Hearing Dogs for Hearing Loss Support

Residents can learn more about hearing loss, hearing aids and hearing dogs at a presentation May 5 at Advanced Diagnostic and Hearing Solutions in Brandon, at 522 Oakfield Dr.

Bloomingdale East resident Cynthia Moynihan, with her hearing dog, Larue, will be in attendance to answer questions and to discuss the impact of hearing loss on family and friends.

"We want to raise the level of awareness about hearing loss," she said. "Hearing loss is becoming a serious issue in the United States. One in three teenagers now have hearing loss."

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• For more on Cynthia Moynihan, and her life with a hearing dog, from Canine Companions for Independence, read the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch report based on her interview with editor D'Ann White.

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The May 5 meeting is at 522 Oakfield Drive, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Refreshments will be served and coupons for free hearing screenings distributed. For information, call: 813-315-9850.

Also on hand for the presentation will be audiologist Dr. Lisa Tanner and Scott Rinehart of Cochlear Americas, the world leader in hearing solutions, who will talk about the newest technologies for aiding people with hearing losses.

"Our hearing team will talk about hearing loss and the impact on the family," said Moynihan. "I'm seeing a real need to help family members and friends impacted by the hearing loss."

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How To Get A Dog From Canine Companions For Independence
(As noted by Cynthia Moynihan in her Bloomingdale Patch interivew.)

• CCI provides hearing and service dogs to people with a variety of disabilities free of charge.

• The puppies destined to be hearing or service dogs are handed over to volunteers to raise for 15 months where they learn basic commands. Then the dogs return to CCI where they undergo more intense training to become a service dog or hearing dog.

• To qualify for a hearing or service dog, fill out an initial application online. Next steps include paperwork and answering questions about lifestyle, family and environment. Next, a phone interview followed by an interview at a CCI campus, with an interaction with a dog.

• "Then you're put on a waiting list," said Moynihan, who was born with an hereditary hearing loss. "It takes a year and a half on the average to get a dog."

• Moynihan then flew to the CCI campus in Santa Rosa, Calif., to undergo two weeks of training before receiving her hearing dog, Larue, in September. "We went through some pretty intense training for two weeks, and then they had a graduation. There were six people in my class and I was chosen to be the guest speaker at the graduation, which was a great privilege."

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5 Things To Know About Hearing Dogs
(Source: Assistance Dogs International)

1. Hearing Dogs assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals by alerting them to a variety of household sounds such as a door knock or doorbell, alarm clock, oven buzzer, telephone, baby cry, name call or smoke alarm.
2. Dogs are trained to make physical contact and lead their deaf partners to the source of the sound.
3. Hearing Dogs are generally mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters and are small to medium in size.
4. Prior to formal audio response training, the younger adoptees are raised and socialized by volunteer puppy raisers.
5. Hearing Dogs are identified by an orange collar and leash and/or vest.

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For more on Moynihan's life with Larue, read the Bloomingale-Riverview Patch report.