Blanca the blind-and-deaf Great Dane
Blind and deaf Blanca was born on a ranch in Mexico. .. and now happily lives on a ranch in Montana!
An American citizen living in Mexico, Rosanna M., had a litter of 18 puppies born to her Great Dane this past April. Seven were stillborn or died soon thereafter. Of the remaining puppies, there was a very special one – a little girl who was born deaf and with microphthalmia, leaving her with tiny eyeballs.
Her left eye is so small it isn't even noticeable. Her right eye is a beautiful bright blue, but so shrunken in size it's not really functional. We think she can see shapes and the difference between light and dark, but that's about all.
Rosanna found she couldn't care for a puppy with these disabilities, and asked a Great Dane rescue group for assistance. They told her to contact us.
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Rosanna flew Blanca from Guadalajara to Seattle, and then two of our volunteers drove the 4-month old puppy out to us in Montana. Two days before Blanca arrived, our blind Great Dane puppy named Claude died from his neurological condition called Wobbler's Syndrome. It seemed a fitting tribute to Claude that another disabled Dane puppy would take his place.
Blanca was already a big and bouncy girl when she arrived, with ears to match. Full of life, she loves to wrestle with the other young dogs. She quickly learned to use her size to her advantage, and with a quick thrust of her big paws, she can knock just about anyone over. When we took these photos of Blanca, she was seven months old – and already the biggest dog on the ranch.
One afternoon, not long after she arrived, we heard Blanca scratching at the front door to go out. We opened the door, she trotted outside, and off she went to pee. This blind and deaf puppy had housetrained herself.
Blanca has become a true housedog, and sees her rightful place as occupying the recliner in our living room. If that chair – her favorite spot – isn't available, then she'll drape herself across one of the many dog cots or beds. For some reason Blanca prefers the ones that are too small for her lanky frame, resulting in awkward-looking sleeping positions. .. usually with her head hanging off the end!
November 2007
