Yakoo was born in Georgia, apparently part of an accidental litter. He and his brother both ended up being DOUBLE MERLE puppies with each being blind and deaf.
From what we uncovered, a young lady showed up one day at a local vet’s office with two puppies. Both were in need of their first puppy examinations … and both were thought to be destined to end up becoming yet another set of double merle pups who would be put down. They were, after all, part of what has been dubbed a lethal breed referring to the fact that most pet owners do not want them. Deafblind dogs are believed to be too big of a burden for most people to handle. Disposing of them rather than learning how to take care of them is too often an easier choice.
As it turns out, the vet’s office that they were delivered to in rural Georgia had a heart. They fell in love with Yakoo and his brother and decided to do what they could to ensure that the two dogs had a chance. We have video footage of an interview with the vets who took care of Yakoo and his brother, giving them the chance they needed to find caring families. Portions of this video will be used in the DOGumentary and educational materials we produce.
After Yakoo was taken care of and ready to move on, he and his brother were scheduled to be transferred from rural Georgia to the Orlando area in Florida. A special foster dog site accepted the challenge of caring for them in order to find suitable homes. Another nonprofit group, PilotsNPaws, had likewise agreed to transport the two babies down south. Below are pictures of Yakoo, asleep on the airplane, as he is transported from Georgia to Florida, where we traveled to make him ours.
The volunteer pilot’s name is Aayush Singh – he has an account on Facebook and agreed for us to post his picture though we aren’t sure about who took the images. See Yakoo curled ready and relaxed in flight. Mr. Singh is a fine fellow!
We found Yakoo online shortly thereafter. We instantly knew that he was meant for us, his spirit and magic radiated a desire to be part of our family. Erick had settled on wanting the name Yakoo if we could find the right little one who fit its potential. As it happened, this little bright white guy was a great match.
The word Yakoo is a variation of a Native word associated with tribes from the central part of the US. Legend has it that the Native American Earth Mother had long ago informed her people in the Four Corners area of the United States near Albuquerque, New Mexico, that the land would speak to them when their tribes had found the place they belonged. It was said that this happened when the winds and the spirit of the planet blew across their path, forming sounds that rang out as “Haak’u, Haak’u.” Today, this tale is common in and around the village of Pueblo Acoma. We transformed the spelling of the term to Yakoo because it is easier to remember and because it suggests the meaning of the word YAHOO, which is very much the excitement we felt as we met Yakoo and asked for permission to make him part of our family.
Though the term is used in many ways in and around the lands of Albuquerque, New Mexico, it is particularly telling that early education centers in the region often proudly proclaim allegiance to the spiritual relevance of the underlying idea. As a site put together by Wandering Educators notes, “Haak’u means, ‘The place prepared. The Acoma believe that their gods prepared a special place for them to live, perfect in every way.”
We’ve been working with him, day in and day out, since 2021, trying to turn his and our opportunities into learning situations. Our goal was to care for him and guide him. However, it became obvious right away that he was just as much a caregiver and teacher as we wanted to be. And, of course, he looks so majestic in his white doctor’s coat! It was this feeling of confidence and caregiving comfort that went both ways — from us to him and from him to us! — that confirmed to us that Yakoo had found the place where he belongs. And that with time and patience, he would be a great student of what eventually became our effort to develop his PAWtactile touching-inspired language.
Here is a great picture of Yakoo as he grew bigger. We remain enthralled by the regency of his poise and posture, always conveying to us a sense that he is a true caregiver who is very much interested in helping to doctor himself and others as we all learn more about the needs of deafblind pets.
YAKOO’S HUMANS
Our Togetherness
Our family is made up of Erick Martinez and Allan Shore. And, of course, our good Dogtor Yakoo.
We two humans have been together for upwards of 20 years. Over those years, we’ve worked on many projects that each have aspects of helping others, raising awareness, and, increasingly, have turned towards using social media and community education to help others.
Erick spent many years as a community and sexual education therapist. Most of his work has been directed toward Spanish speakers, but his jobs and volunteerism have been broad and cover many important counseling and support topics. He worked for local health centers, with a public transportation agency, and for HIV/AIDS service and support projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was also the primary owner of a for-profit home decor retail outlet. He was an active participant in bringing the community together to engage local residents in all charitable and educational efforts.
Allan has spent many years developing and writing nonprofit and governmental contracts, grants, and service narratives. Allan is now transitioning towards writing fiction novels and short stories as well as screenplays. If you would like to see more about Allan’s career, feel free to click over to his site at OnePageWriter.
DOGtor Yakoo's DEAFBLIND STORY 