Tyler the deaf Pointer
A couple in northern Montana ordered this purebred English Pointer over the Internet from an Ohio puppy mill for $100. He was already 7 months old at the time. When he arrived, deaf and emaciated, they didn't want him.
The wife e-mailed us instead. She said the breeder "refused to believe me (that the dog was deaf) and didn't want me to send him back. He told me to go ahead and put him down and send them documentation of it. I would rather find him a home if possible."
Her e-mail ended with this chilling, matter-of-fact statement: "If you are interested in him, or know of someone who may be, please contact me ASAP. I will have him put down by the end of the week."
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We agreed to take him. When the couple arrived several days later with the dog, we were shocked when he got out of the car. He looked like he was starving - we could see every bone in his body. The couple had only had the dog two weeks and had been feeding him appropriately. So it was clear the breeder must have fed the pup just enough to keep him alive until he could be shipped off to a distant and unsuspecting buyer.
We named this young fellow Tyler, promptly wormed him, and began letting him eat to his heart's content. He gained 12 pounds in his first 10 days here. Still lean, he has filled out a lot since he came to the sanctuary. We took these photos about two months after he arrived.
After some initial help from a wonderful trainer in Bozeman who works with deaf dogs, we are teaching ourselves and Tyler sign language so we can communicate.
He is bright, sensitive, and very true to his Pointer heritage. Tyler points at just about anything that flies - birds, butterflies, and moths … even the occasional snowflake.
When this handsome lad isn't zooming around the dog paddock, he is fast asleep in a living room chair. Come to think of it, that describes his two speeds - fast and asleep…!
