Dot

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Interested in understanding more about what a day in Dot’s life looks like? Follow her on Facebook at Dot & Dingle Do New England! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564125651581

Before PAWS New England: Dot and Dingle were born while in rescue to a foster in Memphis, who rescued her very pregnant momma and several other dogs from a hoarding situation—dogs were everywhere, running around, uncared for.

Dot’s vision and hearing loss are due to her parents carrying the dominant Merle gene (Dot is referred to as a double Merle). The Merle gene can most easily be recognized in that pretty marbling coat color and blue/brown eye combo you see in many Australian Shepherds and other breeds. The Merle gene basically controls pigmentation, resulting in light colored fur and irregular coloring that looks like marbled bleaching. While Merle dogs are attractive and a big moneymaker for breeders, when two dogs with this gene are bred, each dog in the litter has a 25% chance of being born partially or completely white in coat color, along with some sight and hearing impairment.

Unfortunately, double-Merle pups like Dot are frequently euthanized for no other reason than the thought that they are not desirable. Fortunately, the foster who rescued her pregnant momma provided Dot with a safe and well-socialized early start to life—even bottle-feeding her twice a day by the foster’s young children.

Aside from lacking some sight and vision, Dot is a healthy and strong pup, and she doesn’t seem to be lacking in anything, including personality)!

Her Nickname: Dora the Explorer - Dot has no fear and loves to put her nose to work exploring her surroundings.

Energy & Independence Levels: Dot is chill for a puppy. She would make a GREAT office mate, emotional support or service companion, or apartment dog. She is happy to hang with you while you work, cook, do chores in the yard, etc. Dot enjoys wandering indoors and out but is much calmer than your typical puppy (aside from her nightly zoomies around the kitchen island after dinner, ha!) Do you love to hike? Dot would totally dig that hobby, too, and is learning to rely on her nose and special vibration collar to stick by your side safely with what would otherwise be her “wait” and “come” commands if she could hear and see!

What We Love: Dot’s theme song should be Eye of the Tiger – she may be lacking some of her sight and vision, but you would never know it (and she certainly doesn’t). She is a living & walking “feel-good story” – she LOVES life, learning, and just experiencing everything with her humans by her side. When she gets excited, she does the most adorable 4-legged bunny hops. She particularly digs the sunshine!

Dogs & Cats: Dot spent the first 12 weeks of her life on a farm with all kinds of animals – llamas, goats, chickens, dogs, and, yes, cats. She’s comfortable (and frankly, indifferent) to all.

She’s very quick to show respect. Because of her lack of vision & hearing, combined with her amazingly loving start to life, she doesn’t react or escalate when interacting with new animals and environments. Dot has never known a scary touch, and she’s counting on you to keep her in safe situations. Dot is fostering happily with two fur siblings – a 65lb lab/rottie mix, a 45lb former stray/street gangster, and her littermate, Dingle, who is also looking for his forever home.

Kids: She is wonderful with kids, and all kids LOVE her. Dot’s favorite things are being held, cuddled (feeling your heartbeat), and playing chase. She IS still a puppy, so she can be a little mouthy with appendages, but she’s improving daily by chomping on toys vs. ankles. 🤓

House training is in Progress: Our fostering routine is to go outside immediately after waking up, after a solid play session, or after leaving the crate. Dot is excelling at this routine and does her business as soon as we go outside.

Crate-Training: Yes, Dot does very well in her crate and sleeps well through the night without accidents. She will whimper if she needs to potty, and after being brought outside, she will fall right back to sleep in her crate.

Training in General: Here are a few things that Dot and her current foster are working together on:

Commands when Dot is near her human-
- “Sit” using a double finger tap on her bum
- “Here” using a single finger tap on the side of her face to alert her I expect something from her, following a treat or direction to what I want her attention on
- “Wait” using a double finger tap on her bum to sit, followed by a palm pat on her chest
- Using texture to navigate different types of steps or drop-offs safely and for example, learning to feel the ground in front of her when attempting to step or jump down vs. avoiding situations where drop-offs can cause her injury.

Commands when Dot is not near her human:
- Dot has a special vibration collar (NOT to be confused with a shock collar) that she has just started training with this past week of 9/2. The collar offers tone, different levels of vibration & patterns, and light. She can bring this collar with her to her forever home if desired by the adopter. Specifically, we are using this collar to train her to “wait” when approaching a situation that is unsafe for her and “come” so she can recall when not near her humans.

As you can gather, contrary to common belief, training a deaf and blind dog is not tricky…just different. Dot’s senses of smell, touch, and taste are heightened, so if you can play up to those strengths, she is a fast learner! In fact, Dot successfully mapped out her current foster’s first floor and was zooming around at ease within the first 24 hours!

Name: Dot
Sex: Female
Size: Medium
Weight: 8.7 lbs (as of 8/21)
Age: Baby - born 5/18/2024 (note: we know this for certain as they were born into a foster)
Breed: Australian Shepherd
Spayed/Neutered: Too young. A spay contract will be required and strictly enforced, and PAWS New England offers a surgery rebate of up to $200 when proof of spay is provided.

Location: Fostering locally in New England

Adoption Fee: $550. Includes vaccinations & wellness visits to-date, and a spay surgery rebate of up to $200 when proof of spay is provided.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - 

Paws New England is a foster-based rescue. Our dogs reside in various locations throughout the South and New England.  

Adoption donations cover pre-adoption vet costs (including vaccinations, spay/neuter when age appropriate, and heartworm testing/treatment when necessary), a microchip, and transportation to New England if necessary.

Donations for our young, healthy puppies and dogs support their fellow canines of advanced age or suffering from injuries and abuse whose donations are reduced but whose veterinary costs are typically much higher. We appreciate your understanding that your newly adopted dog will help others in need.