Happy Tails Service Dogs is offering Hearing Dog classes starting Monday, January 18th.

Happy Tails Service Dogs teaches you to train your own dog to be a hearing dog.

This class will be for the hard-of-hearing community as no ASL will be used.

An assistive FM hearing system is available.

Mondays 1:00 – 2:30 starting January 18th, 2010

The classes are held near Indian School and 28th Avenue in Central Phoenix.

Participants attend classes once a week for 12-15 consecutive months. Graduate teams receive certification from Happy Tails Service Dogs.

Hearing dogs can be taught how to formally alert to sounds such as the smoke alarm, kitchen timers, doorbell/knock, Telephone/VR/Cell phone, dropped keys, alarm clock and name being called. Hearing dogs can also alert their owners to everyday sounds such as an approaching car, skateboarder, loud noise, etc.

The program is free to students and their dogs. All students will be interviewed and all dogs will be temperament tested prior to acceptance in the program. Dogs cannot show any aggression toward people or other dogs.

Dogs need to be between the ages of 1-4 years (depending on the breed) and must be spayed or neutered.

Hearing dogs make loving and dependable companions and have public access rights as allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you would like more information on our program, you may contact our hearing dog instructor, Kristi Nolde-Morrissey via kristi5@cox.net or 480-563-3489 (voice).