"Let's Hear it for Dogs!"
By Janelle Dalzell
Charles Schultz, a dog lover himself and the creator of
Snoopy founded Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) located in Santa Rosa
California, in 1975. CCI is the largest assistance dog organization in the
world. According to Keith Reid, a professional trainer at CCI, he insists dogs
make the best service animals for the Deaf and hard of hearing population due to
the fact that dogs can hear up to 45,000 Hertz, which is ten times higher than
that of a human. Dogs can hear up to 200 meters away, while humans can hear only
a distance of 20 meters. David Morgan states, "This is possible due to the fact
that a dog's ears can move, tilt and rotate unlike humans, therefore their
hearing is far better than ours."
The training begins as soon as the puppies are born,
and sometimes even prior to birth. As puppies, they are trained by professionals
in many different areas, such as obedience, socialization, and sound training.
Dogs learn these skills by responding to the voice or hand signals for sitting,
staying, lying down, walking in control near the client and coming when the dog
is signaled. A hearing dog is trained to hear and be aware of the sounds around
them. As puppies, they are expected to learn up to 40 commands, and respond to
these commands 90 percent of the time within 15 seconds of the command. Dogs
learn with repetitive, positive reinforcement. Once the dogs master all of the
training, they graduate from the program, and then are united with their
handler. This is a very exciting time for the dog and the handler.
Hearing Dogs are tested for a calm temperament, their
exquisite hearing, and willingness to work. Some of the important jobs the
hearing dog provides are, alerting the client to a knock at the door, smoke
detector alarms, phone ringing, a baby crying, the oven timer, the microwave and
even the completion of a washer and dryer. Hearing dogs also work outside of the
home, such as, alerting the Deaf person to such sounds as, traffic approaching,
someone calling their name, sirens, and general sounds of everyday activity. One
of the most important things a hearing dog provides to the handler in public is
an increased awareness of his or her environment. Hearing dogs communicate with
their Deaf partners by making some sort of physical contact with them and
leading them to the sound. These dogs provide greatly increased freedom and
companionship. Emily Williams, one of the many volunteers at CCI that prepares
the puppies for the day they meet their handler says, "The dogs are there to
assist the person, not to interfere with their daily activities." "She is my
ear's. I don't think of her as my dog, I think of her as my best friend."-Poppy,
owner of hearing dog, Maddy.
To receive a hearing dog, one must first fill out an
application along with a $500.00 deposit, which ensures the organization that
the person is committed to the program. Once the application is approved, the
organization starts the process of finding a dog that is the right fit. Each dog
is then trained in specific tasks that will help their individual handler.
Finally, the big day comes. Graduation! At graduation, the trainer presents the
trained dog to his/her handler. When they are united with their dog, the handler
receives a 1:1 training to teach them how to enforce the training their dog has
already received. Being consistent with the training of the dog is very
important. A service dog, on average, works about 8 years, then will retire to
become a beloved pet.
While The Deaf and hard of hearing community perceives
themselves as having a condition that does not need to be fixed, the job of a
hearing service dog is NOT to fix an individual, it is to give their owner a
sense of confidence, safety, happiness and friendship. A hearing service dog may
not be for everyone, but to others, they may change their lives forever.
Works Cited:
EukanubaEurpoe. "Hearing Dogs." CCI Hearing Dogs, 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYCXn0IXRFA
Davis, Marcie and Melissa Bunnell. "Working Like Dogs." Alpine Publications. N.p,
26 Jan. 2011 Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
Mundell, Paul. "Canines for Independence." Homepage. Jack Perice, 10 Nov. 2010.
Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
Also see:
Hearing Dogs
Canine Sign Language
Deaf Dogs
Dogs and Sign Language