Is He NORMAL??????

A woman was trying to enter the dog park with three little dogs hooked troika-style to one leash. Her dogs were all barking like crazy and had attracted all the dogs in the park to the gate (there were only six or seven). Mayhem ensued.

I went to grab Ray's collar to try to shut him up. Usually, it's like an off switch, the minute you put a hand on his collar he stops his noise. But because all of the other dogs were still barking, Ray was too. The woman looked at me and shouted (with a strong east european accent) over the din of dogs, "Is he normal?"
I know I must have looked confused for a moment before I shouted back, "Yes, he's normal."
I knew she couldn't possibly have had time to determine that Ray was blind. She made a motion with her hand to her throat, like someone ripping out an esophagus.
"Has he had his vocal cords cut?" she yelled.
I laughed outloud, thinking to myself that if someone had cut his vocal cords, they sure didn't do a very good job.
"No," I said, "He's a coonhound. He's SUPPOSED to sound like that."
The woman looked relieved then opened the gate to let her dogs through.