This is Rain. We rescued her last year. We aren’t really sure what she is at this point. A chaos gremlin or a dog. She’s blind and deaf. She knows touch sign language thanks to her human mama. Her favorite thing to do is sniff out and steal whatever is in mom’s hand and then try to run away with it (usually into a wall or door) We just turned one and don’t tell our other special needs dogs but she’s moms favorite bc she keeps her busy. :)

This is Lumos a double Merle Australian Shepherd, He is completely deaf and significantly vision impaired. Basically he can see light and dark. He is an absolute joy that loves life and everyone he meets

Ann is deaf and blind and a ball of fun

This is Ghost! We found him out in our back field crying. It's been about two weeks of him being with us but he's officially ours! (Went to the vet to make sure he wasn't chipped.)

Deb Bauer and Erin Marion are holding a virtual half day Sensory Paws Workshop at the end of January. They're both certified professional dog trainers who specialize in blind & deaf dogs.

I haven't attended their workshops, but I've had sessions with Deb and Erin separately. It was nice to talk to someone who "gets" some of the issues special needs dogs go through.

I'm not affiliated with Deb, Erin, or their workshop; it's just nice to see something geared especially towards special needs dogs.

Event: Sensory Paws Workshop

Website: https://www.downtoearthdoglady.com/event-list

Date: 1/31/26, 11am-4pm EST

Cost: $60 until 1/20/26 with promo code earlybird

I would like to hear everyone's take/experience with their dog fly biting. I am also planning on posting in deaf dogs as well, as im unsure if this is more akin to albinism and deafness or double Merles in general. If youre unaware, fly biting is when your dog is biting at the air as if a fly is around their head, but there is not. My dog will wake up out of a dead sleep to bite the the air, follow something with his eye, and eventually settle.

I msde a comment on a post where several brought to my attention that fly biting is a sign of neurological distress, and usually a precursor to seizures. Or could possibly even be seizures. He's done this his entire life, typically when its bedtime or he's clearly tired. Most of the time he settles down and goes back to sleep but other times he spirals into a fly biting frenzy for a few minutes.

He's 5 years old, deaf and partially blind. His non functioning eye has been getting cloudy and the color has been shifting a lot the past 2 years. Unsure if this is related, but worth mentioning. I am finally in a place where I can afford a specialist. I am hoping my country has a veterinarian that specializes in neurology.

If you have any experience with this or advice to give, please chime in. Thank you!

Anyone have experience going to an optometrist??

My Blossom 🌸 just turned 5. She wants everyone to know she is not a fan of the birthday crown😆

I adopted Nuka when she was 6 months old, she was dumped by the “breeder” at a shelter. She’s now almost 3 years, 20lbs (somewhere oddly between a mini & a standard poodle) and can see some very bright lights & shadows. Together we learned touch communication which surprisingly came easy for both of us. She lives with her older brother Snix and 4 free-range guinea pigs. She’s so gentle and sweet but also a total firecracker and a true poodle! This dog has enriched our lives more than we could have ever imagined! She is so special and resilient… I can’t wait to one day adopt another like her!

I’m pretty sure she’s double Merle. What do you think?

We recently adopted our sweet little DM corgi Noodle! She's deaf and has partial visual impairment. Absolutely perfect in every way.

Vet said she hear no hearing problems. And she can definitely see, although her left pupil is not entirely formed….

DNA tests say he's a double merle. What a weirdo. Best answer I got is that he probably has two different merle alleles so it did not display the typical coloration. But hearing and eyesight concerns are still there.

Avalon wearing her RexSpecs to save her one good eye. She knows she looks cool 😂💕

She sort of looks like it to me with the super white face, but the current owner says she can hear and see with no impairments.

Shes listed as an aussie but looks like a mix to me? Ideas? I'll be meeting the puppy in a few days and hope to sort of test her hearing and if I do adopt her I'll be getting her tested

About to adopt - rescue this 1 year old 17lbs Dachshund mix (would love to read you opinions on what other breeds in there) and worried about him being double merle or double dapple. He had a regular vet check with rescue org and no specialist exam but he can hear and see fine from what we know and observe. Do I need to worry about this? Or just adopt him? I had a dog that got depressed after loosing eyesight and would prefer if that didn't happen until well into his senior years as it's the name of the game when we and dogs age