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The
magnificent three
Kojak,
Bandit and Amigo may sound like extras from a spaghetti western,
but they are in fact three of a breed of dog known as the Mexican
Hairless, and are the latest recruits to be taken on by national
charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
These magnificent three are now being socialised with some of
the Charity’s volunteers for a few months, and they will
then embark on 16 weeks of soundwork training, during which
time they will learn to respond to everyday household sounds
such as the telephone, doorbell, alarm clock and smoke alarm.
There are only 18 Mexican Hairless dogs in this country and
about 4000 worldwide, and although a registered breed, they
cannot at present be exhibited at a dog show. There is only
one breeder in the UK who, frustrated by not being able to show
the dogs, decided to donate three puppies to Hearing Dogs for
Deaf People to show that they are intelligent dogs and capable
of doing something worthwhile.
They are one of the oldest breeds in existence, and come in
both hairless and coated varieties. Of the three trainee hearing
dogs, Bandit is coated while the other two are hairless, except
for a tiny tuft of hair on the top of Amigo’s head.
Jane Hazelwood, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s Dog Supply
Co-ordinator who assessed the three dogs, said, “We have
never used this breed before although we do have some success
with a similar breed, the Chinese Crested. Kojak, Bandit and
Amigo (shown below) are friendly with people, playful and inquisitive
- all traits we look for in a potential hearing dog, so we have
high hopes for their future. We are enormously grateful to the
lady who donated these dogs to us, and are confident they will
live up to both her and our expectations.”
Although HDDP selects 75% of their dogs from rescue, the Charity
is also desperate for more dogs to be donated in order to train
as many hearing dogs as possible to help deaf people. If you
have, or know of, a dog under the age of three with a friendly
temperament that may be suitable, please contact their Head
Office on 01844-353898.
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