Audio Descriptor: Trigger warning, some bright flashing lights and sharp sounds ahead. This is Clydia's story. Every hearing dog is trained to support the specific needs of their deaf handler. Clydia, walking in slow motion as people rush past. She grimaces, removes her hearing devices and continues to walk in silence.
Clydia: (sound of noisy crowded location, continuous high-pitched ringing) When my Meniere’s flares up, I get easily overstimulated, and this sometimes brings bouts of fatigue on. To de-escalate these episodes, I have to completely remove my hearing devices to reduce overstimulation.
Audio Descriptor: Unaware, she steps into the path of a moving car. Someone pulls her back to safety. Clydia stares blankly in front of her, unable to hear the stranger.
Clydia: And this is when I'm vulnerable (car honks).
Passerby: Are you ok? Are you ok, ma’am?
Clydia: My name is Clydia, and I hope for a Hearing Dog to assist me.
Audio Descriptor: A montage of Clydia's childhood photos.
Clydia: I was quite a happy-go-lucky kid, before I was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at age 4. I'm fortunate to be supported with assistive hearing devices, such as hearing aids. However, things got a little bit more complicated when I started having long bouts of vertigo attacks several times a day. I was later diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, a vestibular disorder that affects my balance system.
Audio Descriptor: Clydia removes her hearing devices. She steps outdoors and looks around her.
Clydia: As I got better at recognizing my triggers, my time without my hearing devices also increased. Safety became a huge concern because I am no longer able to hear important safety sounds, such as fire alarms and when vehicles drive past too close.
Audio Descriptor: Seated at a bus stop, Clydia checks her phone.
Clydia: In search of a solution, I chanced upon K9Assistance website and found that they provide Hearing Dogs.
Audio Descriptor: An animation about Hearing Dogs.
Female Narrator: Hearing dogs can help to assist and mitigate the disability of individuals with hearing loss, like Clydia. Hearing dogs can alert their handlers to sounds that require attention, such as a person at the doorbell, a ringing phone, or fire alarms.
When a Hearing Dog recognises the sound of a doorbell, it will run to its handler, place a paw on their lap, or use its nose to nudge its handler for attention.
Once it’s gotten it’s handler’s attention, the Hearing Dog will then lead its handler to the source of the sound. Hearing Dogs are also trained to differentiate emergency sounds, and lead handlers away from dangerous environments.
When Hearing Dogs hear a smoke or fire alarm, they will run to their handler, place a paw on their lap, or use its nose to nudge its handler for attention, before dropping down on the ground immediately. This indicates that the sound and its source should be avoided.
The handler will thus know to leave the danger and relocate to a safe place. Hearing Dogs are also very helpful outside the home, as they are keenly alert, their handler can ascertain a great deal of information about their surroundings by observing the dog’s body language.
This alerts the handler to the approach of persons or vehicles which may be a hazard. Beyond active alert, Hearing Dogs can give their handlers peace of mind, especially during bedtime when hearing devices are typically removed. Hearing Dogs can keep a watchful ear out for their handlers and wake them up to any sounds that require attention.
This allows the handler to have a good night’s rest with a better sense of security and safety. All types of bona fide Assistance Dogs, including Hearing Dogs are extremely well-behaved, and undergo a yearly Public Access Test. Their training is very extensive and can take up to two years.
Audio Descriptor: Clydia smiles at the camera.
Clydia: Having a Hearing Dog will definitely make a difference in my life. Knowing that the Hearing Dog will look out for me in times of need, I am able to have a stronger sense of security and safety.
Female Narrator: Help Clydia and others like her in the d/Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing community get their own Hearing Dog.
Audio Descriptor: K9Assistance logo.
Female Narrator: Assistance Dogs make the impossible, possible!
