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Greenock Telegraph | article | features
OVER the last 12 years, Sheena, a whippet-cross, has been a constant companion to owner Jean MacDonald.
As a working dog, she is constantly on duty and acts as Jean’s ears, alerting her to danger as well as everyday sounds such as the ringing of the ‘phone or door bell.
When friends call round to Jean’s Gourock home, Sheena will paw her to indicate the bell has been rung and then lead her to the source of the sound. On the odd occasion when Jean burns her tea and sets off the smoke detector, Sheena will lie down to indicate danger.
Jean said: “When the phone is ringing she comes and touches me, I will say ‘what is it?’ and she will take me to the phone.”
Telephone calls involve the assistance of an operator, who types the caller’s words which then appear on a mini com — a screen attached to the telephone.
As Sheena is a hearing dog, she cannot be separated from her owner. So when Jean was in hospital recently with a blood clot on her lung, Sheena went too.
Jean said: “Sheena is a very happy dog. She is very friendly, likes people and loves children. Because she is a working dog I can’t leave her in the house on her own for any length of time. I have to have her with me all the time.”
JEAN found staff at Inverclyde Royal were very accommodating when it came to Sheena and were happy to feed her and take her outside for toilet breaks to help.
As a regular visitor to IRH for various ailments, Jean has been so impressed with the hospital staff she recently nominated IRH for a Hearing Dog Friendly Award organised by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the charity that trained Sheena.
Jean says: “I was a patient in the IRH many times in 2006 and the love and support of the staff was amazing.
“When I had Sheena with me she was very good and very quiet and the nurses continually wanted to take her out and feed her. She got very spoiled. I would love the hospital to receive the award in recognition of this.”
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People launched the Hearing Dog Friendly Award in 2003 to recognise and encourage good practice among service providers across the UK.
Each year, judges look at accessibility and attitude before awards are presented to the towns, cities and services regarded as being hearing dog friendly.
While Jean gives the IRH full marks for its deaf awareness she said other businesses sometimes fall way short of the mark.
She was once thrown out of a restaurant by unsympathetic staff, even though she had phoned ahead and been told it was ok. And while Inverclyde bus drivers are always welcoming, Jean was left feeling very embarrassed when a Glasgow driver refused to let her on his vehicle.
Jean said: “I had been to visit a friend in Glasgow Royal and was on my way home and the bus driver wouldn’t let me on. I explained Sheena was a hearing dog but he said he didn’t care. The bus was packed and I felt embarrassed.
“I made a complaint and got an apology and the bus driver got into trouble. I have no problems with the buses in Inverclyde and everyone in the shops is pleasant but sometimes there is a restaurant that won’t let me in. Some people are not deaf aware and think a dog should not be in a hospital or a restaurant, but Sheena is a working dog.”
Sheena is Jean’s second hearing dog. Initially, Jean was paired with a dog who would not work for her and he was replaced by Sheena, who has fulfilled her role perfectly. Her only strange habit being a fondness for cat food.
Sheena also dislikes being separated from Jean and will ‘cry’ on the rare occasions this happens.
Jean, who has never seen anyone else in Inverclyde with a hearing dog, would like the public in general to be more deaf aware. For example, if someone is about to talk to her she likes them to touch her on the shoulder to draw her attention. Like Jean, a lot of deaf people rely on lip reading and some people make the mistake of thinking if they shout they will be understood. However no matter how loud they are, Jean, who has severe deafness, will never hear them.
Other people tend to over exaggerate their lip movements. Jeans’s advice is just to speak normally and to use hand gestures to indicate things like size.
The charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is keen to encourage more towns and cities to be welcoming to hearing dogs, which will ensure they comply with regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
St Austell in Cornwall was the outright winner in the town/city category of the Hearing Dog Friendly Awards in 2005. Restormel Borough Council had revised its dogs on beaches policy to give assistance dogs access to beaches where they had previously been banned.
Calne in Wiltshire was the winner in 2006, with The National Trust receiving the top prize in the service provider category due to its best practice approach.
THEIR series of workshops empowering people with different disabilities to be involved in improving disabled access to various National Trust properties and sites scored top marks in the judges’ assessment.
Jenny Moir, of Hearing Dogs, said: “Hearing dogs are registered assistance dogs and as such should be afforded the same access to public places as guide dogs.
“With the Disability Discrimination Act now law, it is even more important for
cities, towns and service providers to show they are compliant with the regulations.
“We launched this award as a public thank-you to people and places who make a real effort to welcome and to assist deaf people and their hearing dogs — and as an incentive to those who could make a huge difference by implementing a few small changes.
“We are delighted with the support from the staff at the IRH during the time that Jean was with them.
“They have continually helped deaf people, particularly those who rely on a hearing dog in everyday life, like Jean.”
The winners of this year’s Dog Friendly Awards are expected to be announced in August.
Further information is available by
logging on to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
OVER the last 12 years, Sheena, a whippet-cross, has been a constant companion to owner Jean MacDonald.
As a working dog, she is constantly on duty and acts as Jean’s ears, alerting her to danger as well as everyday sounds such as the ringing of the ‘phone or door bell.
When friends call round to Jean’s Gourock home, Sheena will paw her to indicate the bell has been rung and then lead her to the source of the sound. On the odd occasion when Jean burns her tea and sets off the smoke detector, Sheena will lie down to indicate danger.
Jean said: “When the phone is ringing she comes and touches me, I will say ‘what is it?’ and she will take me to the phone.”
Telephone calls involve the assistance of an operator, who types the caller’s words which then appear on a mini com — a screen attached to the telephone.
As Sheena is a hearing dog, she cannot be separated from her owner. So when Jean was in hospital recently with a blood clot on her lung, Sheena went too.
Jean said: “Sheena is a very happy dog. She is very friendly, likes people and loves children. Because she is a working dog I can’t leave her in the house on her own for any length of time. I have to have her with me all the time.”
JEAN found staff at Inverclyde Royal were very accommodating when it came to Sheena and were happy to feed her and take her outside for toilet breaks to help.
As a regular visitor to IRH for various ailments, Jean has been so impressed with the hospital staff she recently nominated IRH for a Hearing Dog Friendly Award organised by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the charity that trained Sheena.
Jean says: “I was a patient in the IRH many times in 2006 and the love and support of the staff was amazing.
“When I had Sheena with me she was very good and very quiet and the nurses continually wanted to take her out and feed her. She got very spoiled. I would love the hospital to receive the award in recognition of this.”
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People launched the Hearing Dog Friendly Award in 2003 to recognise and encourage good practice among service providers across the UK.
Each year, judges look at accessibility and attitude before awards are presented to the towns, cities and services regarded as being hearing dog friendly.
While Jean gives the IRH full marks for its deaf awareness she said other businesses sometimes fall way short of the mark.
She was once thrown out of a restaurant by unsympathetic staff, even though she had phoned ahead and been told it was ok. And while Inverclyde bus drivers are always welcoming, Jean was left feeling very embarrassed when a Glasgow driver refused to let her on his vehicle.
Jean said: “I had been to visit a friend in Glasgow Royal and was on my way home and the bus driver wouldn’t let me on. I explained Sheena was a hearing dog but he said he didn’t care. The bus was packed and I felt embarrassed.
“I made a complaint and got an apology and the bus driver got into trouble. I have no problems with the buses in Inverclyde and everyone in the shops is pleasant but sometimes there is a restaurant that won’t let me in. Some people are not deaf aware and think a dog should not be in a hospital or a restaurant, but Sheena is a working dog.”
Sheena is Jean’s second hearing dog. Initially, Jean was paired with a dog who would not work for her and he was replaced by Sheena, who has fulfilled her role perfectly. Her only strange habit being a fondness for cat food.
Sheena also dislikes being separated from Jean and will ‘cry’ on the rare occasions this happens.
Jean, who has never seen anyone else in Inverclyde with a hearing dog, would like the public in general to be more deaf aware. For example, if someone is about to talk to her she likes them to touch her on the shoulder to draw her attention. Like Jean, a lot of deaf people rely on lip reading and some people make the mistake of thinking if they shout they will be understood. However no matter how loud they are, Jean, who has severe deafness, will never hear them.
Other people tend to over exaggerate their lip movements. Jeans’s advice is just to speak normally and to use hand gestures to indicate things like size.
The charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is keen to encourage more towns and cities to be welcoming to hearing dogs, which will ensure they comply with regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
St Austell in Cornwall was the outright winner in the town/city category of the Hearing Dog Friendly Awards in 2005. Restormel Borough Council had revised its dogs on beaches policy to give assistance dogs access to beaches where they had previously been banned.
Calne in Wiltshire was the winner in 2006, with The National Trust receiving the top prize in the service provider category due to its best practice approach.
THEIR series of workshops empowering people with different disabilities to be involved in improving disabled access to various National Trust properties and sites scored top marks in the judges’ assessment.
Jenny Moir, of Hearing Dogs, said: “Hearing dogs are registered assistance dogs and as such should be afforded the same access to public places as guide dogs.
“With the Disability Discrimination Act now law, it is even more important for
cities, towns and service providers to show they are compliant with the regulations.
“We launched this award as a public thank-you to people and places who make a real effort to welcome and to assist deaf people and their hearing dogs — and as an incentive to those who could make a huge difference by implementing a few small changes.
“We are delighted with the support from the staff at the IRH during the time that Jean was with them.
“They have continually helped deaf people, particularly those who rely on a hearing dog in everyday life, like Jean.”
The winners of this year’s Dog Friendly Awards are expected to be announced in August.
Further information is available by
logging on to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
Not surprised how attached people get to the dog, however, they still need to remember that the dog is a working dog, just like Snickers is for me. 