Breaking the Silence

Dogs trained to respond to sounds to assist deaf people

By Tamra Monahan

The tea kettle whistles shrilly, and you rush to turn the stove off. The alarm beeps an early morning wakeup call, and you rise out of bed. The smoke alarm shrieks a terrifying warning, and you run out of the house. The approaching fire engine blasts its siren, and you drive to the side of the road.

The world is full of sounds that make us jump to attention and perform, but what if your world was silent, devoid of sounds telling you to do something? How would you know to answer the phone, open the front door, take the roast out of the oven or tend to your crying baby? The answer is at your local animal shelter.

All across the United States, deaf and hearing-impaired people are getting the help they need from rescued shelter dogs who have been trained to listen for important sounds and alert their owners. Though once looked upon as unwanted, these former pound puppies are making profound changes in the lives of their new human friends. "This is really a life-changing opportunity for these people," says Bob Cooley, a field representative and educator with International Hearing Dog, Inc. "The dogs give them their freedom, their independence, but also a greater sense of security because now they know when the phone rings or when someone is at the door."

Based in Colorado, IHDI is one of three organizations in the United States that trains dogs to be the ears for deaf and hearing-impaired people. This organization, as well as Dogs for the Deaf in Oregon and the New England Assistance Dog Services in Massachusetts, scours local animal shelters looking for dogs that have the right temperament, size and desire to please, then transforms these canine outcasts into valuable assistants.

According to Robin Dickson, CEO of Dogs for the Deaf, both the humans and the dogs get a new lease on life. "It's very rewarding because we're saving dogs that very likely could be put down, and the difference we make in people's lives is incredible," she says. "We have so many stories of the wonderful changes these dogs have made in their lives."

One person whose life has been significantly changed by a hearing assistance dog is Alyce Brown of Denver, Colorado. After years of relying on her husband and others to assist her with important sounds, Alyce gained a new sense of freedom when she received Taylor, a perky little pooch who alerts Alyce to essential noises in her environment, such as the phone ringing and knocks on the front door. With Taylor around, Alyce said she doesn't have to worry when she's alone anymore.

"Taylor has definitely made a difference in my life," she says. "It's unbelievable because the sounds I couldn't hear before, I'm now aware of because of Taylor. I just love her."

Changing a dog from a shelter refugee to a certified hearing assistant is a matter of training, dedication and love for the dogs. According to Valerie Foss-Brugger, president and executive director of IHDI, each dog is specifically trained for an individual's particular needs and great care goes into matching the right dog to theright person.

"Everybody's home is different and each person's needs are different, such as what they need help with and what sounds the dog has to be aware of, so we really get to know these people and what their needs are so we can find the perfect dog for them," says Foss-Brugger. First, every dog is trained to respond to three basic sounds: a knock at the door, a telephone ring and a smoke alarm beep. After this, special training for an individual client may include responding to the sound of a baby crying, walking next to a wheelchair, getting on and off public transportation or sitting quietly in a classroom.

This specialized training is done at the client's home where an educator spends four to five days helping the dog and the new owner get to know each other, as well as teaching the dog to respond to sounds and needs specific to that environment. But the most important part of the educator's job is to train the deaf or hearing-impaired recipient who must understand their dog and how the canine alerts to sounds, such as running to the telephone when it rings.

Learning these simple canine signals opens up a whole new world for deaf people, taking them from an isolated existence of anxiety and frustration to a life of hope and possibilities. Encouraging stories about the extraordinary changes these dogs make in the lives of the deaf and hearing impaired abound. Cooley talked about a woman in Portland, Ore., who, upon receiving her new hearing assistance dog, sat in her doorway hugging the dog and crying with joy. A recipient in Arizona told Dickson the biggest change in her life is that she could finally relax in her own home. Before getting her dog, she never had time to think because she was too busy trying to listen, but now she can now enjoy life instead of worrying about it.

Hearing assistance dogs have a wonderful life as well. Over time, these intelligent canines come to understand that their new owners need their help, which creates a special bond that transcends the usual dog/owner relationship. These dogs were rescued from shelters, and now they're rescuing people from a life of isolation and anxiety.