My Personal Journey through the Application Process of Hearing Dogs For Deaf People
April 1st 2012
At the beginning of the year I, with my husband’s agreement, decided that I would apply for a Hearing Dog for Deaf People. We lost our dog Holly, at the age of 13, in May 2011 and she left a very big hole in our lives but we decided that it would be very useful if we had a trained dog to help me with sounds that I don't hear in everyday life (door bell, smoke alarm, cooker timer etc).
I enquired about how to go about this and was told that only 50 places are open each year. The date for applying was 1st April and I was told that I should phone (or get my husband to phone on my behalf) at 9am on the dot as soon as the office opened, if I hoped to get in the queue for this year. So we did and we did! I was very happy about this as I expected the phone to be engaged, or not to be able to get through - all the usual things that happen when you have an important call to make.
So... the first hurdle is crossed! There are lots more to come!
July 25th 2012
As part of the application process they ask that you attend an 'information day' about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. I got the impression that this was a method they use to find out who was genuinely interested in getting a dog as it is a long way to go and you have to make a real effort - for us it is a three hour drive to The Grange, (the head office) at Princes Risbourough, Buckinghamshire.
So off we went... we had a good day. They basically told us all about Hearing Dogs, the care they expect you to provide for the dog and what they can do for you. They gave us a tour of The Grange (and most importantly the kennels!) and gave us a demonstration of the Hearing Dogs in action too. It was a very enjoyable day.
At the end of the day we were given official application forms to fill in. So this I did – there and then! I am very eager! I also had forms that I had to send to my audiologist and doctor. I sent these straight away too and hoped that they would be completed and returned to Hearing Dogs quickly! And then it was a matter of waiting... and waiting.... and waiting.... I hate waiting!
September 2012
I forget the exact date but I remember being very excited and nervous when the letter came from Hearing Dogs. It was either going to be a 'yes, we'd like to see you again' or a 'not this time, sorry'.
Thankfully it was a yes! I was SO happy! They had given me dates of Monday and Tuesday 26th & 27th November 2012 to attend The Grange for a practical assessment, this time with an overnight stay. So... date booked in diary, husband informed so that he could book time off work to come with me too and then it was another wait... until November.
November 26th & 27th 2012
We arrived at The Grange in good time thankfully, the roads had been very busy but I had allowed plenty of time in case of traffic jams. I should add at this point that, although I was excited to be attending, I am a very shy person by nature, so I was very nervous. I needn’t have worried though. There was one other lady who was to be assessed at the same time as me. Her name was Marie (and as mine is Maria it was a little confusing!), and she was very nice. The lady that was to assess us was Tracy and she was profoundly deaf so I found that strangely reassuring. She was very nice too!
We spent the two days with Tracy and demonstration hearing dog Cedar, a brown flat-coated retriever. Tracy made sure that we would be comfortable taking a dog into shops, offices and cafes where you wouldn't normally be allowed to take a dog and that we would be comfortable walking, poop scooping, and grooming a dog as a routine.
9th January 2013
I eventually received an email from Hearing Dogs to confirm that I was proceeding to the next stage of the application process – hooray! This involves a visit from a Hearing Dogs representative to both my home and my work place. I am lucky in that I live above my bookshop, so my home and workplace are in the same location. That makes things easier for us all.
July 13th 2013
Well, this time I only had to wait 6 months before I receive my next email and an appointment is made for 14th August for my home/bookshop visit.
14th August 2013
I meet Helen who works for Hearing Dogs and will be my Partnership Instructor. She visits my home and workplace and makes sure that it is suitable for a Hearing Dog. She also fills in lots of questionnaires to give to the Hearing Dogs trainers so that they know what kind of dog would be required and what sounds they would need to be trained for. She leaves just before lunch time after spending a couple of hours with me.
September 11th 2013
I receive an email to confirm that I am proceeding to the next stage of application in which I will be matched with dog! So exciting! However, a bit of a downer... I am informed that the current waiting time is 4-5 years!! I am unlikely to be matched until 2017! I was officially on the waiting list as soon as I handed in my application in July 2012. BOO HOO.... so much waiting….
17th April 2014
A major bolt out of the blue.... just seven months later I receive an email to say that they have a potential hearing dog lined up for me!!! My husband will tell you.... I was on the ceiling dancing around! I couldn't believe it – they were contacting me about a potential hearing dog three years sooner than I had thought! They want me to visit Betsy, a 2 year-old black Labrador, on 1st and 2nd of May! ARGH... Oh no, I am on holiday!!! A quick exchange of emails and they bring the visit forward to 28th and 29th April instead. Phew!
28th and 29th April 2014
I visit Betsy at The Grange, Princes Risborough with my sister-in-law, Glynis, in tow for company.
For me it was love at first sight! Not sure what it was for Betsy.... if only dogs could talk! Glynis and I spent a couple of days with Heather – Betsy's trainer – and Betsy (of course) getting to know her and seeing if we are compatible. It turns out that Betsy is a very lovely dog but does have a cheeky side to her. At the end of a walk off lead she will sometimes refuse to come back. She doesn't run away–she just sits there and if you approach her she will back away and it can take a while to get her back on the lead. I need to decide if I can cope with this cheekiness at home alone.
It makes me a little anxious to be honest with you but in every other way Betsy is perfect! Her sound work is excellent and recall generally is great.
I go home a little sombre... and have a think.
29th April 2014 (at home)
After returning home and having long chat with my husband about Betsy and her only (at the moment) fault, I decide that I would like to try her out and hopefully bring her home as my fully trained hearing dog. I email Heather and let her know.
27th May-30th May 2014
We spend four days at the Grange with Heather and Betsy. We go on lots of walks so that I can see how Heather copes with Betsy's cheekiness and she makes it all look so easy. I need to learn to be confident that I can cope with it, so that Betsy doesn't think that she is the boss. Lots of time is also spent in the training house doing sound work with Betsy. She can alert me to my bedside alarm clock, a cooker timer (which I can use for other purposes too), a call (so my husband can ask Betsy to fetch me if he needs me), fire alarm, smoke alarm, etc etc. At the end of the week I bring Betsy home with me fully armed with lots of new things for her - beds, toys, and most importantly - food. It just so happens I bring her home on her 2nd birthday, the 30th May 2014.
1st June – until present (mid July 2014)
It has only been 6 weeks but it feels like forever already (in a good way)! I have had lots of visits from Heather and Helen to make sure that I am coping with Betsy and her ways and also to make sure that Betsy is working correctly for me and not slacking in any of her sound work. Betsy's sound work is going well... we've had a couple of real doorbell practices and she has been brilliant at those – staying in her 'corner' while I go downstairs and answer the door. She wakes me up each morning when the bedside alarm goes off, although, according to my husband who is hearing, sometimes it takes her a little while to come round herself before she gets around to waking me up! When practicing other sounds she does really well too... I’m so pleased! I haven't had any really bad cheekiness on her walks yet which is great. Hopefully it was a rebellious teenager thing and she has grown out of it now!? We'll see...
Anyway, I am very pleased to say that I believe we are on course to have our partnership sealed permanently (well, until Betsy reaches retirement age anyway). Here's to at least another eight years of togetherness for Betsy and Me!
Contributed by Maria
(Published on 22nd Oct 2014 )
