your arcadia realtor.com > 602.463.3359 Calle deL 4501 East NORTE BETHANY 2045 East HOME $1,295,000 $898,000 H i L L A R Y GURLEY Page 40 March 2016 By Jean Hodgson In late November I arrived at the Devonshire Senior Center to gather some information about their current programs, and guess who I met in the parking lot? Santa Claus! Of course, I followed him into the Center to see what he was up to, and soon saw him surrounded by an assortment of dogs sporting holiday vests and bows. They were there with their owners to have their seasonal photos taken with Santa. It didn’t take me long to find out that this group was not just assembled for a cute photo session. This was the weekly meeting time for Diamond Dogz of Arizona. These dogs are way more than beloved pets. They are service dogs in training to provide vital assistance to their owners who are hearing impaired. What is unique about this nonprofit organization is that owners train their own dog to be a certified hearing animal. Both the humans and the canines must be a good fit for the program. Participants all have some degree of hearing impairment from moderate loss to having a cochlear implant. Dogs must pass aptitude and temperament testing to qualify. In this group, they ranged from a tiny Chihuahua to a massive Leonberger and were all at different stages of the training process. Hearing dogs alert their owners to important sounds both in the home and in public, including doorbells, phones, names being called, alarms and emergency vehicles. Dogs can also be trained for a specific situation. One class member explained to me that his wife is ill and sometimes needs his assistance, but he can’t hear her if they are in different parts of their home. His dog signals him and leads him to his wife’s location. Learning sound-alerting skills is definitely a partnership. The dog must first master basic obedience in following the owner’s commands. They then move to finding the source of a sound, responding by returning to the owner and touching them, leading them to the source, and finally repeating this process without the reward of a treat. These skills, as well as other exercises, are practiced at home and then at the meetings to assess their progress and receive coaching tips from the class trainer. Kristi Nolde-Morrissey has been the trainer for this group for about 10 years. She explained that there are leadership programs to learn these skills, but she was pretty much self-taught through experience and research. Now she has many contacts in the area that are resources she shares with class members. An example was the announcement of an upcoming Assistive Technology Demo and instructions on preparation for this session. It’s not unusual for former class members to stay connected by continuing to attend and assisting with training. Because there are so few groups offering this specialized service, some participants come from as far away as Wickenburg. They also schedule Saturday outings to public places such as malls, restaurants, and businesses to practice their skills with a group. To learn more about this organization, see their website at diamonddogzaz.org. It brings the idea of Man’s Best Friend to a new level. .             RETIREMENT NOW WHAT? The Diamond Dogz of AZ had a Christmas party and photoshoot with Santa this past December. At the Devonshire Senior Center dogs can be trained to alert the hearing impaired. PHOTO BY JEAN HODGSON

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