“I had the great pleasure of meeting my local hearing professional colleague’s hearing dog recently. Sandra is a local hearing professional who recently received her hearing dog Shanty. Shanty is an absolutely beautiful and lovely dog. She is impeccably trained and loyal to Sandra. Sandra let me pat Shanty since we were in a casual setting when we met, and Shanty just loves affection, like most dogs 😊. I didn’t realize how much training is required for a guide dog to help individuals with hearing loss or the very special bond that is created when we rely on a guide dog for our safety. It was eye opening to see first-hand and impressive as well.

We have been supporting guide dogs at Audiology Innovations for the past 6 years, since we learned of their importance in the lives of patients with significant hearing loss. Here is a link to the article (see below) that lays out all of the ways that Shanty helps Sandra with her daily activities. Please consider joining us in supporting the Lions guide dogs by visiting their site https://www.dogguides.com/ and considering a donation. This is what my family did to honor my daughter’s birthday one year (as she is a huge dog lover).” ~Dr. Carrie Scarff

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It isn’t that much, in the end. Just some synthetic fabric, some buckles, and a zipper pocket, all fashioned together to make a vest. But to many, it means so much more than that. It means peace of mind – gained through a bond with an animal trained to help them every day. To the dog, it means its time to get to work.

Everybody has seen them out and about, walking with their person down the road, vest on, ready to tackle any challenge that may appear. Despite the first thought in the minds of many, that Dog Guides are just for the blind, that is not the case. The Lions Foundation of Canada trains dogs to assist in a variety of applications – including diabetic alert, seizure response, autism assistance, and hearing loss.

As a company passionate about revolutionizing how people experience life with hearing aids, Unitron is proud to be a sponsor of the Lions Foundation. Over the years, we have sponsored 14 hearing Dog Guides through donations raised by employees.

We want to introduce to you to one of these dogs and her owner. Meet Chanty, a 3-year old black lab who paired with Sandra, in Calgary, Alberta. We chatted with Sandra to help develop a better understanding of what hearing Dog Guides do; the effect Chanty has on her life and the relationship between dog guide and human.

Meet Sandra

Sandra is an audiologist for the Calgary Board of Education who helps students get the technology and support they need to be their best. She looks after over 300 schools, some with one or two students in need, and others with dedicated programs for hearing loss. A large part of her job is helping students become advocates for their own hearing health needs, as well as educating educators to use the technology they have in a way that best supports the students. This means teaching them not only how to use the tools and resources, but also why. Sandra understands the need for this, as she first discovered she had a hearing loss when she was in preschool.

“I was born with normal hearing, but my hearing loss soon started to develop. My mom noticed, I did not have an awareness that I wasn’t hearing normally, it was just my life. We went to get my hearing tested, and I ended up getting my first pair of hearing aids.”

Sandra recalls discovering the sounds of the world in the early days of getting her hearing aids. “According to my mom, the first thing I commented on was my shoelaces; I didn’t know they made a noise!” Sandra’s hearing loss progressed quickly after starting with just a mild loss. By the time Sandra graduated high school, she had a severe to profound hearing loss. This meant that she was not able to converse on the phone, hear the radio, and even children’s voices.