People are always impressed and amazed when they meet Keller, my deaf and blind Great Dane. And he meets a lot of people, because he always draws a crowd. He's a great ambassador for Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.

I think he especially loves it when we leave the house because he gets to experience so many new smells. All dogs have a strong sense of smell, but, think about it: For a deaf and blind dog, smell is everything. Keller sticks his head out of the car window or sun roof and takes it all in. It is really funny to see people at stop lights all pointing to the car with the big white dog sticking out.

While it wasn't a hard decision to take Keller as a 9-week-old puppy -- he was in desperate need of a home right away or he faced euthanasia -- I did initially wonder if I'd gotten in over my head. I had no experience with special-needs dogs and here I was taking on a deaf and blind puppy.

But raising Keller hasn't been that different from raising my other dogs. (See Keller's puppy pictures and read our first post-adoption blog post here. ) Now 3 years old, Keller has taught me a lot about how great special-needs pets can be. He's also taught me some ways to make life easier on both of us. Here's just a bit of what I've learned:

Since it's Deaf Dog Awareness Week, here's the story of my deaf (and blind) Great Dane puppy, Keller.

I had always admired the Great Dane's poise and nobility, and last year decided the time was right to add one of these beautiful animals to my home.

The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League had lots of Danes that needed homes, and I got involved with their rescue efforts. One day, they contacted me because a Great Dane puppy was about to be euthanized and needed a home right away.

A breeder who claims he can breed "white" Danes had given this puppy to a customer as part of the purchase of another Dane. With Great Danes, and many other breeds, an all-white dog is the result of a genetic defect. This defect can also result in deafness and, in extreme cases, blindness.

The new dog owner did not know what he had, but took the 8-week-old puppies to a vet for their initial checkup. The vet discovered immediately that one of the dogs was deaf and blind. He recommended the puppy be euthanized because the dog wouldn't have a very good quality of life. The owner left the puppy at the vet's office to be put to sleep. Thankfully, one of the techs took the puppy home and contacted the rescue league.