Hearing Dogs

Service dogs alerting to sounds

Overview

Hearing dogs are assistance dogs trained to alert deaf and hard of hearing people to important sounds, such as doorbells, alarm clocks, smoke alarms, timers, telephones, a crying baby, or someone calling their name. The dog typically makes physical contact and then leads the person to the source of the sound, or lies down to signal danger in the case of an alarm. Formal hearing dog programs emerged in the 1970s, and organizations such as Hearing Dogs for Deaf People in the United Kingdom, founded in 1982, now operate in many countries. Many dogs are selected from shelters or bred specifically, and training takes many months. In many jurisdictions, recognized assistance dogs have legal access rights to public places, and a distinctive coat or jacket identifies them. Beyond practical alerts, hearing dogs are reported to increase confidence and independence and to make an otherwise invisible disability visible, which can ease social interaction.