When my son was 2 years old, we found out that he was allergic to dogs.
We found out the hard way. We had a basset hound that we raised from a
pup. So it was either get rid of the dog or the boy. We knew the dog had
to go. It was very sad.
It was only months later that my son
wanted another pet. First came the hamster. His name was Rascal. I
didn’t like Rascal. I don’t know if it was because he was trying to take
the place of our dog, or if it was the numerous times he bit me. The
icing on the cake for Rascal was the night he got out of his cage at
bedtime. I heard him at about 3:00 o’clock in the morning eating our
woodwork. After an hour of chasing him around the house, I finally
caught him only to get bit again. Rascal found a new home shortly after
that.
Next came the frogs. Our frogs were cool, but have you ever tried to
play or cuddle with a frog? It’s just not the same as a dog. So the hunt
was on for a dog my son could tolerate. One of the first dogs we looked
at was the Bichon Frise. We had heard that they were supposed to be good
for people with allergies. We took my son to see a litter of pups. We
were there about 10 minutes when the reaction started. Even with the
sneezing, whelping red spots, red itchy watery eyes and a runny nose, my
son tried to convince us that he was fine and wanted to take one home.
We knew better? We decided to call off the search and just have fun
watching our frogs eat the crickets.
Then a friend told us about a dog my son could probably tolerate. This
dog had no hair. He continued to tell us that his neighbor had one
because he was highly allergic to dogs. I could only think that petting
a hairless dog couldn’t be much different than petting my frog. I set up
a meeting with the dog’s owners to check out this hairless dog. My son
loved the dog and had no reaction to him. I thought the dog was very
unique and was happy that he didn’t feel like a frog.
After a little research on the Internet,
we purchased Evie. She is a white, spotted female American Hairless
Terrier (AHT). The hairless terriers originated in Louisiana in 1971.
The first hairless terrier that was born was considered a freak of
nature and later died due to exposure to the weather. When a second
hairless dog was born, the owner decided to try and protect the dog and
form a new breed. The AHT are considered the most recent and rarest
breed of hairless dogs. They are referred to as the “baldy” dog. They
are the only breeds that are totally hairless. Some of the other
hairless breeds have hair on some part of their body. The AHT are born
with short fuzzy hair. The hair starts to shed immediately from the head
to the hind legs. Once the hair is gone, the skin has a silky feel to
it.
The dog’s personality is as unique as the appearance. They are not only
good watchdogs, but are very affectionate and playful. The dogs are also
known for their quickness and ability to jump very high. They make great
house pets and can only be house pets. Weather plays a big role in their
care. The white ones will sunburn easily unless their skin is protected
with sunscreen or a tee shirt. The black dogs will not sunburn, but are
still susceptible to cold weather. The dogs must wear a sweater or other
protective clothing if they are exposed to cold temperatures for a long
period of time. Cold rain chills them as do high winds.
