Maybe you do if you have severe to profound hearing loss. Organizations like Dogs for the Deaf rescue dogs from shelters for training and other organizations like Canine Companions for Independence breed dogs and train them to be hearing dogs. Hearing dogs alert their owners to sounds they may not be able to hear even with their hearing aids – telephones, doorbells, smoke detectors, oven timers, alarm clocks and more. They make physical contact with their owners and lead them to the noise source. Hearing dogs are service dogs and may be taken into public allowing their owners to have a greater awareness of their environment. It always makes our day when our patients bring their hearing dogs into appointments in our office.
