The little dog was found wandering the streets of a California city and taken in by animal control. Awaiting an uncertain future, the little guy’s luck changed when a team of trainers from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA) entered the building on a mission: seek out new dogs with the right interest, aptitude, and temperament to enter the SF SPCA’s Hearing Dog Program.

That was this little dog’s lucky day because, even though he was only about eight pounds of pooch, this Chihuahua/dachshund mix is friendly, calm, smart, and has radar-sized ears!

Two years later, Stirrup is the newest resident of his kind in Reno, Nevada, and comfortable in a life-long partnership with Shirley, a hearing-impaired woman.

When a person is hearing impaired (i.e., hard of hearing or deaf), a great deal of life passes them by. Sounds that hearing persons take for granted go unheard – a knock on the door, a ringing phone, or the oven buzzer signaling the ready of a roast. These sounds of life can all escape hearing-impaired people, and more so, sets them at great risk. What about a fire? Can they hear the alarm? What about a siren on the street or a honking car? Can they respond in time? Hard of hearing to deafness comes in degrees, and for many, their daily lives are like living with dense cotton wads in their ears – sound is muffled and soft – if it is audible at all.

Enter the SF SPCA.

Dogs have great senses. They have the instinct to protect, keen noses, and sensitive ears. Since 1978, the SF SPCA Hearing Dog Program has taken the talent of sensitive ears and revolutionized the lives of hearing-impaired persons by training these special dogs to hear sounds their new keepers cannot.

The dogs are sought from area shelters and pounds and selected for the criteria of abilities that make them good candidates for the program. They are then launched into a rigorous training regimen to teach them to be their keepers’ ears. They learn to respond to a variety of sounds, such as ringing phones, door knocks, alarms, buzzers and bells, and their person’s name, and can be further trained to additional sounds particular to those that the hearing-impaired individual may need.

The process is simple. And the dogs are smart! Fast learners that, with a food treat, learn to hear the sound, respond to the sound by touching the individual, and then return to the sound for their person to follow.

Dogs seem to be hungry all the time, so the food treat is a definite incentive, but these dogs have also been selected for their high desire to please and will do almost anything to do exactly that. “I am astonished at how quickly Stirrup can learn a new sound. Ten minutes of working on something new and he’s got it down for good,” Shirley said. “He just gets it so fast! He never ceases to amaze me.”

The SF SPCA Hearing Dog Program has trained 781 dogs and matched them with hearing-impaired applicants since the program began and anyone with severe hearing loss, 18 or older (younger persons on a case-by-case basis), and a resident of California or Nevada may be eligible to receive a hearing dog. Only a handful of dogs have been placed with Nevada residents.

As are all SPCAs, the SF SPCA is a nonprofit entity that gains funding for this and other programs through donations from private individuals, corporations, foundations, and service clubs. It can cost up to $25,000 to train one hearing dog through the program by the time the dogs have gone through the whole process. This cost covers each dog being kenneled during training, fully health checked, spayed or neutered, trained on a daily basis by the battery of talented trainers, positioned with the potential hearing-impaired person, and then individually trained with that person in a week-long intensive training class to teach them how to use the hearing dog.

“I have always thought our figure might be higher than elsewhere since we live in the Bay Area. However, after talking to people in other states, it seems comparable to what it costs other nonprofit programs. We do depend on donations and bequests. So, obviously, we appreciate support from those who realize the value of trained hearing dogs in the lives of people who are deaf or hard of hearing,” said SF SPCA Hearing Dog Program Director D. Glenn Martyn.

Shirley waited almost two years to receive her dog from the time she first made application. She needed a small dog due to physical restraints of handling a large animal and the design of her home. “We used to go down the list based on an applicant’s application date. So, those who applied first usually got a dog first. However, we realized this meant some people did not get a dog that was the best match for them. So, now we look through our entire list of applicants, and attempt to match the person’s needs and capabilities, home environment, dog preferences, etc., with the dogs we have available. This means some people get a dog only a few weeks or months after applying and others may wait a year or two, or occasionally more,” Martyn explained.

“It was a long wait, but worth it,” Shirley said. “I didn’t quite know what to make of this little dog when I was first introduced to him in the class. I guess I was expecting a different kind of dog. He was so small. I wouldn’t give him up for anything now! Stirrup is perfect for me, for my home, and my lifestyle. They [SF SPCA] couldn’t have done a better job of pairing us together!”

Each dog is matched with extreme attention to detail with every hearing-impaired person’s individual need, the idea being that if a dog is so perfectly matched to the person, the dog will remain for life, rather than needing to be returned and re-matched with another individual. Martyn said, “We do try to find the best match possible. However, it doesn’t always work out, for a variety of reasons. The vast majority of our placements are successful, with the dog remaining in the home with the original person. When the placement doesn’t work, the dog comes back to us for replacement and a better match. Historically, the need to replace a dog doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen.”

Jennifer, another participant in the training class, was paired with Bamboo, a black Labrador who could not only hear for her, but provide her a stable base for balance and be calm and unflappable at school and her job. “Bamboo is not only a wonderful dog helping me by being my ears, but she also has become a wonderful companion and part of my family and my best friend! I couldn’t imagine life without her. It’s amazing how many people are unaware of hearing dogs and mistake her for a guide dog for the blind. It’s quite fun to explain what she does and how she helps. I really appreciate The San Francisco SPCA Hearing Dog Program for having such a wonderful training program,” Jennifer said.

Josh is a young man studying to become an aeronautical engineer who was paired with ball-of-energy Boston terrier, Buckley. That duo couldn’t have been a better match because the two are equally matched up for energy requirements. "What matters most is not so much how compatible I am with Buckley, but how we, Buckley and I, deal with incompatibility as a team. The SPCA Hearing Dog Program has done a great job matching their dogs with new owners and training the teams to fill in the gaps that incompatibility issues might have created. Buckley provides excellent companionship in my daily activities and weekly hikes and life-saving support as a service dog. I’m very pleased with the SPCA’s successful efforts," he said.

The class introduces the recipients to their new ears and begins bonding the dogs to their new person. The recipients were encouraged to be the primary person to walk, feed, and practice obedience and sound training with their dogs and to minimize interaction with other people. “We recommend, especially initially, that all good things come from the dog’s new person. If too many rewards and interactions come from someone else, it could jeopardize the bonding with the new person,” Martyn explained.

And – it works! Stirrup is so bonded to Shirley that he practically (in true Chihuahua form) has a nervous breakdown when Shirley so much as steps around the corner in her house. “Call him Velcro,” she said.

The class also teaches the recipients how to understand their dogs, continue to reinforce the obedience and sound training, train for new sounds, and be a good dog owner. Obedience in public places is extremely important to maintain because service dogs are allowed to accompany disabled persons in restaurants, hotels, airplanes, shops, grocery stores, theaters – wherever the general public is allowed. It is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and local and state laws to harass, restrict, or deny the movement of a disabled person accompanied by a service animal.

When dressed in blaze (bright orange) collar, leash, and special hearing dog jacket, Stirrup knows he’s going to work. “He sees that jacket and dives right into it! It’s so funny – he’s ready to go!” Shirley said. “He’s so good in public you hardly know he’s there. In restaurants, he just curls up under the table. Biggest problem is that he’s so cute. I get nowhere fast because people want to pet him, which they aren’t supposed to do, and ask questions about him. A lot of people know about guide dogs for the blind, but are surprised to hear about, and see, a hearing dog – especially one so small.”

The SF SPCA Hearing Dog Program is available to any person who meets the guidelines of deafness or severe hearing loss. All they need to do is make application to the program with a $20 application fee and the good folks there will guide them through the process. The program also includes a week-long training class with a $100 registration fee at the SF SPCA Training Center and those needing accommodations stay at a prearranged hotel near San Francisco paid for by contributors.

If you know someone whose life could be better with a hearing dog, contact the SF SPCA Hearing Dog Program by calling 415-554-3020 or 415-554-3022 (TDD), or e-mail at hearingdog@sfspca.org, or log onto their informative Web site at www.sfspca.org

Richard, with post polio syndrome, did. “I’m a paraplegic with quad tendencies.” Eight years ago, Canine Companions for Independence gave him Lupe who helps him get dressed and undressed, brings items from the fridge, picks up the phone – assisting in everything he does. “I jokingly said to Lupe’s trainer that I wanted him to be able to do laundry. They trained him to do laundry.” Richard laughs. “He doesn’t fold clothes, though, and isn’t too good about sorting colors. People don’t realize how much dogs do for us,” he adds. “They give people who would otherwise be housebound or institutionalized a chance for a different type of life.”

Natalie, afflicted with multiple sclerosis since age nine, has gradually lost her sight and mobility. Lancelot helped her through college. Then she went to law school, in a wheelchair, but without a dog. Afterwards, her sight had deteriorated so that her husband wheeled her to job interviews. “It didn’t do much for my confidence, and I can’t imagine the questions that went unasked by prospective employers.” She needed both a guide and mobility dog, something most programs didn’t train for. Deb Davis of Paws with a Cause said they decided to resolve that. How did they do it? “We hired guide dog trainers.”

Natalie received one of Paws with a Cause’s first dual-service dogs, and today has Nugget. “I use him constantly,” she says. He boosts up her legs so she can position in her wheelchair and helps her into bed. He also brought help when she fell in a public bathroom.

Kelly Stack, of Loving Paws Assistance Dogs, says it’s one the few organizations that provides dogs specifically to children. “They [children] don’t need to compete with adults for the same canine resources.” Alexandria received Tacoma from Loving Paws. “Tacoma picks things up for Alex and is trained to stand strong so Alex can use her to get up off the ground when she falls. She turns lights on and off, opens or closes cabinets, and gets me if Alex needs help at home. Tacoma goes to school with Alex and is with her always,” her mom said. “She is there for Alexandria no matter what.”

Another client, Brandon, doesn’t speak, but that doesn’t matter to Star, his social dog. Brandon’s mom says Star does the work of a service dog, but his main job is to be a friend. “When Brandon’s sick, Star curls up behind him so he can lay on her like a pillow.” Brandon didn’t make friends easy at school. “He’s non-verbal, wheelchair bound, and makes little eye contact,” she said. “When we took Star to school, the children were fascinated. Now they all know Brandon and talk to him every day. We couldn’t ask for a better friend for our precious son.”

The group, 4 Paws for Ability, tackles autistic children because “few others do, and kids need the dogs as much as, if not more, than most disabled adults,” said Executive Director Karen Shirk. Dogs help with communication skills, accepting physical contact, and reducing repetitive behaviors.

People with psychiatric illnesses are often as socially isolated as well. “A person with panic disorder and agoraphobia may be trapped in their home for years, until a psychiatric service dog is provided and the individual finally feels safe enough to leave home accompanied by the dog,” says Board President Dr. Joan Esnayra, of the Psychiatric Service Dog Society. “What may appear to some as simple companionship is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy in which dog and handler, by virtue of 24/7 togetherness, become astute observers of each others’ behaviors, attitudes, and dispositions. A dog acts like an auxiliary brain, providing the handler information about changes in their own physiology that they would otherwise be unaware of. The dog, through its alerting abilities, provides the handler a timely opportunity to make healthier behavioral decisions before an episode takes over.”

Seizure response dogs, like those trained by Paws with a Cause, are trained to stay with the person having the seizure, and to call 911 if necessary. “We’ve had several clients whose seizures have decreased in number since having the dogs,” says Davis. Although she doesn’t believe that pre-seizure alert is a trainable task, it’s possible that a closely bonded dog may develop that skill. In a 2005 UCLA study, the presence of dogs lowered blood pressure, diminished release of harmful hormones, and decreased anxiety among hospitalized heart failure patients.

Dogs are sniffing out mold, drugs, bombs, bodies, and are even considered a potential tool for early detection of cancer.

The Pine Street Foundation is conducting ongoing cancer detection studies and says their studies had a 99 percent success rate for identifying lung cancer’s presence and absence, an 88 percent success rate of finding the presence of breast cancer and a 98 percent rate of determining its absence.

It’s no secret that it’s costly to train these dogs. Richard bets the costs reach close to $40,000. “I know what Lupe is worth,” he says. “But I wouldn’t trade him for a million dollars.”

Imagine that.

Sue Edmondson has published fiction for children and adults; and nonfiction for Petfolio magazine. She particularly enjoys having the opportunity to meet people who don’t think it’s strange that she talks to her dog and cat as much (or more) than she talks to her husband.