My Dog Hears for Me!

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN

“I DON’T know what I would do without my little dog!” Dorothy exclaimed, looking affectionately at a young white-and-tan crossbred Jack Russell terrier lying contentedly under her chair. “I have had Twinkie for only a few months, but already she has given me a new lease on life!”

Peering closer, I saw that Twinkie was wearing a close-fitting yellow body harness upon which was printed in bold black letters “HEARING DOG FOR THE DEAF.” ‘What an extraordinary animal!’ I remember thinking to myself. ‘What can it do?’

Ours was a chance meeting among 44,000 people attending the “God’s Way of Life” International Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses last July in London, England. By sitting close to a loudspeaker, Dorothy was able to hear the program, so why did she need a hearing dog? As we sat talking during a lunch break, Dorothy told me her story.

Twinkie’s Role

Dorothy is profoundly deaf as a result of a bout of rheumatic fever at the age of three. Since her husband’s death 23 years ago, she has lived alone, but, as Dorothy explained, she needed more than companionship as she got older. “Deaf people can feel very insecure at my age,” she said. “I am 74 and live in a warden-secure apartment, but when the caretaker comes to see me, I can never hear my doorbell. Thinking that I might not be feeling well, he has sometimes let himself in without my knowing it; and that has given me quite a fright. But now Twinkie hears the bell, and she comes and taps on my leg and leads me to the front door. Similarly, when Twinkie hears the buzzer on my oven timer, she runs up to me, and I follow her. In the event of a smoke or fire alarm, Twinkie is trained to attract my attention and then lie down to indicate potential danger. Each time she helps me, I reward her with a special treat, a savory tidbit.”

Training With Skill

I was intrigued. “How did you get your dog, and who trained her?” I asked. This was the cue for Dorothy to tell me something about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a charity whose purpose is to help deaf people in Britain achieve greater independence and thus improve their quality of life. Since 1982 it has placed hundreds of dogs with deaf individuals in Britain. Once fully trained, a dog is transferred to its new owner by adoption, free of charge.

The dogs chosen are usually strays, often taken from rescue centers across the country, although some are donated by breeders. It takes up to 12 months to train a dog. The cost is often met by a sponsor, either a company or a group of people whose smaller contributions are combined. Dorothy told me that a slimming club had kindly sponsored Twinkie.

Once chosen, each potential hearing dog, ranging in age from seven weeks to three years, is trained to respond to certain sounds. Initially, however, it is assigned to a socializer, a volunteer who takes the dog home for two to eight months, depending on the dog’s age and experience. Socializing may include basic housebreaking, but the main goal is to get the animal familiar with public places and transport and to give it a wide variety of experience with people of all ages, including children and babies. The aim is to train the dog to behave acceptably under any circumstance in which it may eventually find itself.

In addition, I learned that other organizations use dogs to assist those with special needs. As well as being trained to heed commands, these dogs are exposed to specific sights and smells. One retriever caring for a woman confined to a wheelchair has been taught to pick up her telephone and letters and to lick stamps for the mail! Another dog responds to 120 commands, even collecting cans and packets from supermarket shelves. The disabled owner uses a laser dot to identify items that he has chosen, and his dog then takes them to him.

A Happy Partnership

“Does everybody appreciate the value of Twinkie?” I asked. “One storekeeper refused my dog entry,” Dorothy replied. “I think this was because he had some food on display, but his attitude really was an exception, as he did not understand why I need Twinkie.”

I now understood the value of a hearing dog in the home, but I had one more question. Of what value was Twinkie when Dorothy was happily mixing with so many fellow Christians? “I can lip-read well, and my hearing aid helps me to hold a conversation,” Dorothy explained. “When people see Twinkie’s yellow jacket, they know immediately that I am deaf. They then speak directly to me, usually as clearly as they can. Thus, I don’t have to explain my disability, and that makes life much easier for me.”

The convention sessions were due to recommence, and Twinkie needed a walk before settling down for the afternoon. Before taking my leave, I bent down to stroke her. Twinkie opened her bright eyes and then looked up at Dorothy and wagged her tail. Such a docile, useful little friend—and their rapport was complete!

[Picture on page 20]

Twinkie’s help is invaluable at conventions