Years back, when Susan Weber called her three Dalmatians into the house, it was gentle Lady who fetched deaf and oblivious Dally-Mae using a nudge of her nose.

“To this day, it has amazed me,” said Weber. “She caretook for her.” Using hand signals and with Lady as a patient translator, Weber was able to communicate fairly well with Dally-Mae.

Lady and Tramp, Weber’s beloved first “Dals,” as she calls them, are the reason Weber now throws heart and soul into rescuing Dalmatians from shelters, and perhaps the reason Weber once again finds herself with a deaf dog on her hands.

But this time Weber’s home is overflowing with rescued dogs, and Sid, a Dal-pit bull mix, needs a new home with a patient owner willing to work with him.

Sid was on a shelter’s kill list when he got a second chance: his photo caught the eye of Weber, who runs Dalmatian Rescue of Tampa Bay from her Orcas home, coordinating rescues and adoptions by phone and email.

Weber had just found the perfect dog for her friend Anne Stowell, a Dal named Hobo, and she was going to pay a Texas company to drive him up from Florida to Orcas Island. The trip was spendy, but the company honored Weber’s rescue work with an offer of free transport for an extra pooch.

Weber chose Sid to ride along with Hobo to Orcas, where she hoped to find a forever home for him, too.

Hobo was soon settled in happily with Annie, who renamed him Charlie Bear Paw.

“Annie absolutely loves Hobo,” said Weber. “He is her new baby. Everyone who meets him loves him.”

But Weber soon realized things weren’t going to be so easy for Sid.

“Nobody told us he was deaf,” she said. While Sid loves other dogs, is housebroken and “doesn’t have a mean bone in his body,” said Weber, he’s also considered special needs.

“He’s a doll,” said Weber. “He’s kind of like a Forrest Gump: he just wants to be with somebody, to be loved. He likes to be in sight of ‘his person.’ He needs a one-on-one owner willing to work with a deaf dog.”

Weber said Sid doesn’t chew things or get aggressive with food, gently accepting his treats, and he’s a good hiker who doesn’t pull on the leash, unless he gets very excited to see people.

He wouldn’t be ideal for a family with small children because he is still learning not to jump up. He’s also able to climb over Weber’s four-foot gate, so he would be safest let loose in a high 6’-fenced yard or given long walks on his leash.

“He can never be let off-leash because that’s it, there’s no calling [him],” said Weber.

She’s hoping there’s an Orcas Islander ready to take on the rewarding challenge of welcoming Sid to the island.

“I have placed a lot of deaf dogs, and they do absolutely fantastic in the right environment with a conscientious owner.”

And as Lady demonstrated long ago, “The best thing that helps a deaf dog is another dog,” said Weber.

Those interested in considering Sid for adoption can call Weber at 376-8559. Weber would also welcome help with taking Sid for hikes or walks; unlike her other rescue dogs, he can’t be allowed to run free in her spacious yard.