My First Year With Hearing Dog Betsy
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Firstly, I should explain to those of you that are unaware, I am profoundly deaf. I decided to apply for a Hearing Dog to enhance my life after my pet dog, Holly, passed away. Finally after 5 years of waiting, the day was upon us!
Wow! Time flies! I brought Betsy home with me for the first time on 31st May 2014. A whole year has flown by already!
Betsy has been good for me in so many ways – some obvious and some more subtle. She has made me feel much more confident about going out and about on my own – simply shopping or going to the bank or doctors. I feel much happier being home overnight without my husband if he has to go away due to work. In the past, I would worry that I wouldn't wake up in the morning for work or perhaps the burglar alarm would go off in the night and I wouldn't hear it. Now I sleep a lot better knowing that Betsy will wake me up in the morning or if she hears an alarm.
Betsy settled in very quickly when she arrived home. She is generally a very confident dog and loves exploring new places. Whenever we visit a friend's house – especially if she hasn't been there before – she has to take herself on a tour of the entire house, no rooms are excluded! I like to think this is her checking the house is safe for me and making a mental note of all risks! This is a picture of her checking out her new bed (I didn't even tell her it was hers – she just jumped straight in!). Anyhow, we didn't do anything too adventurous for the first few weeks as we didn't want to overwhelm her – Hearing Dogs for Deaf People told us to give her time to settle in.
Our first proper outing was actually in our camper van and we went to Porlock (north Devon) for the weekend in June 2014. It was a lovely weekend, hampered by being kicked out of a pub, the owner shouting “Guide dogs only!” - don't worry I told Hearing Dogs about the pub and they were going to contact them directly. If I had known at the time that it was actually illegal for them to turn away an assistance dog then I certainly would have let them know! As it was we quickly found another pub just down the road where all dogs were welcome and we enjoyed a very nice meal. Still, it did dent my confidence a little bit. However, since that first weekend we have never been refused entry anywhere with Betsy – generally she gets a warm welcome and a fuss wherever she goes. In our local pub – The Three Tuns – she always gets a fuss from the staff and other patrons. We often take her 'vet bed' with us (looks like a soft woolly mat) as it's more comfortable than the stone floor and she settles better.
For the first few months Hearing Dogs provide regular assistance to you and your dog to help you settle in until you gain your partnership qualification. We had regular visits from a lady who lives quite local to us and has been very helpful in helping us overcome a few of Betsy's mischievous habits (she is a dog after all!). Finally in October 2014 our partnership was confirmed.
Betsy's 'normal' routine with me is:
6:30am – alarm clock goes off and Betsy will wake me up by coming to my side of the bed and putting both paws on the bed – she is a large dog so this is generally enough to wake me but if I don't stir she will then also 'nudge' me with her nose.
7:30am – walkies!
8:45am – I start work so she sits quietly (most of the time!) in the office, sometimes the postman will ring the doorbell so she gets practice at alerting me to that (by nudging me with her nose).
12:30pm – walkies again!
1pm – work in the office so she sits quietly. During work time she is generally sitting very quietly. However, if a 'danger' sound were to go off – such as our smoke alarm – then should would alert me to that.
5pm – walkies! (a quick one just for a toilet break)
When I am cooking in the evening I will quite often use the cooker timer to time things so she gets a lot of practice with this sound work, alerting me with the nudge when the timer goes off. During the evening we'll try and do a practise alarm with her once or twice a week. We have recordings of various alarms on the computer so my husband will play one and Betsy gets to alert me – and get a treat for doing so. She will also come and fetch me is she is told to – very useful if my husband is cooking and dinner is ready. Betsy is never far from the kitchen when one of us is cooking – so it's easy to tell her to 'call Maria' and she will dash off to find me and bring me back for the mandatory treat!
In the last few months we have been on holiday to France – lots of driving but Betsy was as good as gold and we didn't have any problems while in France. One cafe we went to actually had a sign saying 'no dogs' but when we explained that Betsy was a 'chien d'assistance' they allowed us to bring her in... which was very good of them as being in a different country they weren't under obligation to. She sat quietly under the table for most of the meal – until for some completely unexplained reason she let out one big deep 'woof' – making all in the restaurant jump! As she was completely hidden under the table I think they must have been very confused!
I have also taken Betsy to the cinema a few times now. Primarily I have taken her to cartoons, dramas and other 'quietish' films. Again, she is very good and will sit quietly in that noisy environment. Although she will place her head on my knee and beg for popcorn (or search for it under the chairs dropped by previous occupants)! Last month my husband and I got brave and took her to see Jurassic World. We were really not sure how she would respond to the noise of roaring dinosaurs and people being munched (sorry if I've just spoilt the plot!) and were quite prepared to leave the cinema if needed - but she was fine. After sharing a few of my husband's nachos she settled down and barely moved till the end of the film.
Having become used to Betsy and her ways I think I can safely say that I know her now. I know when she is going to be a little mischievous or if she is feeling ill etc. And she seems to have bonded well with me, being much more likely to come and sit with me or have a cuddle than just go and lie in her own bed.
I find it hard to imagine life without her now – she has become such a large part of our lives. She goes everywhere with us – walks, shopping, church, work, holidays – there is barely a moment of the day when we are separated. Here's to another 8 years (and hopefully more!) of togetherness for Betsy and I!
Contributed by Maria Goddard
(Published on 3rd Aug 2015 )
