Mary Vann with Coldwell Banker Gundaker is a premier real estate agent helping individuals buy and sell their homes. While helping others find their dream home, Mary Vann enjoys raising awareness and being part of the local St. Louis community. 

Deaf Dog Awareness Week, September 24-30, is near and dear to Mary and the hearts of many other dog lovers. Mary has two adopted canines, Braille and Wink. And while they live extremely happy lives, it’s important to understand that their disabilities were 100% preventable. 

Braille and Wink are both severely impaired due to irresponsible breeding. They are what are referred to as "Double Merles." Merle is a dominant genetic coat pattern mutation that blocks areas of pigment, leaving a beautiful marbled pattern on an otherwise solid-colored coat. Merle in itself is beautiful and seen in many different breeds. The issue arises when two merle patterned dogs are bred together. When this occurs, each puppy in the resulting litter has a 25% chance of inheriting the merle gene from both parents. Puppies that do are often born very white, and most often with some degree of hearing and vision impairments. 

Wink is completely deaf, missing one eye, and impaired in his remaining eye. Braille was born completely blind and deaf. It’s important that the community understands that we have a responsibility to know better and to do better. It’s important to breed smart so all dogs can have a quality of life. 

To find out more about Deaf Dog Awareness Week or how to adopt a dog visit here.