Hearing Dogs Trained To Keep An Ear Out For Their Owners

Tasha, a 3-year-old black standard poodle, knows exactly what to do if she hears a knock at her front door in Turangi.

The specially trained hearing dog will immediately find her owner, Ken Proudfoot, who is profoundly deaf, and gently put her paws up on his lap. She’ll then lead him downstairs to the source of the noise.

Tasha has lived with Ken and his wife, Mieke, who is also deaf in one ear, for the past 18 months and has made a big difference to their quality of life.
“At the end of the day you can’t wear hearing aids all the time,” Ken explains. “I can’t sleep with them in, or shower with them, and you need to take them out every now and again so natural air can circulate.

“A hearing dog can alert you to sounds you might not otherwise hear, such as a fire alarm, the telephone, a door bell or even a cooking timer.”

Prior to Tasha, Ken had another hearing dog, Gemma, who used to accompany him to meetings, restaurants and hotels when he had to travel. Ken says both dogs have been reassuring companions, particularly in situations when he is on his own.

Making life easier
Tasha is one of 57 fully qualified hearing dogs working in New Zealand at present, with several more currently in training. Six of those dogs are working in different locations around the Bay of Plenty.

The organisation which trains them, Hearing Dogs For Deaf People NZ, is a charitable trust that has operated nationwide for the past 16 years.
Funding manager Jacqui Cameron says hearing impairment or deafness is an ‘invisible’ disability that affects one in 10 New Zealanders.

She says people can often feel isolated, lonely and frustrated. A hearing dog not only helps make their everyday lives easier, but it also gives them greater independence, social interaction, self-confidence and security.

“Even the simplest of tasks, like answering the front door or the telephone, are taken away from you when you have a hearing impairment,” Jacqui says.

“Smoke alarms are a big one. We teach the dogs to lie flat as a pancake on the ground in front of the recipient. They then know it’s an emergency and need to get outside.”

Intensive training
Hearing dogs are trained at a special facility in New Plymouth. Many are rescued from the SPCA as pups, or donated by dog breeders around the country.
“We can’t have dogs that are nervous or overly aggressive,” Jacqui says. “That won’t work. So they’re fully socialized and then assessed before they enter our training programme. We choose very well behaved dogs who follow instructions well.”

Each dog costs approximately $30,000 to train. They are then assessed after one year of placement before they’re deemed to be fully qualified, and Hearing Dogs continues to monitor their progress every year to make sure they’re working effectively.

“These dogs can go anywhere. They go to the supermarket, libraries, to workplaces, to university. They can even fly on airplanes,” Jacqui says.

Crucial support
BayTrust donated $5000 to Hearing Dogs this year to help with local operational costs – money which Jacqui says has been put to excellent use. “We have had one new dog placed recently in the Bay of Plenty, and that money has gone towards their costs, as well as to help fund our support programme and annual assessments in the region.”

The support programme comprises a team of dog trainers who are available by phone 24/7 to help recipients if they have any problems or concerns.
Dog trainers also spend at least one week with each recipient when the dog first arrives in their home to help settle them in and familiarise themselves with their new neighbourhood.

“It makes a big difference to their lives but it’s actually a massive thing to take a hearing dog into their home. We try to give both them, and the dog, as much support as possible.”

Jacqui aims to help fundraise $260,000 every year to keep Hearing Dogs up and running. “We like to try and train around 10 dogs a year. But we’d love to increase that if we could.”

ends

© Scoop Media