Does anyone know why some breeders "euthanize" their deaf puppies?

[gatorfan85]

I didnt know where to post this but I know some of the EBN members are breeders and some know breeders. I only know one EB breeder and she hasnt had a deaf puppy in her litters but i have been told second hand by alot of people, vets ect., that most breedres euthanize deaf puppies. Does anyone know why? I have contacted a few local breeders about a deaf puppy and most seem offended. Its not the end of the world and it doesnt make them a bad breeder to produce a deaf puppy. These things happen its like a couple having a deaf child. difference is you cant breed because it can pass on to offspring.

 

[sheshistory]

I can only guess that a breeder would assume that no one would want a deaf puppy and the puppy would have a difficult time getting along in the world without being able to hear, a skill dogs and owners rely on to help make them into good pets.

I am not advocating the practice, but I am certain some breeders could rationalize the pup never being able to live a good life or perhaps, since they could not sell it, they would not want to or be able to shoulder the responsibility of a special needs animal.

 

[gatorfan85]

I can only guess that a breeder would assume that no one would want a deaf puppy and the puppy would have a difficult time getting along in the world without being able to hear, a skill dogs and owners rely on to help make them into good pets.

I am not advocating the practice, but I am certain some breeders could rationalize the pup never being able to live a good life or perhaps, since they could not sell it, they would not want to or be able to shoulder the responsibility of a special needs animal.

I can see your point. Although i've had two deaf dogs one a 3/4 Eb/ 1/4 olde and an american bulldog. My hybrid who I have pics in my album of was bought from a breeder i didnt know he was deaf until he was about 4-6 mnths old ..i just thought he was stubborn lol. After I found out he was deaf my baby learned over 18 signs and it never bothered him a bit that he couldnt hear. My deaf american bulldog i recieved from a breeder knowing she was deaf. She too knew many signs and had no change in life quality due to being deaf. Even more so that someone stole her.... I am trying to get my ducks in a row to start a "safe haven" for deaf Bully Breed pups in the future. They not only make excellent companions and pets but with hightened senses of vibration and smell could be useful as working dogs and can also make great therapy dogs.
I have even taught most of my fur-babies their commands using hand signals.

 

[bullmama]

I would not euthanize a deaf puppy. I don't think that would be considered life threatening in any way- if I could not find a good home I would take on the responsibility until I did.

This is what upsets me about some breeders- it's all business. Why would they not find a good home instead of killing it? They made the puppy! I could understand if it was life threatening or something, but even then my heart is just too big I would have a hard time making that kind of call.

 

[gatorfan85]

I would not euthanize a deaf puppy. I don't think that would be considered life threatening in any way- if I could not find a good home I would take on the responsibility until I did.

This is what upsets me about some breeders- it's all business. Why would they not find a good home instead of killing it? They made the puppy! I could understand if it was life threatening or something, but even then my heart is just too big I would have a hard time making that kind of call.

I agree completely!!

 

[sheshistory]

I can see your point. Although i've had two deaf dogs one a 3/4 Eb/ 1/4 olde and an american bulldog. My hybrid who I have pics in my album of was bought from a breeder i didnt know he was deaf until he was about 4-6 mnths old ..i just thought he was stubborn lol. After I found out he was deaf my baby learned over 18 signs and it never bothered him a bit that he couldnt hear. My deaf american bulldog i recieved from a breeder knowing she was deaf. She too knew many signs and had no change in life quality due to being deaf. Even more so that someone stole her.... I am trying to get my ducks in a row to start a "safe haven" for deaf Bully Breed pups in the future. They not only make excellent companions and pets but with hightened senses of vibration and smell could be useful as working dogs and can also make great therapy dogs.
I have even taught most of my fur-babies their commands using hand signals.

This is probably something that is sorely needed and it's great you're taking this on. In a perfect world, all breeders would understand their puppies as living beings but, to some, they are commodities - and what do you do with damaged goods?

It was a similar situation with Truman's breeder. Truman's hip popped out of socket at 10 weeks and was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. The breeder said he would take him back and euthanize him - he didn't have the time, money, or energy to take care of Truman's special needs even though he was not in life threatening danger. I understood and asked for the money back with the understanding I would take care of Truman's future needs and he agreed. We didn't sign up for a special needs puppy but we got one and it takes a lot of time, money, and energy to make sure he gets and stays healthy and strong as possible. More than one vet recommend we euthanize him before "we get any further into it." I hated seeing Truman hurt, I hated spending $3,000 on a surgery that may or may not work, but, in the end, I didn't have the heart to not give him a chance. In my mind, when Truman came into our home, we took on every responsibility that came with sustaining and giving him the best life possible.

Not all breeders share this responsibility toward their dogs and I suspect many have too many dogs to devote the time and energy to one special puppy that needs help - be it deaf, disabled, or whatever. It sounds like an incredible amount of work to take care of a deaf dog. I mean, sometimes trying to train a dog that can hear is hard enough, so I am sure many people and breeders just aren't equipped.

A tough issue, for sure. When you get things ironed out, let us know if there's anything we can do to help!

 

[gatorfan85]

I dont understand why their fail safe is always euthansia...makes me sick to my stomach. [MENTION=860]jillh10[/MENTION] they are actually easier to train as long as you start early, they also have vibration collars that are very useful. I am in the process now or well have been for almost 3 yrs since my hybrid passed of finding another deafie, preferably a puppy so I can record his progress with learning and let people see they are just ordinary dogs. This puppy would be my advocate to start my rescue group, kinda like the animals spokesdoggie lol.

 

[lexterwayne]

i did not know that some breeders do this, yes i understand it would take extra time to train a def dog but if its starts out deaf then the pup doesnt know any better. the litter that lex came out of one of his brothers became blind in one eye around 3 or 4 months old never asked what happened though we just watch lex's eyes really close. she still has him guess no one wants a blind puppy, which at first he was needing drops like 8 times a day and now its 2 to 3 times which isnt bad. just so glad she didnt put him down just cause of one eye!! now a deaf puppy would of course need a owner that is willing to work w him on signals and everything. just makes you wonder, if you have a kid that goes deaf are you gonna put them down?? thats the same thing as what these people are thinking and doing to the poor puppies.

 

[gatorfan85]

i did not know that some breeders do this, yes i understand it would take extra time to train a def dog but if its starts out deaf then the pup doesnt know any better. the litter that lex came out of one of his brothers became blind in one eye around 3 or 4 months old never asked what happened though we just watch lex's eyes really close. she still has him guess no one wants a blind puppy, which at first he was needing drops like 8 times a day and now its 2 to 3 times which isnt bad. just so glad she didnt put him down just cause of one eye!! now a deaf puppy would of course need a owner that is willing to work w him on signals and everything. just makes you wonder, if you have a kid that goes deaf are you gonna put them down?? thats the same thing as what these people are thinking and doing to the poor puppies.

That is great that she kept him. If i get another EB I would like it to be deaf. Not that I dont like non hearing impaired ones lol I would rather give one a home that needs the attention and can benefit from my exp. Before we got Mr.Beefy I emailed and called alot of breeders locally to see if they had special needs pups, deaf,blind, cleft and one did respond but the puppy passed before we could make arrangements or the breeder could decide whether she could handle the care. Like you I wonder if they would do their kids the same way... just discard them if they weren't defect free. I mean the reason they do it is not cost,time,money its about their reputation. Who wants to be known as the breeder who produces puppies with defects. What they dont think about is they are destroying a life and there are people out there who know that sometimes these things happen and it doesnt mean there is anything wrong with their litters. I had a woman from a rescue tell me something that made my stomach turn when I asked her about information on stating a safe haven(rescue) for puppies that are born deaf . Giving the breeders a safe and private alternative so they dont think that euthanasia is there only resort. She told me that it would be taking away the breeders responsibility for the "problem" they had created. I was speachless

 

[sheshistory]

i did not know that some breeders do this, yes i understand it would take extra time to train a def dog but if its starts out deaf then the pup doesnt know any better. the litter that lex came out of one of his brothers became blind in one eye around 3 or 4 months old never asked what happened though we just watch lex's eyes really close. she still has him guess no one wants a blind puppy, which at first he was needing drops like 8 times a day and now its 2 to 3 times which isnt bad. just so glad she didnt put him down just cause of one eye!! now a deaf puppy would of course need a owner that is willing to work w him on signals and everything. just makes you wonder, if you have a kid that goes deaf are you gonna put them down?? thats the same thing as what these people are thinking and doing to the poor puppies.

I see your point - it is very unfair and unfortunate and I don't advocate euthanasia for special needs puppies but I don't think it's fair to equate puppies with kids - we don't allow people to breed and sell children. Most breeders probably make a very modest profit on their litters and having a special needs puppy that is not able to be sold probably erases that.

I think the best we can hope for is that breeders will act responsibly and consider adopting the special needs puppy out as an alternative to euthanasia and [MENTION=355]gatorfan85[/MENTION] creating a possible outlet for these breeders is probably really helpful in facilitating this course of action.

 

[gatorfan85]

[MENTION=860]jillh10[/MENTION], i think it would atleast give them a choice. I would take them from birth , I work from home and do my college classes online so I have the time to put in for care and I'm sure there are other people out there like me who would do the same. The expense is no different caring for a deaf puppy than for a non deaf one. I have only met one breeder who took responsibilty for deaf puppies and would seek proper homes for them.. I wish more breeders would do that but they dont and its sad.

 

[arimaeis]

I fostered this girl for three months. She is a blind and deaf Great Dane named Pumpkin. She had a sibling that was also deaf. They are both the result of breeding a Harlequin to a Harlequin, it can create a condition called Fatal White.

I don't agree with the euthanasia of deaf pups but I can also understand the point of view that sometimes it's better for the well being of the dog. Both Pumpkin and her brother ended up in horrendous situations because of their disabilities. Her brother went to a good home but managed to pull the leash out of his owners hand and did not see the visual cues or feel the vibration cues that where being given to him as he ran into the street he was hit and killed.

Pumpkin ended up living on a back porch for the first two years of her life, skinny and ignored because her owner was not experienced enough to train her or care for her needs properly. She has since moved on to a fantastic home with a family that has previously cared for a blind and deaf Dane.

If every deaf puppy could be guaranteed a home where they would be safe and could be trained well and managed I'm all for saving every one of them, but there are so many deaf dogs being born that finding them the proper home is hard to do.

 

[gatorfan85]

I fostered this girl for three months. She is a blind and deaf Great Dane named Pumpkin. She had a sibling that was also deaf. They are both the result of breeding a Harlequin to a Harlequin, it can create a condition called Fatal White.

I don't agree with the euthanasia of deaf pups but I can also understand the point of view that sometimes it's better for the well being of the dog. Both Pumpkin and her brother ended up in horrendous situations because of their disabilities. Her brother went to a good home but managed to pull the leash out of his owners hand and did not see the visual cues or feel the vibration cues that where being given to him as he ran into the street he was hit and killed.

Pumpkin ended up living on a back porch for the first two years of her life, skinny and ignored because her owner was not experienced enough to train her or care for her needs properly. She has since moved on to a fantastic home with a family that has previously cared for a blind and deaf Dane.

If every deaf puppy could be guaranteed a home where they would be safe and could be trained well and managed I'm all for saving every one of them, but there are so many deaf dogs being born that finding them the proper home is hard to do.

That is horrible and its a shame that people neglect them like that, in most cases the people arent informed that the dog is deaf. Therefore they think the dog is untrainable and a burden. It breaks my heart becaue deaf dogs are SOO INTELLIGENT and have great potential when given the proper tools as with any dog. I give you a big KUDOS for fostering a deafie most people wont even consider it.

 

[lexterwayne]

growing up we had a dog that when he got old he went deaf and blind, since he grew up at our place he knew where everything was and if we moved something somewhere else he would run into it cause he knew it wasnt supposed to be there... he adapted really quick w his changes he started smelling a yr later and ended up having to put him down he was getting miserable a friend of mines rotwieller got shot and ended up only having 3 legs when we were riding horses he would be out there w us running right along side the horse. dogs will learn to adapt prolly better than a human would when loosing a leg or eye or going blind.