[foxxbreath]

username: SpartanAmethyst
storage thread: ARK Senegals
hound name: ARK Winter Soldier | "Buck" or "Bucky"
coloration: Wire Pied Red Brindle w/ Light Ticking
sex: Male
age: 9 years
collar color: Based after the Winter Soldier, if possible?
Quirk: Bucky is..... definitely a strange one. Even as a puppy, he didn't act completely normal.

When he was a newborn, he would always lay very still and stay quiet, to the point where his breeder would often have to check to make sure the little one was still alive. During feeding time, though, he was very aggressive, and had few qualms about pushing his siblings around so that he could get milk. It was easy to see why he was the largest and healthiest in the litter. But even as he grew older, Bucky would often sit away from his siblings, staring off into space or playing alone with whatever toy was available. It was around this time that his breeder began to notice his lack of reaction to auditory stimuli; while his siblings were learning audible commands, he would only respond to visual aids. A quick vet visit later, and the breeder discovered that it was a genetic mutation tied to his sire's Pied lineage, causing Bucky to be born deaf.

As a result, his breeder partnered with a family friend who specialized in teaching deaf dogs sign language, and he learned his commands that way. He was intelligent and obedient, having already learned how to partially read lips from the time before his diagnosis, and he excelled in his learning. One thing that they didn't expect, though, was it to cause an obsession with staring. Bucky got to the point where he would just incessantly stare at his breeder, unblinking, as if he was scared to miss a command. The poor Senegal barely slept he was so paranoid, and this continued for about a year. When he was purchased by Amethyst Ridge, his new handler and the on-site behaviorist worked with him to settle his fears, and continued bolstering his confidence. He still stares, and quite a lot at that, but instead of being detrimental to Bucky's health, now its just a cute, and sometimes creepy, little quirk.

congrats! I thought this was an interesting way to work in deafness while still keeping a happy go lucky tone, i can just imagine his laser-focus and how adorable itd be