RESCUED PUPS LEND AN EAR SHELTER DOGS TRAINED TO BE HEARING AIDS.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer VALENCIA - When Sandra sees Flash, she hears bells. Not the ones he alerts her of when the soft black border collie border collie, breed of medium-sized, sheepherding dog developed in the British Isles. It stands about 18 in. (45.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 30 to 45 lb (13.6–20.4 kg). mix dog paws her knee, but the ones heard by couples smitten smit·ten v. A past participle of smite. smitten Verb a past participle of smite Adjective deeply affected by love (for) Adj. 1. with one other. ``There will be no Flashbacks,'' she said, joking she is certain she will keep him. That was good news for trainer Lori Ramey from the Sam Simon Sam Simon is an American television producer and writer, most notable as one of the original developers of The Simpsons, along with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. Foundation, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. that provides hearing dogs - known also as assistance dogs - to deaf and hard- of-hearing people. Sandra, a Valencia woman who has had profound hearing loss since she was a child and wears two high-powered hearing aids Hearing Aids Definition A hearing aid is a device that can amplify sound waves in order to help a deaf or hard-of-hearing person hear sounds more clearly. , welcomed Flash into her home last week. She's already rediscovered some freedoms she'd put aside because of her condition. ``I love being outdoors,'' she said. ``This is cool, now I have a new walking buddy. Flash has definitely reminded me of how much I enjoy being outdoors; that was a benefit I wasn't expecting.'' Ramey rescued Flash about six months ago from the county animal shelter "Dog Pound" redirects here. For the rap group, see Tha Dogg Pound. An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. in Castaic. He went to live with her and her own four dogs so she could train him to respond to five basic sounds: a doorbell, a ringing phone, the oven timer, a smoke alarm and the sound of someone alerting its master. Flash's job: to hear those sounds and alert his hearing-impaired owner. Along with alerting Sandra to doorbells and alarms, Sandra also will be able to read his reactions to environmental hazards, such as approaching cars. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , when he startles, she'll know to look around. Sandra got in touch with the foundation when her sign language teacher at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. recommended she get a hearing dog. With her children grown and gone, she was open to the idea of getting a companion that could help her when her husband was out on a business call or they were traveling. After she interviewed Sandra, Ramey knew Flash would be going back to his hometown. She e-mailed a picture of the amiable pooch and to hear Sandra tell it, it was love at first sight. ``His coat was so shiny and he had cute ears,'' she said. ``Plus when we visited the foundation, he liked my husband and my husband liked him.'' Once Ramey brought Flash to Sandra's home, there was another specialized command he had to learn: hearing someone call her name and bringing her to the other person. The women spent four days together, familiarizing Flash with Sandra's home and neighborhood. Flash seemed to take the change in stride Adv. 1. in stride - without losing equilibrium; "she took all his criticism in stride" in good spirits , settling in to sleep on the floor next to Sandra's bed at night and waiting patiently to be fed at his bowl in the kitchen. ``They do an excellent job training the dogs,'' Sandra said. ``The hard part is training us.'' The foundation, the only center specializing in hearing dogs headquartered in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , rescues dogs from area shelters and trains them to be the ears of their owners. Out of all the dogs that go through initial conditioning, only 25 to 30 percent are deemed suitable for placement. ``The others are adopted out as 'career change' dogs,'' Ramey said. Hearing dogs are considered assistance dogs and are allowed in all public places. Flash has a bright orange vest to wear to let people know that he might be friendly, but he's also at work when he and Sandra stop into a store or restaurant. ``When I go to the shelter, I look for dogs that are sound, stable and friendly,'' Ramey said. ``I look for high energy, but they also have to have the stability to be in public places.'' Not every dog is a candidate for the program, especially if they are of a breed known to be aggressive. ``We don't want a server in a restaurant to be intimidated because there's a pit bull under the table,'' Ramey said. The foundation is funded by founder and ``Simpsons'' co-creator Sam Simon and has a mission to ``save the lives of dogs to enrich the lives of people.'' The organization also rescues shelter dogs and places them with senior citizens and provides low-income pet owners the animals with free spay spay v. To surgically remove the ovaries of an animal. spay, spey to remove the ovaries. See also ovariohysterectomy. spay hook see spay hook. and neuter neu·ter adj. 1. Having undeveloped or imperfectly developed sexual organs. 2. Sexually undeveloped. n. A castrated animal. v. To castrate or spay. neuter 1. services for their animals. For information, call (310) 457-5898 or visit the Web site at www.samsimonfoundation.org Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Valencia resident Sandra sits with Flash, her new hearing dog rescued from a shelter in Castaic and trained by Lori Ramsey, in the background. (2 -- color) Valencia resident Sandra's new hearing dog, Flash, has been trained to recognize a number of sounds, including the kitchen timer. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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