The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. A Catahoula that is predominantly white has an 80% chance of being bi-laterally deaf or uni-laterally hearing. Hearing in one ear is referred to as 'directional deafness'. Breeders are often unwilling to allow deaf Catahoulas to leave their premises and will generally euthanize deaf pups. Puppies born from a litter where both parents have the merle color pattern have a 25% chance of turning out to be blind, deaf, or blind and deaf. These puppies are often referred to as 'double merles'.