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Hearing dogs to help the deaf - Star News Group
LYN Thomas’ dog Rocky is more than just a companion – he is a Lions Hearing Dog.
There are about 500 Lions Hearing Dogs in Australia that alert people with hearing impairments of danger and general things like when the phone rings.
Ms Thomas has moderate to severe hearing loss and although she has cochlear implants, she worries that she will not hear important alarms.
“It’s a safety thing, plus he’s a companion. I didn’t like being by myself especially if there were noises outside, so he got rid of all that for me,” Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas said she was prompted to apply for Rocky, a Terrier Papillon cross, when she slept through a fire alarm.
She has had Rocky since April 2006.
Lions Club Australia took the idea of hearing dogs from the United States and now has a training centre in South Australia.
People with severe hearing loss who can physically and financially care for a dog and can demonstrate a need for it can apply for a Lions Hearing Dog.
The Lions Club rescues dogs from the pound and can train any breed of dog that passes intelligence tests.
They are then put through quarantine, basic obedience training and then sound training.
Once Rocky arrived at Ms Thomas’s house, Lions Club members trained both Rocky and Ms Thomas together for 12 weeks.
Rocky will tap Ms Thomas’s knee when the phone rings, the smoke alarm sounds, and when someone knocks at the door.
Rocky will also drop to the ground if the smoke alarm sounds.
“He follows me around. If I’m not feeling well he’ll come and stay near me, but he’s not allowed to jump up on the bed,” Ms Thomas said.
“In the night time if I heard noises I get worried - but he hears them and if I see he is alright I just relax,” she said.
Hearing dogs cost about $15,000, which is paid for by corporate donations and fundraising by local Lions Clubs.
Broadford Lions Club president Ian Overend says while the hearing dogs are not widely publicised they are vital for people with hearing impairments who are isolated.
“It’s vital to people like Lyn throughout the country that are pretty isolated because of their hearing and it opens a whole new world for them,” Mr Overend said.
For more information, contact your local Lions Club or visit Lions Australia Hearing Dogs - Home Page.
LYN Thomas’ dog Rocky is more than just a companion – he is a Lions Hearing Dog.
There are about 500 Lions Hearing Dogs in Australia that alert people with hearing impairments of danger and general things like when the phone rings.
Ms Thomas has moderate to severe hearing loss and although she has cochlear implants, she worries that she will not hear important alarms.
“It’s a safety thing, plus he’s a companion. I didn’t like being by myself especially if there were noises outside, so he got rid of all that for me,” Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas said she was prompted to apply for Rocky, a Terrier Papillon cross, when she slept through a fire alarm.
She has had Rocky since April 2006.
Lions Club Australia took the idea of hearing dogs from the United States and now has a training centre in South Australia.
People with severe hearing loss who can physically and financially care for a dog and can demonstrate a need for it can apply for a Lions Hearing Dog.
The Lions Club rescues dogs from the pound and can train any breed of dog that passes intelligence tests.
They are then put through quarantine, basic obedience training and then sound training.
Once Rocky arrived at Ms Thomas’s house, Lions Club members trained both Rocky and Ms Thomas together for 12 weeks.
Rocky will tap Ms Thomas’s knee when the phone rings, the smoke alarm sounds, and when someone knocks at the door.
Rocky will also drop to the ground if the smoke alarm sounds.
“He follows me around. If I’m not feeling well he’ll come and stay near me, but he’s not allowed to jump up on the bed,” Ms Thomas said.
“In the night time if I heard noises I get worried - but he hears them and if I see he is alright I just relax,” she said.
Hearing dogs cost about $15,000, which is paid for by corporate donations and fundraising by local Lions Clubs.
Broadford Lions Club president Ian Overend says while the hearing dogs are not widely publicised they are vital for people with hearing impairments who are isolated.
“It’s vital to people like Lyn throughout the country that are pretty isolated because of their hearing and it opens a whole new world for them,” Mr Overend said.
For more information, contact your local Lions Club or visit Lions Australia Hearing Dogs - Home Page.