This is my Puppy Raiser's mom's Assistant Puppy Raiser, Virgie, and one of my new dog friends I'm living with -- her name is Penny, and she's a Border Collie mix, who looks an awful lot like a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Penny is a Therapy Dog with FFF. (Fidos For Freedom.)
Virgie is the sign language interpreter at FFF, working on the training floor, interpreting what is being said by the trainer calling the class, so that the people who don't hear well & have adult hearing assistance dogs, can understand what the trainer is saying. Virgie's a Hearing Assistance Human! HAH! grin! She's really terrific at what she does. Hey! Virgie and I work in the same field! Helping people who need hearing assistance! At least I will when I grow up and learn everything I need to know to be the Best Hearing Assistance Dog EVER!
How was it decided that Raynor would be a hearing assistance dog as opposed to a therapy dog or assistance of some other kind? I'm so curious! This is amazing.
ReplyDeleteTammy...I'll jump in and answer!
ReplyDeleteHistorically, in our program the buhunds have turned out to be great Hearing dogs...as they are very alert to their surroundings, as a breed. They are also a very nice size for a Hearing dog. That said, while we have sorted Raynor in a little box at this age, time will tell if he really wants to be a Hearing Dog. If he is the type that can fall asleep and ignore noises, he'll be earmarked for a small Service Dog (mobility assistance) instead. We try and give the dogs the jobs that they prefer! lol
We at Fidos train two types of Assistance dogs...Hearing and Service (mobility assistance)...though there are other types in the world, we stick with those two. Therapy dogs are NOT Assistance dogs...and owners of Therapy dogs do not have the same rights under the law to take their dogs into public places. Fidos does train Therapy dogs, but they are separate program...and they are personal, pet dogs that the owners bring for training during the week. :)
Hope that answered your question!
Erin, Puppy Coordinator, Fidos For Freedom