American Hairless Terriers - Answer for Pet-Loving Allergy Sufferers

Wendy Gillett has had allergies all her life. When she was young there was no such thing as antihistamines and her parents didn't realize she needed to be kept away from mildew, dust, pollen and pet dander. She has always taken precautions. "I couldn't live in a highly polluted place," she said. "I can't breathe when people are burning and I couldn't buy near an orchard when I moved to Kelowna." A great animal-lover, she discovered to her dismay many years ago that she could not have dogs, not even poodles or Malteses, which were supposed to be more hypoallergenic. So she had cockatiels instead, but eventually had to give away two of them. "They like to cuddle, but being close to them was like putting my head in a flower full of pollen. They have a lot of dander," she said. When health issues forced Gillett into early retirement she became more determined than ever to have a pet. One day a rescue ad for a Mexican Hairless who had been caught in Hurricane Katrina caught her eye. She decided that it had too much hair to take the chance, but it prompted further research until she discovered a breeder of American Hairless Terriers in Arizona. Two days with a puppy produced no reactions so she bought one and she has since returned for a second. Striker, a male, is two and Velvet, a female, is a playful and naughty seven months. Gillett can even sleep with them or let them lick her without ill effects. "They are very sweet-natured and they love to cuddle. You can't pat them, but they do like a massage," she said. Gillett thinks they are perfect for someone who is lonely or a child who is allergic, as long as it is recognized that they have special needs. She puts sunscreen on them when they are running in her large backyard and she has indoor and outdoor coats and raincoats for them. They start to shiver if cold. "The way I look at it," she said, "if I'm cold walking naked, so are they." They seek out the sun and like to bake in it. But they can get a burn like people do and their skin gets darker in the summer. She buys their coats from Evelyn Martselos of Just Paws in Vernon. "She has been a real godsend," said Gillett. "A lot of coats are just for show. I don't get the really cutesy things." The breed originated in 1972 when a hairless female was born in a litter of Rat Terriers in Louisiana. When Josephine was bred other hairless pups appeared, until in 2004 the American Hairless Terrier was accepted as a distinct breed by the American Kennel Club. They are related to the Italian Greyhound and are very fast. Gillett tells the story of taking Striker to the dog park, where he would go after the big dogs to entice them to chase him. He would have a pack after him, but he was faster. Until the day that a Pit Bull knocked him down from the side and might have finished him had the owners not stepped in. Now he seems content to be chased by Velvet and she is happy to oblige. Interestingly, these dogs don't sweat through their tongues like most dogs do, but through their skin like humans do. They will sweat if hot or scared. Gillett points out that the dogs we see statues of in ancient Egypt were hairless and that they were used as hot water bottles. So it seems that someone with a supersensitive immune system that reacts to dogs can follow the advice of the experts and keep them outdoors at night, remove carpeting, wash them often, vacuum with a high efficiency air filter, keep them out of your bedroom and wear a mask when grooming them or try this breed and perhaps they will find, as Gillett did, that they can forget about most of those precautions. - submitted by Lynn Dewing -July 07

 

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