Lindsay Moon & Hearing Assist Dog Cookie
Lindsay Moon of Apple Valley, Minn. is no stranger to assistance dogs. For six years, a Can Do Canine named Rosco helped her live a more independent life. Lindsay has had severe hearing loss since she was very young. From 2008 to 2014, her Hearing Assist Dog helped alert her to the many sounds around her that she was unable to hear.
“Rosco did a wonderful job during his years, working with me doing his tasks and helping to keep my spirits up,” Lindsay says. “Rosco was there for me when I was diagnosed with Usher syndrome and found out I am now legally blind. He made me get on my feet and move on—one day at a time.”
Unfortunately in December 2014, Rosco passed away due to a tumor. While she wanted to honor Rosco’s memory, she knew immediately she would need another assistance dog if she wanted to maintain her independence. So, Lindsay applied for a successor dog.
“Today, I have a Cohlear Implant, but I’ve realized that I still need help to get my attention when the oven timer goes off, the door buzzer or emergency alarm goes off, and with other non-vocal sounds,” Lindsay explained in her application. “I am approaching my second year of wearing an implant and my brain has been slowly picking up sounds. But, there are still many sounds that I cannot pick up yet.”
Can Do Canines partnered Lindsay with Cookie, a three-year-old black Labrador retriever. Her volunteer Puppy Raisers and Foster Home volunteers were sad to see her go, but they knew she would one day make an excellent assistance dog.
“Helping raise Cookie has been an absolute joy,” one Foster Home volunteer said. “She loves to learn new things and is very curious. She is as sweet as her name—to know Cookie is to love her.”
As her name suggests, Cookie’s favorite place to help is the kitchen. One of the most important things the Lab alerts Lindsay to is the oven timer, as she loves to bake. When a sound like the oven timer goes off, Cookie bounds over to Lindsay, gets her attention and leads her to the source of the sound. Other helpful sounds the Lab alerts her to are the smoke detector and someone at the door.
Much like her former dog, Rosco, Cookie is a devoted companion, not just an assistant. She travels with Lindsay everywhere and the two have become an inseparable team.
“I was recovering from surgery at the beginning of January, and when I came home from the hospital, Cookie knew something was off about me. She rarely left my side while recovering in bed. She even checked on me by coming up to my face and sniffing when I coughed or made another noise.”
While Rosco will always remain in Lindsay’s heart, she is grateful for her renewed independence—courtesy of Cookie and the donors and volunteers who helped bring a second assistance dog into her life.
“Cookie is my best friend, and she is such a joyful dog,” Lindsay says. “A big thank you to everyone who helped give me such a happy dog!”
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