Consequences - Deafness and Population Trends of Dalmatians
As suggested in the Figure, the US population of Dalmatians increased during the years from 1986 through 1995 and then decreased toward the 1986 numbers.
Data from the DCA Red Book; Dr Strain, 2011, US Pet Ownership & Demographics survey, and the “Veterinary News” were used to estimate the Dalmatians population trends.
Pre-1995 Dalmatians Population Increases: People speculated that the deaf Dalmatians population increase was caused by publicity for the Walt Disney movie “101 Dalmatians.” But the first movie was released in 1961 roughly 35 years before the US Dalmatians population peak. Disney movies were again released in 1996; TV in 1997-1998, and video in 2003. Excepting 1961, the releases came during years when the Dalmatian population declined. “Veterinary news” showed the Dalmatian trend before 1995 fit the trend of the US AKC dogs’ population <veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=658780> (downloaded 10 Feb 2012)
As suggested in the Figure, the US population of Dalmatians increased during the years from 1986 through 1995 and then decreased toward the 1986 numbers.
Data from the DCA Red Book; Dr Strain, 2011, US Pet Ownership & Demographics survey, and the “Veterinary News” were used to estimate the Dalmatians population trends.
Pre-1995 Dalmatians Population Increases: People speculated that the deaf Dalmatians population increase was caused by publicity for the Walt Disney movie “101 Dalmatians.” But the first movie was released in 1961 roughly 35 years before the US Dalmatians population peak. Disney movies were again released in 1996; TV in 1997-1998, and video in 2003. Excepting 1961, the releases came during years when the Dalmatian population declined. “Veterinary news” showed the Dalmatian trend before 1995 fit the trend of the US AKC dogs’ population <veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=658780> (downloaded 10 Feb 2012)
Figure 1 Dalmatian Population Trends
Post-1995 Dalmatian Population Decrease: Data from the Internet and books suggested that the post 1995 US Dalmatians population loss had four overlapping causes:
Cause 1: Post 1992 decline in numbers of AKC registered US Dogs; Veterinary News showed after 1992 roughly a 50 percent decrease in AKC annual Dalmatian registrations through 2008, and about 61 percent decrease in registered dogs per 1,000 people in the US during the years 1992-2008.
Downloaded 10 Feb 2012, reference http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=658780 - With a decrease of Dalmatian popularity from about 15th to about 69th of about 150 breeds and during the same time a reduction of the registered US Dalmatians population by nearly 85 percent, it was estimated that the main reduction of the numbers of deaf dogs in the US was the reduction after 1995 in the total population of Dalmatians, whether hearing or deaf.
After 1995 average longevity of Dalmatians dropped from about 12 years (old age) to about 3-4 years, mostly because breeders and owners were killing more of them directly or indirectly via rescues, shelters and abandonment; see causes 2, 3 and 4.
Continuing after 1994, DCA Board warnings about their dangerous dogs and their assertions that at least 92 AKC breeds were similarly deaf- risky (Strain, 2011) probably helped to deter buying AKC registered dogs, despite the US total population of dogs expanding (mostly mutts) to over 77 million by 2011.
Cause 2: BAER testing beginning in the early 1980s let Dalmatian breeders identify the nearly 40 percent who were uni-ear deaf, who had previously escaped being euthanized (killed). By 1994 the DCA Board approved the policy of killing uni- and bi-ear-deaf as described in the Red Book. Dr Strain, 2011 suggested removing both parents of deaf pups from the population. If the DCA Board’s policies were fully executed by Dalmatian breeders, including the puppy mills, a death rate among puppies annually of about 50 percent should have happened. Probably breeders did not all obey the DCA polices.
Cause 3: During the years 1986-1994, as discussed by the DCA Board in 1994, there was a rapid increase of the marketing of Dalmatian puppies as pets and fashion accessories. The DCA Board warned bluntly that untrained, unsocialized, under-exercised, staked in the yard, “pat on the head once a day” Dalmatian dogs were dangerous. Independent research at PennU, by Dr J Serpell, for many breeds, confirmed that abusive people who did not train, socialize, exercise or care about their dogs disposed of their dogs to rescues, shelters or simply a roadside.
They tended to identify unacceptable behaviors of the “rejects” as mainly forms of the “Deaf Dog Myths” although few of the dogs were likely deaf. If asked, their owners typically said that their abused dogs were aggressive. Internet reports showed that disposal of unwanted Dalmatians at rescues and shelters of city after city doubled and sometimes tripled in the years after 1994.
Cause 4: Abuse Trauma-deafness (mentally “frozen” like they’re deaf) happened to abused intelligent sensitive dogs; reported more often in breeds like the greyhounds, Dalmatians and Border Collies. Simply, instead of trying to defend itself, if it can’t escape a dog can “shut down” and go into a semi-coma walking-trance, unable to respond to voice commands and ignoring people nearby. We rescued two Border Collies from that condition. Some abused dogs behave like bi-ear deaf.
Consequences
1. US Social-economic causes apparently reduced the US population of deaf pups far more effectively than the BAER- program: A roughly 85 percent decrease of the US Dalmatian population after 1995 probably wasn’t caused alone by the 2 percent decrease of bi-ear deaf Dalmatian pups accomplished by the BAER testing urged by the DCA Board’s “dangerous Dalmatians” publicity. Research suggested that most ordinary people would only tend to connect ‘Myths’ with the breed, DCA and AKC, rather than deaf or hearing.
The small reduction of the registered Dalmatian bi-ear deafness from about ten percent about 1994 to eight percent about 2001, by the deaths of nearly 400,000 Dalmatian puppies (20 tons) as urged by the DCA Board, probably wasted $millions of dollars of breeders’ and owners’ money. The nearly 320,000 uni-deaf puppies (80 percent of the BAER-deaf) according to Strain, 2011 could have without BAER testing usually lived happy ordinary lives with caring people, even with “useful hearing” participating under the AKC performance competition rules. According to S. Coren, 2004 and Strain, 2011 most of the BAER-certified as human-deaf dogs probably could have used their eight to ten sensorial modalities to compensate for lacking the BAER-human style inner-ear cochlea hearing.
2. Owners of deaf dogs were warned of severe legal risks by the DCA Board and Dr Strain. See the DCA Board's RED Book, 1994, Pg 11, pgf 7-8 “DEAF DOGS ARE POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS” and Pg 11, pgf 7; “..Too many children have faced the plastic surgeon's knife after innocently touching a sleeping, deaf dog...” and ...
Strain, 2011, page 119: “...An owner who chooses to keep a deaf dog as a pet should recognize that in the event of a bite of a person from outside the household by that dog, there would be little legal recourse against a lawsuit due to the owner knowingly keeping an animal that could legally be considered 'dangerous,' ...”
A cautious person considering adoption of a deaf dog was seemingly very clearly warned of legal risks by the DCA Board and Dr Strain; two internationally recognized US expert witnesses possibly available at least in book form to testify in court that any person whose dog failed a BAER test was knowingly harboring a dangerous animal.
[Please go to the TOPof the page, under "Book Reviews" to reach the next Weeblycritique-review of the book's other Chapters or use the links: Chapters 1 and2 ; Chapters 3 and 4 ; Chapter 5, 6 and 7 ; Chapter 8 and Notes; Major Behavior Flaws ; Consequences ]
Cause 1: Post 1992 decline in numbers of AKC registered US Dogs; Veterinary News showed after 1992 roughly a 50 percent decrease in AKC annual Dalmatian registrations through 2008, and about 61 percent decrease in registered dogs per 1,000 people in the US during the years 1992-2008.
Downloaded 10 Feb 2012, reference http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=658780 - With a decrease of Dalmatian popularity from about 15th to about 69th of about 150 breeds and during the same time a reduction of the registered US Dalmatians population by nearly 85 percent, it was estimated that the main reduction of the numbers of deaf dogs in the US was the reduction after 1995 in the total population of Dalmatians, whether hearing or deaf.
After 1995 average longevity of Dalmatians dropped from about 12 years (old age) to about 3-4 years, mostly because breeders and owners were killing more of them directly or indirectly via rescues, shelters and abandonment; see causes 2, 3 and 4.
Continuing after 1994, DCA Board warnings about their dangerous dogs and their assertions that at least 92 AKC breeds were similarly deaf- risky (Strain, 2011) probably helped to deter buying AKC registered dogs, despite the US total population of dogs expanding (mostly mutts) to over 77 million by 2011.
Cause 2: BAER testing beginning in the early 1980s let Dalmatian breeders identify the nearly 40 percent who were uni-ear deaf, who had previously escaped being euthanized (killed). By 1994 the DCA Board approved the policy of killing uni- and bi-ear-deaf as described in the Red Book. Dr Strain, 2011 suggested removing both parents of deaf pups from the population. If the DCA Board’s policies were fully executed by Dalmatian breeders, including the puppy mills, a death rate among puppies annually of about 50 percent should have happened. Probably breeders did not all obey the DCA polices.
Cause 3: During the years 1986-1994, as discussed by the DCA Board in 1994, there was a rapid increase of the marketing of Dalmatian puppies as pets and fashion accessories. The DCA Board warned bluntly that untrained, unsocialized, under-exercised, staked in the yard, “pat on the head once a day” Dalmatian dogs were dangerous. Independent research at PennU, by Dr J Serpell, for many breeds, confirmed that abusive people who did not train, socialize, exercise or care about their dogs disposed of their dogs to rescues, shelters or simply a roadside.
They tended to identify unacceptable behaviors of the “rejects” as mainly forms of the “Deaf Dog Myths” although few of the dogs were likely deaf. If asked, their owners typically said that their abused dogs were aggressive. Internet reports showed that disposal of unwanted Dalmatians at rescues and shelters of city after city doubled and sometimes tripled in the years after 1994.
Cause 4: Abuse Trauma-deafness (mentally “frozen” like they’re deaf) happened to abused intelligent sensitive dogs; reported more often in breeds like the greyhounds, Dalmatians and Border Collies. Simply, instead of trying to defend itself, if it can’t escape a dog can “shut down” and go into a semi-coma walking-trance, unable to respond to voice commands and ignoring people nearby. We rescued two Border Collies from that condition. Some abused dogs behave like bi-ear deaf.
Consequences
1. US Social-economic causes apparently reduced the US population of deaf pups far more effectively than the BAER- program: A roughly 85 percent decrease of the US Dalmatian population after 1995 probably wasn’t caused alone by the 2 percent decrease of bi-ear deaf Dalmatian pups accomplished by the BAER testing urged by the DCA Board’s “dangerous Dalmatians” publicity. Research suggested that most ordinary people would only tend to connect ‘Myths’ with the breed, DCA and AKC, rather than deaf or hearing.
The small reduction of the registered Dalmatian bi-ear deafness from about ten percent about 1994 to eight percent about 2001, by the deaths of nearly 400,000 Dalmatian puppies (20 tons) as urged by the DCA Board, probably wasted $millions of dollars of breeders’ and owners’ money. The nearly 320,000 uni-deaf puppies (80 percent of the BAER-deaf) according to Strain, 2011 could have without BAER testing usually lived happy ordinary lives with caring people, even with “useful hearing” participating under the AKC performance competition rules. According to S. Coren, 2004 and Strain, 2011 most of the BAER-certified as human-deaf dogs probably could have used their eight to ten sensorial modalities to compensate for lacking the BAER-human style inner-ear cochlea hearing.
2. Owners of deaf dogs were warned of severe legal risks by the DCA Board and Dr Strain. See the DCA Board's RED Book, 1994, Pg 11, pgf 7-8 “DEAF DOGS ARE POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS” and Pg 11, pgf 7; “..Too many children have faced the plastic surgeon's knife after innocently touching a sleeping, deaf dog...” and ...
Strain, 2011, page 119: “...An owner who chooses to keep a deaf dog as a pet should recognize that in the event of a bite of a person from outside the household by that dog, there would be little legal recourse against a lawsuit due to the owner knowingly keeping an animal that could legally be considered 'dangerous,' ...”
A cautious person considering adoption of a deaf dog was seemingly very clearly warned of legal risks by the DCA Board and Dr Strain; two internationally recognized US expert witnesses possibly available at least in book form to testify in court that any person whose dog failed a BAER test was knowingly harboring a dangerous animal.
[Please go to the TOPof the page, under "Book Reviews" to reach the next Weeblycritique-review of the book's other Chapters or use the links: Chapters 1 and2 ; Chapters 3 and 4 ; Chapter 5, 6 and 7 ; Chapter 8 and Notes; Major Behavior Flaws ; Consequences ]