Madelyn Snow - Don't Discard the White Aussies!

by MJ Willow
(Cowtown, Ohio)

I adopted Madelyn Snow in June (2014). She's around 2 years old. I'd had an Aussie and a mixed Aussie before that and find them to be the breed for me. I love the intelligence and companionship.

Madelyn came to me via a rescue called Speak for the Unspoken. She was born deaf because she is the result of a double merle breeding. This is not a hindrance to her. She doesn't know about hearing. She responds to hand signals and knows her basics.

The neighbors don't realize she's deaf because she barks and plays in the yard like other dogs. Since we've only been together a little over a month, I still keep her on leash in open areas, but my goal is to get her off it so she can play better with the dogs in the park.

If you enjoy Aussies, consider a deaf one. Their natural tendency to keep an eye on you doesn't make them difficult to train, especially if you've taught one to respond to hand signals before.

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