Illyria's person

Hello, I'm Millshre and my pet is Illyria a deaf, rescue, Australian Shepherd. She's nearly all white which is sometimes referred to as a lethal white as she was the result of breeding two blue merle dogs. A lot of times dogs like her are euthanized by breeders because they often end up deaf or blind or both.

Our Illy has been with us for about 7 months and she is now a little over 2 years old. When I first saw her at the adoption event I was heartbroken because I immediately fell in love with her and assumed she belonged to the lady walking her around, as she was not with the other shelter dogs. The second she saw my son who was just a year old at the time, she licked all over his face and he squealed with glee. I made my husband go and ask about her and we were so a happy to hear that she was, in fact, available to be adopted. She was considered "special needs" and thus hard to find a family for.

She is delightful. Her first couple of months were a little rough. She had a lot of separation anxiety and would leave messes everywhere when we left the room without her. Forget leaving her here a lone. We finally got some confidence built up in her and now she's much better. She stays in her crate if we leave and doesn't lose her mind if we close a door in the room we're in without her.

She loves to chew on her toys, never chews on things that are not hers, thinks she's a lap dog, and is learning some signs. So far she has nailed "sit", "shake", and "outside".

I can't imagine having chosen another dog!

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Hello Millshre, welcome to the forum.

It is so nice of you to adopt a deaf dog. How does a deaf dog act any different from a normal dog? I am curious.

It's horrible to hear that the breeders often euthanize these dogs because they "might" be deaf or blind. We don't euthanize people with disability, do we?

It's good to have you here. Enjoy your stay as a part of this community!

Hi! And thanks.

It is very sad that breeders can disregard such adorable little lives just because they aren't as easy to sell. That's why we only rescue as opposed to buying from breeders. Not that all breeders are bad, I'm sure.

As far as how she's different, not much. Obviously, she can't hear us call her or give her commands so we're learning how to deal with that. She knows signs but you have to go up to her or find a way to get her attention to get her to come to you to communicate with her. It's also kind of funny at the dog park because she loves to run and to get other dogs to chase her but when they stop, she'll keep running because she can't hear that they're not behind her.