Most animals have five basic senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Some animals have keener senses in some areas than others. Dogs are known for their powerful sense of hearing which is capable of hearing sounds that are outside of the range of noises that humans can hear. Over the years, humans have learned to take advantage of the powerful hearing that dogs have in uses such as aids for hunting.
More recently, we have begun using these wonderful animals for even more interesting purposes such as aiding people whose senses aren’t as powerful as they should be or even not present at all. One of the common uses of dogs for helping people with disabilities is the use of a guide dog for people who have a hearing deficiency. Everyone has heard of seeing-eye dogs, but some dogs are used to help people who are deaf.
Basic Information About Deafness
Hearing loss is the reduced ability to hear sounds relative to how most healthy humans can hear. Deafness is an extension of hearing loss where the loss of that sense has reached a point where the person can no longer understand speech even with the aid of sound amplification devices such as hearing aids. While just about everyone loses their ability to hear well over time, some people have accelerated hearing loss due to health issues, trauma, or genetics.
Beyond that, some people are born completely or nearly completely deaf and are incapable of hearing any sound. 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 have at least partial hearing loss. 2 in 3 people over the age of 75 have hearing loss. About 2-3 in 1000 children are born with some form of hearing loss. Recent studies indicate that the rate of hearing loss in the world’s population is on the rise.
Deafness can occur if the inner ear gets damaged or as the result of brain damage or even just the natural aging process. Regardless of the cause, deafness can be a debilitating disability that drastically impacts the overall quality of life of the person suffering from it.
Whether you or someone you know has partial or total hearing loss, you are aware of how much a person’s daily life can be impacted by poor hearing. Some everyday activities for healthy individuals can be dangerous or even life-threatening for those who do not have the faculty of hearing. For instance, a deaf person crossing the street may not hear an ambulance coming down the road or the sound of a car running the light and could be struck in the street because of this. There are also concerns about a deaf person not waking up when a fire alarm is going off or in other emergencies.
Due to this, many deaf people employ the use of service dogs to help them live a normal and safe life like any other person.
What Is a Service Dog for the Deaf?
Service dogs are animals that have been specially trained to aid their owners in everyday life through the performance of various tasks that would be difficult or impossible for the owner to do on their own.
Service dogs are used to help people with all kinds of disabilities such as service dogs that help pull wheelchairs or alert their owners and help them when they are about to have a seizure. The uses for service dogs continue to grow as people learn new ways to utilize them and train them for specialized tasks. A service dog for the deaf is one that has been trained to perform at least one task to help their handler mitigate the symptoms of being deaf.
Service dogs are trained not just to perform their duties, but also to adapt well to all kinds of environments. The life of a service dog is very different from a typical pet because they are expected to accompany their owner wherever they go—even into places that would otherwise not allow animals to enter. This means that a service dog must be very well trained to act appropriately in social environments. They must also be able to deal well with stressful situations such as busy streets or crowded restaurants.
A service dog must remain calm at all times regardless of what is happening around them. If they can not do this then they will not be able to effectively perform their duties and keep their owner safe in their time of need. Service dogs are used to keep their owners safe and comfortable at all times while providing the owners with confidence and independence through the performance of their trained duties.
How to Qualify for a Service Dog for the Deaf
Qualifying for a service dog is not guaranteed for all people with hearing loss or other conditions. Service dogs are typically only prescribed to people whose disabilities are severe enough to necessitate the use of a service animal to lead a normal life.
The training that goes into creating an effective service dog is intensive and expensive, so service dogs are somewhat of a rare commodity. To qualify for a service dog, a person must get the permission of their physician in the form of a written prescription for a service dog.
Some qualifications to keep an eye on include:
- A diagnosis of hearing loss – at least 65 decibels of unaided hearing loss
- Participation in the training process
- Meet the financial requirements of a service dog and caring for one
Service dogs are incredible animals capable of performing various tasks to aid their owners. Service dogs are also allowed to accompany their owners to places where other animals would be prohibited. Due to this, they are highly sought after but must also be only approved when the need is dire.
In cases of deafness, service dogs can be incredibly helpful in providing their owners with a sense of security and confidence that will allow them to lead normal, independent lives without fear of coming to harm due to their disability.
Where Can You Take Your Service Dog for the Deaf?
The main benefit of a service dog is that they can accompany you almost anywhere. Unlike emotional support animals or pets, there are laws in place that protect your service dog in private and public settings.
These laws include the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), Fair Housing Act (FHA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The acts we mentioned allow your service dog to board airlines, live with you in otherwise not pet-friendly housing, and accompany you in public places or private businesses.
That said, there are some exceptions. If your service dog is aggressive you’ll have problems at airports or in housing units, so getting the property training is essential.
Another issue is not following Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) guidelines. Not having your dog’s vaccinations in order, failing to notify the airline, or not submitting Department of Transportation (DOT) paperwork incorrectly can prevent you from flying with a service dog.
How Can a Service Dog Help the Deaf?
As was mentioned above, dogs have an incredible sense of hearing. They can use this keen sense of hearing to listen out for things that a human with a reduced ability to hear would not be able to hear. More than their ability to hear well, dogs are also invaluable as service animals thanks to their intelligence and highly trainable nature.
Service dogs for the deaf are trained to react to different situations in very specific ways so that their owner can understand what’s going on around them even if they can’t hear it themselves.
For instance, a service dog trained to help someone who is deaf may be taught to jump into the bed of their owner and wake them up if a fire alarm or smoke detector starts going off in the house. Service dogs can also be trained to alert their owners when a phone is ringing or their alarm clock is going off. They can also be taught to stop their owners from walking into a street when a car is coming by that the owner can’t hear.
Some other examples of ways that service dogs for the deaf can help are:
- Helping with childcare by fetching their handler when children are upset or crying
- Alert their handle to dangers like smoke alarms
- Guide their owner away from danger if something is happening in a public space
- Assistance in the kitchen with timers, microwaves, and other kitchen tools
- Alerting their handler to a ringing doorbell
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the things that service dogs are capable of doing for their deaf handlers.
Overall, service dogs can drastically improve the quality of life of their owners while also providing them with a safer environment throughout their daily lives.
What Service Dog Breeds Are the Best for Deaf People?
Hearing dogs (service dogs trained to help deaf people) need to have several characteristics and personality traits to best perform their duties. The primary traits sought after for a service dog for the deaf are numerous. Hearing dogs should be naturally attentive to noises in their environment and respond calmly to strange sounds. They must also be alert and energetic with a willingness to work.
Their social abilities and friendliness are incredibly important due to the situations in which they will find themselves with regularity. Service dogs must also be focused and confident but not to the point of dominance.
Many hearing dogs are small to medium mixed breeds. Some of the more common breeds used as service dogs for the deaf are Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, and Terriers. Terrier mixes are very common due to their alert and active nature and friendly temperament.
All service dogs need to be highly trainable and intelligent to adapt to different situations while always performing their essential duties without fail. The amount of training necessary to create an effective service dog for the deaf is immense. Due to this, they can be quite expensive to purchase.
How Much Is a Service Dog for the Deaf?
All pets cost their owners at least some amount of money even if just for their daily needs such as food and waste disposal. Service dogs are particularly expensive because they have all the needs of a typical animal (like vet visits, health checkups, and vaccinations) while also coming from long lines of healthy and intelligent animals in addition to the complex training they require.
A service dog that has finished all the necessary training it needs to do its job can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $70,000. The training itself is typically the bulk of the cost, but purebred animals with a long history of healthy parentage can cost a fair amount even before they are trained. These costs are significant and can be a large deterrent to someone obtaining a service dog; however, there are some avenues available to those who are seeking financial help in purchasing a service animal.
Grants are often sought for aiding in the purchase of a service animal, but the waitlists for these grants can be quite long due to the number of people looking to get help in this way.
Personal loans are another option for financing the purchase of a service dog but a lot of research should be conducted before accepting any loan to make sure the terms of the loan are agreeable.
Another option that many attempts to use is crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is done on sites like GoFundMe where people can make requests to the general public to make small donations for their cause.
Hearing Dog Service Dog Training
Training a service dog is a complicated process that can take about 2 years from start to finish. This amount of training is necessary because of the specific nature of the training required for a service dog to perform its duties.
In addition to the specific training needed for whatever intended purpose the service dog has, a service dog must also be thoroughly trained to remain calm at all times. Service dogs are expected to compose themselves and perform their duties even under very stressful circumstances such as being surrounded by people or other animals or in the middle of a busy restaurant.
Socialization of service dogs is of the utmost importance for them to do their job no matter where they are or what’s going on around them. They need to do well when around other people or animals and are trained to ignore everything except for their owner and anything that could bring harm to them. Aside from the animal needing to be trained, owners must also be trained in the proper handling of their service dog.
Training that service dogs undergo should also include the person who will own the dog to make sure they understand the commands the dog should be given as well as the signals that the animal will give off in different situations. Without properly understanding what the service dog is trying to indicate, the person will not be able to make proper use of their service dog. The importance of the bond between a hearing dog and their handler can’t be overstated.
How Does a Deaf Person Get a Service Dog?
The first step to getting any service dog is getting the permission of your physician. A doctor can prescribe a service dog to patients who have disabilities that are considered to be severe enough that they would have difficulty leading a normal life on their own. Once you have received the permission of your doctor, you can begin the process of finding a service dog that will best meet your needs.
The experts at USSA can help guide you through the entire process of finding the right dog and getting the official documentation to make using your service dog much easier.
Get a Service Dog for the Deaf Today
Service dogs for the deaf can help you in many ways and have the power to change your life. Getting one also doesn’t have to be challenging when you work with reputable organizations like US Service Animals.
Check out the resources available on the USSA website to learn more about service animals and emotional support animals to find the right option for your needs. Contact us today with any questions you might have about service dogs or to get started registering your service animal.