Hans - Career Change Dog

Hans is a loving, mellow older gentleman who found his forever home in October of 2009 as a Career Change Dog.

Career Change Dogs are wonderful dogs who are happy and healthy, but just not suited to working for a living. These dogs make loving pets and companions.

Hans will make a fabulous companion for his new friend. He is an easy dog and wow, what a love he is! Judy, DFD Adoption Coordinator (or dog/person matchmaker, as I like to call her) found Hans the perfect home.

Congratulations, Hans!

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This is Hans. Hans is a loving, mellow older gentleman who found his forever home in October of 2009.

Flower "Blooms"

Flower was recently placed as a Miracle Mutt (special dogs for special people) with a recipient in Oregon. Congratulations, Flower!

Miracle Mutts are wonderful, loving dogs who provide companionship, motivation, and emotional support to people who need a 'helping paw.'

Update - Recent Placements

Ledo the Torpedo

Meet Ledo. He joined the DFD family in late March of 2009. Most pictures of little Ledo come out blurry because this guy is always on the move... and that is why we call him Ledo the Torpedo!

Ledo was placed with a recipient in Oregon as a Hearing Dog in October of 2009. He will provide his recipient with sound awareness, as well as fun, love and companionship.

Congratulations, Ledo!

Update - Recent Placements

Ginger - Double Duty

Danielle R., North Carolina, started losing her hearing at age five, and the loss progressed to the point where she applied for and received her first Hearing Dog Chuckie years ago. Chuckie passed away last year, and Danielle knew she needed another Hearing Dog. Recently we called Danielle and told her we had an extra special dog for her. Ginger, a beautiful Black Lab, was given to us by her previous owner who could no longer care for her. Ginger went through all the normal evaluations and training to be an Autism Assistance Dog, but we didn’t find the right place for her with a family with a child with autism. However, our Training Department did find the absolutely perfect match for Ginger with Danielle because Danielle is a physician and teacher who works with children with autism. We just had to add to Ginger’s training and also teach her to be a Hearing Dog. Once the sound alert skills were Ginger’s abilities, she and her trainer traveled to Danielle’s home. From the second she arrived, Ginger seemed to know that this was her new home. She was so relaxed and happy. They began practicing various sounds, and Ginger worked perfectly. She is alerting Danielle to the door knock, name call, oven timer, smoke alarm, telephone, and alarm clock. In addition, Ginger is using her Autism Assistance Dog skills when she accompanies Danielle to her office and classroom. During the placement week, one of her patients, a boy with autism, needed to have his ears checked. With Ginger there, he actually came over and calmly let Danielle examine his ears. This was a real milestone in this boy’s behavior. So, Ginger is alerting Danielle to all the sounds around her, and she is also having a dramatic effect on the actions and behavior of Danielle’s patients and students who have autism.

Update - Recent Placements

Ryan D., New Jersey, recently lost his first Hearing Dog, Digger O’ Doyle, to old age, and he knew he needed another dog to help him with sound awareness and independence. He is now an accountant and ready to move out on his own, and a Hearing Dog would be a big help with this. Deaf since birth, Ryan knew how much Digger had helped him through his final high school years and into early adulthood, and he wanted to continue having the benefits of a dog trained to alert him to things happening around him. The right dog for Ryan came along sooner than expected. Pippy, a four year old, female, Papillion cross had been placed a couple of years ago with a woman in Texas. Recently the woman developed health problems that made it impossible for her to keep Pippy, so Pippy was returned to us. After evaluation and some refresher training, Pippy was ready to go again, and Ryan was the right applicant for Pippy. Pippy and her trainer arrived at Ryan’s home, and she quickly learned that Ryan was the one she needed to alert out of the five people living in the home. Both Ryan and Pippy grew in confidence every time she alerted him to a sound. Ryan was so happy to again be aware of what was happening around him. Ryan and Pippy are becoming a real team. Pippy is enjoying the love and care she is receiving, and Ryan loves his new partner and the help she is providing.

Dogs for the Deaf Trains First Hearing/Autism Dog

Dogs for the Deaf recently placed its first dually trained Hearing/Autism Dog. Ginger, a black Labrador, was rescued from a shelter and was trained to be an Autism Assistance Dog. Being a short, blocky Labrador, she learned to be an excellent "anchor" when the trainer playing the autistic child started to try to run away. Ginger would sit and not move at all. She also loved to play "hide and seek," practicing to look for where the autistic child was hiding.

At this point, it was decided that she would be the perfect dog for Danielle, one of our previous Hearing Dog recipients whose first Hearing Dog had passed away. Danielle not only is deaf, but she is also a physician and teacher who works with autistic children.

So we next expanded Ginger's skills and taught her to respond to the sounds needed to be a Hearing Dog.

During the placement Ginger started alerting her new partner to sounds, and she also began accompanying Danielle to work. The affect on the autistic patients and students was immediate. The students were more calm, and one little boy even came up and sat on Danielle's lap in order to pet Ginger. This was a milestone event for this autistic child.

Getting ready for the big day tomorrow!

Preparing for Dog Walk 2009! May 30 at Hawthorne Park in Medford... it's going to be fun!

NEW Canine Listener!

Check out the most recent version of our quarterly newsletter, The Canine Listener, Spring 2009.

http://www.dogsforthedeaf.org/newsletter.php

Dogs for the Deaf in the News

Click on the link below to read a great article in the Yakima Herald-Republic of Yakima, Washington, about the May, 2009 placement of Ziggy the Hearing Dog.
Dogs Come to the Aid of the Deaf

Autism Assistance Dogs

In 2008, Dogs for the Deaf launched a new program for children with autism. Specially trained dogs will be teamed with families affected by autism. This program will enhance the lives and increase the safety of these children, giving parents peace of mind. These dogs will be trained to prevent the child from dashing into the street or other unsafe situations, while also providing social benefits that will include raising social awarentess and lessening the stigma associated with autism. Dogs will also create a companionship bond, a sense of calmness in the child, and increase social interaction when in public.

All of our specially trained dogs are trained, placed, and followed up on FREE OF CHARGE for the life of the team. Dogs for the Deaf depends solely on donations to support its programs. No public funding or federal grants are received. Dogs for the Deaf's investment includes rescuing and training the dogs, reviewing and selecting qualified applicants for placement, working with the team during transition, and continuing support and help for the life of the team. Although this investment varies, the average cost is estimated at over $25,000 per team.

Wondering what an Autism Assistance Dog does? Well, here is one in action! This is a news story from our local t.v. station, KDRV channel 12, about our Autism Assistance Dog program.

Dogs for the Deaf rescues dogs that may otherwise be euthanized from animal shelters primarily on the West Coast and in the Northwest. Since 1977, Dogs for the Deaf has rescued and placed over 3,000 dogs in homes as Hearing Dogs, Miracle Mutts, and Career Change Dogs.

If you'd like additional information on any of our specially trained dogs, please contact us at:
Dogs for the Deaf
10175 Wheeler Road
Central Point, OR 97502
(541) 826-9220
1-800-990-3647
info@dogsforthedeaf.org

Wilson & Bonsai

Beth, our DFD Client Services Coordinator, took this great video. It shows Wilson, our resident "gentle giant," playing with Bonsai, a very spunky little guy.

Wilson is in training to be an Autism Assistance Dog and, when he came to DFD, weighed in at over 100 pounds. Bonsai is in training to be a Hearing Dog and is currently DFD's smallest resident.

Our dogs enjoy lots of play time here at DFD and they learn to socialize with other dogs... and cats, too. It's not all work and no play for our dogs!

Until next time...

Kris
DFD Web Manager

April is International Autism Awareness Month

PRESS ALERT

DOGS FOR THE DEAF ANNOUNCES DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Contact Person: Sena Short 541-826-9220

Dogs for the Deaf, the oldest and largest Hearing Dog program in the U.S., has expanded its program to include Autism Assistance Dogs for children with Autism. With the incredible rise in the rates of Autism, Dogs for the Deaf wants to help meet the need for providing specially trained dogs to help children with Autism and their families. The specialized training these dogs receive will greatly enhance the child’s safety and provide for improved family relationships and dynamics.

Children with autism frequently bolt and run, sometimes ending up in unsafe situations such as streets, lakes, rivers, etc. Autism Assistance Dogs wear a special harness, and the child is tethered to the dog’s harness. This gives the child some freedom of movement and enables the parent to actually let go of the child’s hand or arm. The Autism Assistance Dogs are trained to serve as an anchor if the child tries to bolt and run by sitting and staying, thus preventing the child from being able to run away. These dogs also tend to lessen the “meltdowns” that children with autism are prone to during transitions from one activity to another. Studies also find that these dogs enhance the eye contact and bonding abilities of the children.

One mother of a child with Autism in Canada said that she was never able to let go of her child outside of the house until the Autism Assistance Dog arrived. Another said that the night after the dog arrived was the first time her six year old Autistic child slept through the night.

Ginger, a Black Labrador, is the first Autism Assistance Dog completing training at Dogs for the Deaf. She is ready for placement with a family affected by autism , and applications are being accepted. For more information, go to Dogs for the Deaf’s website www.dogsforthedeaf.org or call Sena at 826-9220.

Notes from Robin - Winter 2009

Reflecting back & looking forward

2008 - what a year of highs and lows, challenges and triumphs. As I wrote in a column last year, we had several office staff changes early in 2008 which necessitated hiring and training new staff. This took time and energy and caused us to get behind in some of our regular work. (Thank you for your patience during this time.) The positive side of this challenge is that we now have a wonderful, skilled group of people in our office to take care of all the necessary paper, telephone, and computer support needs of our mission. As you communicate with them and get to know them, I am confident that you will find them friendly, very competent, and willing and able to help you with your questions and requests.

In addition, as a few of you might be aware, there were some very significant changes in the laws regarding accounting and reporting requirements for non-profits. The purpose, and positive side of these changes is to require more accountability and transparency from all non-profit organizations. This, of course, is excellent and something we all want. At DFD, we have always made sure that we followed the laws and regulations as mandated by each state. Not all non-profits have that same standard, and hopefully these new regulations will bring them into line. The challenge came because there was a great deal of subjective interpretation on what the changes actually meant. The lawyers and CPA’s at various training workshops couldn’t even agree on what some of the new rules meant! Implementing these changes and new regulations required a lot of time, hair pulling, and even hiring an additional staff person in the finance department. I am so proud of the incredible job our staff did under difficult circumstances to pull this all together.

Our efforts to expand our facility have been both a challenge and a triumph. The challenge being how long it is taking to get through all the bureaucratic red tape, and the triumph being that we are making progress—albeit slowly.

The triumphs and highs of the year were the dogs we were able to save and the people we were able to help because of you, our faithful and generous donors. Even with all the uncertainty and upheaval in the financial world, you came through and stretched yourselves to make sure you continued your support of our mission. The wonderful stories and letters in this newsletter again validate the incredible value and importance of Hearing Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, Miracle Mutts, Harmony’s Hounds, and Career Change Dogs. Donations from July, 2008 through December, 2008, are down a little from where we hoped they would be. However, donations for the month of December, itself, were above December, 2007, so we are encouraged that this trend will maintain so that we can meet our budget requirements.

Our Training Department has also been working extra hard in order to find suitable dogs for our various programs. Our new Autism Assistance Dog program is progressing well. Our first dog is trained, and we are looking for a suitable applicant. We want to do our first few placements in this program within a day’s drive of our training facility so that we can keep a close watch on the progress of the teams and make sure that we are doing things correctly. As with anything new, we are bound to need to make some course corrections initially. I truly believe this is going to be an incredibly positive addition to DFD.

For 2009, we are looking forward to:

• helping even more people and dogs
• completing Phase 1 of our expansion plan with an addition to our office so that staff and volunteers can work more efficiently and are not jammed so closely together
• having you continue your commitment to helping with this important and necessary work.

During 2009, if each of you would bring in at least two new people to our DFD family, we will be able to meet these goals. You can do this through tours, memorial/honor donations, social groups, etc. With your continuing help, we will all succeed together.

Robin Dickson
President/CEO
Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.

Placement - Arlo the Hearing Dog

Arlo, an adorable, 2 year old, Shih Tzu, came to DFD in 2008 from a shelter in Yreka, California. After successfully completing almost 6 months of training with DFD Certified Audio Canine Instructor, Carrie, Arlo was ready to go to work as a Hearing Dog.

When each dog is almost finished with training, the trainer reviews the files of the applicants on the waiting list to find the very best match for each dog's particular personality, strengths, and talents. Carrie found that match in Sherry W. of Washington.

Carrie and Arlo traveled to Washington where Carrie began showing Sherry how to care for Arlo and maintain his training. As you can see from the picture, these two became fast friends

Congratulations, Arlo and Sherry!

Lady Brings Smiles & Sound

Karen C. lives with her husband in Hampton, Virginia, and has been deaf for almost 18 years. She works as a government contractor. Losing her hearing, probably due to autoimmune disease, was very frustrating for Karen. She knew she was missing so many sounds and things going on around her, and she wanted some help. Karen applied for a Hearing Dog and went through our screening process. Volunteer interviewers went to her home and talked with Karen and Robert. The interviewers videotaped the home and had Karen and Robert answer all of our questions. After evaluation, Karen was approved for a dog and went on our waiting list. Finally, we had the right dog ready for Karen. That dog was Lady, a two-year-old red Spaniel/Doxie cross. We found Lady at the West End Shelter in California. Her friendliness and sweet temperament attracted our trainer to her, and, after further evaluation, Lady came to DFD. She received medical care, additional evaluation, and then began training. She loved learning to take her trainer to the various sounds. She learned to respond to the smoke alarm, telephone, oven timer, name call, and door knock. Lady was also taught the important obedience skills so she would be well behaved.

Lady was then matched with Karen and plans were made for Lady and her trainer to travel to Virginia. Karen was so excited; she could hardly wait for them to arrive. The trainer and Lady arrived at Karen's home, and they began teaching Karen how to maintain Lady's training and how to properly care for Lady. Karen was absolutely thrilled when Lady alerted her to the doorbell while she was making breakfast the second day of the placement. They had only practiced this sound once the day before, and there were a lot of distractions. Lady didn't let this bother her; she immediately alerted Karen and took her to the door. The smile on Karen's face couldn't have been wider!