Dogs lend ears to hearing-impaired

As a hearing-impaired person, 36-year-old Beijinger Liu Yan lives in a partially deaf world. She might not be able to hear the TV or birds sing outside, however she knows when someone is knocking at her door, when the kettle has boiled and when her washing machine's cycle is complete thanks to her hearing dog, Pan.

Pan, a two-year-old female Silky Terrier-cross was trained by the Japan Hearing Dog Association. She was given to the China Beijing Kennel Club (CBKC) this month as a goodwill gift. Having worked for the website of pet enthusiast magazine Pet Pie for years, Liu was presented with Pan to help her with her daily life.

Hounds trained for sounds

Dogs' sense of hearing is far more acute than people. Thanks to Pan, Liu's near-silent world is no longer quite so lonely. "I can understand what people say but it's hard for me to hear sounds, even with the help of a hearing aid. Before Pan came, I would not hear people knocking at the door until they pounded so hard that I could see the door shaking," Liu explained. Pan can distinguish between different sounds including buzzing alarm clocks, knocking at the door, whistling of the kettle and many other sounds.

When Liu needs to do chores such as washing clothes, she sets a timer on the washing machine to alert Pan when the cycle has completed. When the timer rings, Pan runs to Liu before rocking back on her hind legs and touching her owner on the thigh to alert her to the sound.

For more urgent situations, such as if a fire alarm sounds, Pan will paw at Liu's leg rapidly and lead her to the door. Once at the door, Pan will use her front paws to scratch at it to signal the emergency. Every time Pan reacts to a sound and alerts Liu, her owner pats her on the back in acknowledgement and to express thanks.

Training regime

Many people are aware of the invaluable service seeing guide dogs provide to their blind owners, but hearing dogs remain relatively unknown. Hearing dog training has been ongoing for more than 30 years in Japan, where there are 300 hearing dogs currently working.

According to Wang Yue, CBKC director, most breeds can be trained as hearing dogs. The key criteria involves obedience and sensitivity to sounds. "Dogs that suffer sea or carsickness, or bark too often are not suitable to become hearing dogs," Wang said. "It takes about six or seven months to train a hearing dog. The trainer must play different recorded sounds to the dog fours hours daily."

Training is usually cost-effective, as it takes place in homes. Once training is complete, hearing dogs begin working with their owners straight away. Trainers pay follow-up visits to the dogs each week to monitor their progress.

Giving strays a new leash on life

Wang hinted CBKC plans to train more hearing dogs to help hearing-impaired Chinese people. "We're going to recruit hearing dog trainers in the following months and select qualified dogs among strays to hopefully turn them into hearing dogs," Wang said.

"By doing this, we want more people to know that the potential of dogs is limitless. Dogs should be cherished and never abandoned." Wang added that hearing dogs are often identifiable when out on the street with their owners, as the four-legged friends wear bright orange vests.