Contributing writer

By Mari Rodriguez*

I will never forget the Saturday morning our veterinarian’s office called to see if we might be interested in adopting a year-old deaf Dalmatian. It had been almost 2 months since we said goodbye to Lucky, and they knew we were starting to look for another dog to adopt.

Henry Keller, the Dalmatian. (Photo courtesy of Mari Rodriguez)

I was dumbfounded at first. A deaf dog? A Dalmatian? A male?

My husband and I had raised two dogs, both females, and they were “easy” mixed-breed dogs with pretty good manners and great dispositions. But I heard myself say into the phone, “I’d like to come down and meet him.”

An hour later, I was pulling into the veterinarian’s parking lot. I should have known that meeting any dog needing a home was likely to mean love at first site. I saw Henry Keller in an oversized kennel, obviously energetic. He jumped up on the bars to get a look at me.

He was the most striking dog I had ever seen, with his shiny black spots against a short white coat of soft fur and beautiful brown eyes that seemed to be painted in eyeliner. Dr. Betsy Bowerman showed me how Henry understood hand signals such as “sit,” “stay,” “down” and “come.”

Later in the day, my husband and I went back and took Henry for a walk and then learned about his rescue story. Henry was found on the side of a highway at night. He was 8 weeks old and weighed just 6 pounds. He was dehydrated, had a protruded rectum and was literally covered in his poop. He was probably hours — if not less — from death.

The veterinarian he was brought to, Dr. Kerrin Hoban, determined that the smelly dying puppy deserved a chance. She performed the necessary surgery, cared for him and soon discovered he was deaf. She bestowed upon him the fitting name of Henry Keller — this Dalmatian was not just deaf, but also very bright and quite mischievous — and taught him sign language.

Needless to say, we have given him a permanent loving home.

Last October Henry turned 4. The past 3 years have taught me a lot about humility and compassion as well as a newfound respect for the term “special needs.”

Henry is not an easy dog. Dalmatians are strong-willed and tend to be smarter than their owners. Henry more than once opened the refrigerator with his paws, getting into whatever he could from the bottom shelf, including Christmas leftovers. We have since Henry-proofed it by rigging a bracket at the top that works sort of like a seatbelt.

A deaf dog’s other senses are heightened, and it is part of my job to keep this from causing Henry unnecessary stress. For instance, too much going on visually easily overwhelms him. This could be a group of people walking by our car with a baby stroller or a surfboard. He used to bark like crazy at them, but now he rides in a covered crate in the back of our car, so he isn’t exposed to these normal everyday things that cause him uneasiness.

He doesn’t like puppies much. Their energy level coupled with their lack of manners isn’t something he can cope with. When we come across puppies at the beach or dog park, we wave and give them a wide berth.

But Henry sees the world a lot like I do — in an excited, curious and hopeful way. He loves to get the thumbs-up sign, which means, “good boy!” I cannot imagine my life without this rescued wonder-being, who has inspired me to new heights.

Because of my relationship with Henry, I have decided to give my life over to helping animals. This spring I will open The Honorable Dalmatian, a retail store to be located in Santa Cruz (CA) that will give 5% of its proceeds to animal groups. The theme of the store, from its colorful logo to the causes it benefits, is hope — hope for a better world for animals.

I understand when people tell me they are struggling to keep a deaf dog. But today there are lots of resources out there (see below) to help. With information and some knowledge in sign language, a richer, funnier and even more meaningful life is awaiting for all deaf dog owners and their best friends.

Henry Keller did that for me. I thank him every day.

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Deaf dog resources

• Deaf Dog Education Action Fund
• Spirit of Deaf Dogs
• Deaf Dogs: Living with Dogs Who Are Deaf

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* Mari Rodriguez lives in Santa Cruz, California. Her store, The Honorable Dalmatian, will sell women’s recycled clothing, animal-themed art and jewelry, coffee, gifts and cards. The store is also on Facebook and Twitter.