Scientists have now discovered that some dogs have a gene found in humans. this gene is the one that causes albinism in both dogs and humans. The dog that they have been studying is the albino Doberman Pinscher, which doesn't happen very often, and is not allowed to be registered in the AKC Doberman registry, due to the color.
Sometimes, these dogs can have vision problems, and are more apt to contract skin cancer; as is also the case with albino people.
Even though other animals also produce albinos, apparently this gene is different than the one usually found in horses, deer, or other animals that can produce albinism. Or perhaps, it is the same type of gene; but the research simply has not been done enough to determine this yet.