As September is both National Service Dog Awareness Month and Deaf Awareness Month, we want to take advantage of this time to spotlight a special type of service dog: Hearing assistance dogs, also known as hearing alert or hearing dogs. Hearing assistance dogs are a type of service dog that help individuals with hearing loss. They are specially trained to differentiate sounds and react appropriately.Â
Hearing loss is unique and different for each individual. Some people with hearing loss can hear only certain frequencies, or can only hear out of one ear, while others have no hearing at all. With this in mind, the tasks that a hearing assistance dog would perform for their person may vary based on that individual’s unique needs and abilities. In this article, we will talk about five possible tasks that a hearing dog can be trained to perform. But first, we want to introduce you to Beth and her amazing hearing dog, Harvey.
Beth and Harvey, the Hearing Assistance Dog
Beth and Harvey are an Atlas Certified Team. They have gone through rigorous training together with Atlas’ support, learning to navigate public spaces safely and teaching Harvey the tasks that help Beth navigate her day to day with more safety and freedom.Â
Living with severe tinnitus and hearing loss in her right ear, Beth is met with daily obstacles that are often invisible to the outside world. Being in crowded, loud, or busy environments can trigger dizziness and disorientation. But with Harvey by her side, she gains a new level of independence and confidence.
Some of Harvey’s key tasks are what we will be showcasing below. He  will alert Beth to someone coming toward her, especially from the side or behind her. This helps Beth stay safe and aware of her surroundings. He will also alert her to other sounds, such as when someone calls her name.
Hearing Assistance Dog Tasks
Now let’s dig into some of the specific tasks that hearing assistance dogs may be trained to perform.
1. Alerting to People
This is one of Harvey’s trained tasks that provides Beth with an increased level of safety and confidence in her daily life. When cued, the dog will place themselves in position to keep an eye on people walking up behind their person and alert as someone approaches within a specific distance. It is important to note, that the dog is not asked to always be watching and alerting 24/7. That would be unfair and likely stressful to the dog. The dog is doing this in specific instances and when asked.Â
While this task can be beneficial for those who are Deaf or have hearing loss, it can also be a beneficial task for people living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Having their dog alert to an oncoming person can ease the sense of hyper vigilance that they may feel.
2. Alerting to Sounds
A hearing assistance dog can alert their handler to a sound such as a doorbell, phone, alarm, kitchen appliances, medical equipment etc. and bring them to the source of that sound.Â
In the video on the right, the dog is alerting their handler to the sound of the doorbell by nudging their leg. The dog then leads the handler to the door.
3. Alerting to Name
This is another of Harvey’s tasks, and one of many other hearing assistance dogs. The dog will alert their person that someone has called their name. The dog may lead their handler back to the person who originally called their name, or they may just make them aware that someone in their surroundings called for them.
4. Retrieving Items
Though you may not think of this as a task associated with hearing loss, it absolutely can be. For someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing, they may not realize if they dropped their keys on the ground. Or they may not be able to locate a lost item that could be identified with an alarm, but their dog could. By keeping their ear open, hearing assistance dogs can help their handlers retrieve dropped or misplaced items.
In Conclusion
Just like their human partners, hearing assistance dogs are all unique. While their main responsibilities involve alerting and responding to sounds, the type of sound and way they respond will vary based on what their human needs and what they every day looks like.
Regardless of the exact sound they are responding to, and whether the dog is big or small, one thing is clear: the impact is huge. Indeed, Beth tells us that service dogs really are “like a piece of your person”.Â
We invite you to join us in celebrating the meaningful effect that service dogs make by making a monthly donation of only $10 that directly impacts the lives of individuals like Beth. Your generous contribution today can enable us to continue our commitment to empowering people with disabilities, ensuring they receive the necessary support to lead independent, fulfilling lives at a cost they can afford.
We greatly appreciate your invaluable role in the Atlas Assistance Dogs community. Together, we can create a profound and lasting impact, enabling more individuals to benefit from the life-changing companionship of a service dog. Every service dog represents a story – a narrative that begins with individuals like you.
Your kindness and generosity can help ensure that people like Beth have the opportunity to thrive with the invaluable support of a service dog like Mighty Harvey at an affordable cost.
About Atlas Assistance Dogs
Atlas Assistance Dogs is a non-profit organization that fundamentally expands access to assistance dogs. We support people with disabilities to train and certify their own service dog using positive, ethical training methods. At Atlas, we believe anyone who would benefit from a qualified assistance dog should be able to have one.Â
We work with people with a wide range of disabilities who wish to train their own service dog as well as offer a comprehensive Academy for professional trainers wanting to become service dog trainers. For more information about Atlas’ Client Certification program or other training services, please visit www.atlasdog.org or contact info@atlasdog.org
