Author and educator Stephen Covey is quoted as saying, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Victoria, who was born with a genetic disorder that has progressively affected her hearing, is being challenged to trust in a new way these days. Victoria’s condition, known as primary ciliary dyskinesia, means that her cilia—the hairlike structures that line internal airways—are not flexible like they should be. So although Victoria began using hearing aids nearly 30 years ago, she has a hard time using them. Her defective cilia …
Hearing Assist Dog
Quinn Brings More Joy, More Life to Geralyn
“You change lives.” That statement comes from Geralyn, thinking of the volunteers and supporters who ensure Can Do Canines can place assistance dogs with those who need them. Geralyn is significantly hard of hearing. She says, “My hearing loss has increased over time, I used to be able to overcome the deficit in my hearing, but it is too great now to be able to do that.” She explains that she doesn’t hear the sounds that many people take for granted, like the doorbell, the phone, and a timer. “It is very stressful to be startled all the time and …
Casanova Brings Stephanie Security in Her Life
Many young moms can relate to the sound of their children repeatedly calling, “Mom, Mom, Mom.” Not Stephanie. Stephanie has relied on Can Do Canines assistance dogs—first Fred, and more recently, Casanova—for important sounds in her life. Becoming deaf at age 12 from meningitis, Stephanie uses cochlear implants, which only help to a certain extent. Stephanie explains, “The tone, volume, or duration of a sound can make it more likely or less likely for me to recognize them.” Her distance from a sound is also a factor. She says, “I would often bake cookies and set the oven timer, only …
Hearing Assist Dog Jacqui Brings Natalie From Isolation to Independence
By Susan Byers – Out of the shadows and into the light. That’s how Natalie describes the impact of a Hearing Assist Dog on her life. Natalie was born with severe to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, but it wasn’t diagnosed until she was 2 years old. She began wearing hearing aids at age 3. Her mother helped her catch up with language development and American Sign Language (ASL) classes, and at school, she had an ASL interpreter. But Natalie resisted using ASL and struggled to fit into the hearing world. By young adulthood, her hearing had declined, and she …
High Fives for Dov Ber and Cinco
By Susan Byers – Meet Dov Ber, a young husband, father, and Jewish educator living in Milwaukee. Dov Ber was born without any hearing in one ear and limited hearing in the other. In his youth, he wore a hearing aid which enabled him to participate in mainstream education and social activities among the hearing community. “My parents always encouraged me to be a part of the hearing world,” he said. “As such, I never felt limited by hearing loss.” In adulthood, Dov Ber decided to get cochlear implants in both ears. Given his mainstream upbringing and newfound ability to …
The Mighty Thor Takes on a New Role for Nancy
By Mary Gunderson – Nancy and her husband, Ed, brought Thor, the red Mini Poodle puppy, into their lives during the Covid isolation. Fortunately, Nancy had taken classes and trained the family’s previous dogs. “For Thor, I pushed dog socialization, especially, and had exchanges with friends and their dogs,” she says. “And, loose-leash walking.” Nancy’s commitment shows, but she credits Thor. “He’s a quick learner. He seems to say, ‘Tell me some more things to do,’” she says, adding with a smile, “His hardest task is to sit still.” Work friends told Nancy about Can Do Canines, how the organization …
Hearing Assist Dog Alayna Offers Faithful Security to Hannah
Hannah was 3 years old when diagnosed with bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss. Now, as an adult, she admits, “I’ve lived a very typical life except for the fact that I can’t hear at night when I don’t have my hearing aids or if I’m in the shower.” Nighttime can be especially scary for Hannah because her husband, Kade, works overnight, leaving her to the possibility of important sounds left unheard. Yet, Hannah managed. That is, until they had their son, Jack. “Once I had a baby, it was more than my life that I was responsible for,” she …
Integrating Breeze into his Life was a Breeze for Ridge
Ridge knows the drill. As a successor client, Ridge’s history with service dogs is extensive. Breeze is his third dog from Can Do Canines since becoming a client in 2006, and he trained a couple of dogs prior to that on his own. Despite having faced premature retirement with his 2019 Mobility and Hearing Assist Dog, Peggy, Ridge kept his heart open and ready to embrace a new partner. This summer, he was paired with Breeze, and says, “She is just perfect for me … She makes me be a better person.” Ridge has Multiple Sclerosis, hearing loss, and vision …
Hearing Assist Dog Wrigley Learns “Intelligent Disobedience”
By Mary Gunderson Roy and his wife, Paula, started financially supporting Can Do Canines more than 20 years ago with no thought of becoming an assistance dog family. About two years ago, Roy noticed his hearing wasn’t as sharp. While it’s not unusual for a person in their 60s to lose some hearing ability, Roy’s loss was steep and fast. “I became quite limited without hearing aids,” Roy says. Last summer he was faithfully reading Can Do Canines’ quarterly Tails for You. The article “What are You Waiting For?“ stopped him. “I was reminded, if you qualify for an assistance …
Jon Embraces Life with a Hearing Assist Dog
By Jessica Kellogg – For years, Jon struggled. Phone calls were missed; smoke detectors and doorbells were unnoticed; the voices of his wife and son were unheard. Jon and his family were living with the daily stress of a part of his world being inaccessible. Until Calla came into his life. “My wife drove by the Can Do Canines sign countless times before thinking that an assistance dog might be able to help me,” he says. Jon had been aware of guide dogs for the blind and therapy dogs but did not realize the extensive capabilities of assistance dogs or …