Hello Friends – It has been awhile since I have written for my blog consistently. Seems I settled into a pretty comfortable existence with my bionic hearing and not a lot of new hearing experiences were taking place. Hearing with cochlear implants has been amazing. As wonderful as they are, it is not a full time solution.
Many years ago I saw a documentary on TV about dogs being trained to assist the hearing impaired. That tidbit of information was in the back of my mind and I thought might be a resource to consider if I ever felt the need. As of late, the idea of having a canine to alert me to sounds I may miss and especially to alert me in the night or morning when I don’t have my CI processors on has made me think it would be a comfort. I would feel more secure knowing a dog would alert me if the smoke alarm is going off or someone has come to the door. The feeling of security for me extended to my family. They like the idea of another set of ears looking out for me and have been very encouraging. With their ongoing support, I began the research for information regarding hearing assistance dogs.
A friend, who volunteers for Can-Do-Canines of Minnesota, talked with me and my husband, Paul, about this organization that trains hearing assistance dogs. He showed me pictures of the dogs he has fostered; irresistible young labradors. After visiting with him, I read through the Can-Do-Canines website and decided to apply for a hearing assistance dog.
Can-Do-Canines is an excellent organization looking to serve their clients well and make great matches with assistance dogs. The application is thorough and includes an interview which I did via FaceTime. Days after my interview, I received a letter of congratulations accepting me into the program. I was excited and a little anxious as questions began swimming in my head. What kind of a dog would I be matched with? I grew up with pet dogs – how would a working dog be different?
While I waited for my match, Can-Do-Canines offered me classes to begin learning about the dogs, their care and training, as well as how the organization works and what my commitments would be. There is much to learn about assistance dogs and I think it will be well worth the effort to feel more secure when I don’t have the presence of a family member.
Gradual hearing loss has presented many challenges and there have been many assistive devices that helped me through the phases of my hearing loss. Now, I will enter a new exciting phase with a warm-blooded, living helper – a Can-Do-Canine.
2 Bionic Ears 