Volunteer
Opportunity: Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.
by Hope Sykes
"Teach what you know." That's a commonly
used phrase, but to Bud and Joyce Guymon, demonstrating what they know
along with a fuzzy family member that they love is downright natural. The
fuzzy member's name is Stanly who is Bud's Certified Hearing Dog from Dogs
for the Deaf, Incorporated (DFD), a
Certified Hearing Dog training and placement facility of Central Point,
Oregon.
Stanly alerts Bud to knocks at his door, smoke
alarms, and even when his wife calls his name. Stanly, like other hearing
dogs, are trained to alert their partner by leading the individual to the
sound (like when Bud's wife, Joyce, calls Bud's name) or by the touch of a
paw when an alarm clock rings.
Ron and Jo Goosman, of Texas, also agree on how a
Certified Hearing Dog has made all of the difference. Jo, Ron's wife, used
to have to stomp on the floor of their motor home so that Ron could feel
the vibrations which gained Ron's attention. With Ron's dog, Billy Bud,
things changed...and now owner and dog are inseparable.
"Billy has been a God send to me; he alerts me
to sounds such as door knocks, timers, smoke alarms, and name calling, as
well as a few other things. His
favorite job is getting me up in the mornings," said Ron. To date,
Billy Bud has traveled over 50,000 miles on the open road and, like the
Guymons, Ron and Billy Bud are big attractions at demonstrations for Dogs
for the Deaf.
A Dream Come
True
For Robin Dickson, President of Dogs for the Deaf,
her experiences with the DFD are a dream come true. Her father, the late
Roy G. Kabat, was a Hollywood animal trainer and had previously worked on
such films as "Dr. Doolittle" and "Born Free." He broke the sound frontier by rescuing
suitable shelter dogs which he trained based on his personal method.
"Our goal was and still is to help two problems
in this country. First of all, the horrendous unwanted dog population;
secondly, providing sound awareness to the thousands of deaf people in the
United States," Robin relates.
An Invitation
To RVers
To Robin, RVers are always welcome at DFD. "We
welcome RVers to stop and visit our facility when they are in southern
Oregon. We will give you a tour so that you can see the dogs actually in
training. If you wish, you can dry camp in our parking lot
overnight," Robin adds.
How to
Volunteer
There is also a special way that RVers can help DFD—by
interviewing applicants for dogs in different parts of the country. What's
involved? Here's a quick list of frequently asked questions about the
volunteer position:
What is a
DFD interviewer?
An interviewer is a volunteer who agrees to go to the
home of an applicant for a Hearing Dog and interview them. The information
gathered from the interview helps decide whether the person is a good
candidate for a Hearing Dog or not.
What
training do you give to the interviewer?
We supply the interviewer with a packet of
information that includes what to look for, questions to ask, etc.
How much
time commitment is needed for the interviewing?
The actual interview can take 1 to 3 hours.
What sorts
of things does the interviewer do?
We ask the interviewer to video the home and the
interviewee. The interviewer asks questions that are listed in the packet
and write the applicant's response to the questions. The interviewer must
like people and be comfortable talking about some personal things
like financial ability to care for the dog. The interviewer must also be
able to be objective and provide accurate answers in spite of a natural
desire to want to make sure that the person gets a dog. Hearing Dogs are
not the right answer for everyone, and it costs us a lot of money to try
to place a dog with someone who really should not have one.
Who should
the RVer contact to volunteer?
They should contact Beth Hay in our office.
How much
advance notice do you need for someone to tour DFD, park overnight in your
lot, and then do the interview training?
If it is a large group, we like to have a few days'
notice at least. If it is an individual, couple, or one family, they
should call to find out the tour times for the day they want to come, and
they can arrive anytime. They are welcome to park overnight in our parking
lot and dry camp.
I hope that you will give volunteering with DFD a
try. There are many ways that you can help--just give them a call and see
what they need. Robin pretty much sums it up: "The more people we
have involved with DFD, the more dogs that we can rescue and the more
people we can help."
To fully understand how DFD changes lives, drop in
for a visit. You'll be glad that you did.
For more
information contact:
Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.
10175 Wheeler Road
Central Point, OR 97502
www.dogsforthedeaf.org
© Copyright 2002 Hope Sykes
and The RVing Volunteer®
