When I qualified for a hearing assistance dog through Can Do Canines, one of my first concerns was that my situation would be confusing for the dog. You see, I hear very well with my cochlear implants (CIs) which are on and activated most of my waking hours. When they are off, I am completely deaf. I take them off for bathing and sleep.  The trainers I worked with assured me that what we needed to do was train for sounds I would need to be alerted to if my cochlear implant processors were off. Through the training process, even though I was hearing with my (CIs), I ignored the sounds and allowed Yates, my hearing assistance dog (HAD) to alert me. 

We trained at home and in my community for several months after Yates came to live with me. It all went very well. Yates learned to alert me to my phone, the doorbell, a door knock, my alarm clock, a timer, the smoke alarm and a dropped item. My favorite is the alarm clock, because it is true to my need. My CIs are off, I’m without sound and have to trust Yates completely to do his job – And he does. 

I haven’t noticed that Yates suffers from any confusion about when I hear and when I don’t. On the other side of that, I have not seen any indicators that he has figured out when my CIs are on or off.  I do believe he has figured out when I’m awake in the morning. I don’t always use an alarm clock and will sometimes lay in bed after I wake thinking about things before I rise. Occasionally, Yates will put his front paws and head on my chest as if to say, “That’s enough already, time to get up.” He has never done this when I am asleep and will only wake me from sleep when I have set the alarm.

I thank God for bringing Yates into my life. He truly shined a light in a time when it was greatly needed. Working on training; Yates and I caring for each other; and long walks for exercise are all positive things that have helped in keeping 2020 a healthy year for me in all aspects. I don’t see confusion from Yates, but every once in a while, he will give his head the cutest little tilt when he is just a little puzzled.