyes that notice every movement and function better without hearing so she's picked up the sign language amazingly quickly.
"It's incredible that she's only four months old - but I suppose it's easy to teach a young dog new tricks."
The 3kg puppy was born into a litter of six and then sold to new owners who gave her back when they realised she was deaf. She became shy and withdrawn after being passed from home to home and ignored by her brothers and sisters in the litter and was eventually taken to the charity. She's expected to learn several more commands in the coming weeks which will give her a full vocabulary of dog terms.
The Telegraph's Peter Wedderburn explained that deafness in pets is surprisingly common, and that there's a very strong link between coat colour and the ability to hear. There are tiny "hearing" cells in the inner ear that are derived from the same embryonic cells that produce pigment in the body. An all-white animal has a deficiency of pigment-producing cells, and often that means that the specialised hearing cells are also absent. The general rule is that the more "white" an animal is, the more likely it is to be deaf. This applies equally to cats and to dogs.
A pure white cat with two blue eyes is almost always completely deaf. If the cat has a smudge of dark fur on it's forehead, it will often have hearing, and if it has green eyes rather than blue eyes, it's also more likely to be able to hear. In the dog world, a breed like the Dalmatian is more likely to be deaf if it has fewer spots: the purer white the dog, the higher the chance of deafness.
If a dog has partial hearing, in theory a hearing aid could help, and this has been tried in the USA. Unsurprisingly, most deaf dogs don't like having an object stuffed into their ear. A more effective but unrealistic approach might be a cochlear implant.
Anyone who feels they can give Snowy a home for life can contact the centre on 01980 629634 or visit the Dog's Trust.
Read more from Peter Wedderburn, here.
Comments
We have an 11 year old white Parson Russell Terrier who went completely deaf at around 11 weeks of age and became very nervous of almost everything as a result. Without really thinking about it she learnt sign language for a large number of commands and although she has not been an easy dog we have persevered with her and love her to bits. Very sadly she is now losing her sight and because of her nervous disposition we have reluctantly decided not to put her through the stress of advanced investigation as to whether the condition is operable. We know that when her sight goes altogether we are going to have to make a very painful decision. I should be grateful if anyone could let me know if they have had a similar experience with this breed. Many thanks.
Posted by: Nicola Smith | January 14, 2010 01:06 AM