By Joan B. Guertin
Missy
Close your eyes and imagine a scene where a man is running madly down a street after a slowly retreating car. One arm is raised, clutching something in his fist!
No, it isn't a police thriller nor is it a scene from a Three Stooges flick. It is a true story! The scene played out during the training of Missy, a Hearing Dog for Liz Arnold of Avondale, Arizona. Missy needed to be able to alert Liz, who is deaf, to the sound of an emergency vehicle siren that might be approaching her vehicle. According to Liz, her husband, Joe, was able to get a good example on a portable tape recorder and they set off with Liz driving slowly around the block with Missy, in her front seat harness, and Joe running full-tilt behind the car. Liz commented later that they didn't think about it at the time, but it must have looked pretty funny to any passers-by.
Missy in her Hearing Ear Dog service vest.
When asked to share her story, Liz was most generous with her information. According to Liz, Missy is a four-year-old Pembroke who is a certified Hearing Ear Dog. Having a Hearing Dog is not a new experience for Liz as she had Sam, a Cocker Spaniel for fifteen years. However, Missy is her first corgi.
While researching breeds of dogs, Liz developed a strong interest in the corgi. Her research led naturally in the direction of responsible breeders. A trip to a dog show in 1999 resulted in a meeting with Jean York (Coalbyn). At the same time that she was researching breeders, Liz was looking into the availability of a service dog training facility in Arizona. She found it in Handi-Dogs, Inc., a non-profit agency in Tucson. It all came together when a call from Jean in December of 2000 resulted in a meeting and the addition of Missy to the Arnold household. Two weeks later, the weekly trips to Tucson began. It was a training regimen that would take a year and a half.
During that time, Liz and Missy attended the weekly classes where Missy learned to alert Liz to a variety of environmental sounds. Her method of alerting was to make bodily contact with Liz and then go back and forth between the sound and Liz until Liz responded. She learned to alert Liz to the sounds of the telephone, the doorbell, the fire alarm, the clothes dryer bell, and the teakettle. She will also alert Liz if someone approaches, calls her name, or says, "Excuse me". In addition to the sounds, Missy learned good manners, socialization with other dogs and people, and the resolution of any behavior problems. Of course, Liz was able to participate in the training of her own dog because of the skills that she had learned during her fifteen years with Sam. She and Missy continued their training daily at home to perfect the skills that would lead to her certification.
Missy and Liz have traveled as far as Rhode Island on Southwest Airlines and Liz says that Missy is a good traveler. She garners many compliments on how well she behaves. The "team" has presented demonstrations on Phoenix Channel 3 TV ("Sign Out"), Tucson's Dogtoberfest and a recent SHHH (Self Help for the Hard of Hearing) presentation. Liz, although deaf from birth, has strong verbal skills and also volunteers as a trainer for Handi-Dog classes in nearby Tempe, Arizona.
Liz says that having Missy has enriched her life
Photo: Serenity Imaging
Liz explains that the pair truly are a team, and that having a hearing ear dog (both Sam and Missy) has enriched her life. Despite differences in the two dogs, both did the same job. "They are my ears!" declares Liz. An important (and often overlooked) contribution that the Hearing Dog makes is that they open up communication between the hearing and the non-hearing. God bless Missy (and Sam), for making (Liz's world) a better place. "Having Missy is a delight; she is perfectly adapted to our lives, to our mode of living and our means of communication. We interact as a family, mutually meeting each other's needs and enjoying each other's company and we receive unconditional love from her every day".
In closing, I asked Liz if the efforts to train Missy to the siren sounds worked. She affirmed that not only was it successful, but Missy alerts to it so well that she will alert to a siren when she hears it on TV!
Published in the PWCCA Newsletter Sommer 2003
Reproduced with the kind permission of the editor Marian Johnson Your.
25.04.2013
