Testimonials >Success Stories >Colleen and RC

Colleen and RC

By Colleen Saffron, THSD Graduate

I have always known I had a hearing problem but I was gifted, as an adult, to ignore it. Over the past 3 years however, there was no way to ignore what was happening and I found I was not just losing "some" hearing but was already to the point of "legally" disabled. My audiologist suggested that I look into getting a dog to help me with sounds, etc. so that I would not be forever missing phone calls and the door.

Although I wear two hearing aids, one thing you will find is hearing aids are kind of like band aids for surgical sites - they are better than nothing and can help; but, they cannot completely fix a problem. On contacting THSD, I was told that there would be a wait and that I would be making a major commitment of time and effort.

When THSD contacted me in August to say that my dog was ready to meet me, I did not know what to think. My "image" was a perfectly behaved, perfectly trained dog who would just jump up and tell me everything that was going on....NOT so. This was the WORK part. I was very amused to meet “RC” because she was a tall thin red-haired dog (which is, amusingly, a relatively accurate description of me, minus the dog part, of course!). Our sponsors, the American Eagle Harley Owners Group, named her “RC” for Road Captain.

Friendly and loving and so eager to be around people, RC was the perfect match for me as a partner. I was not aware however that she was also a genius! We put her in the kennel when we left for the store, she got out. We put her back and she got out again...Hmmm how could this be? The next time we left, I put her in the kennel and came home to find out not only had she gotten out of the kennel but she had opened the front door and left the house! So, from the first week we knew RC was "special" and would require some creative solutions to her unique challenges. It also meant that public behavior was an important aspect of her training because unlike most dogs, RC and I were appearing in public within the first one and one half weeks!

After a few weeks, things settled and we are now very very happy here. My original thought was that I would need the dog's help at home, and that when we were in public she would not be all that useful, but I was very very wrong. I have found at home, I am able to control all of my environment and so function as if there is no challenge to my hearing. RC mostly lets me know there is someone at the door or the phone is ringing. However, when in public, due to the type of loss I have, I cannot really identify any certain sound and I often become confused. Even with my hearing aids I cannot hear anything except a roar as all of the sounds combine, so I find myself taking my hearing aids out to keep me from losing my bearings, so to speak.

RC lets me know there are cars coming. She has been taught to alert me to my name being called and she always turns to people behind me at stores so that I know they’re there (because trust me I will never hear someone say excuse me in the aisle at Wal Mart).

I can never express how grateful I am to THSD Trainer Susan Ramsbottom for teaching me to teach my dog (because as she can tell anyone my dog is kind of a unique challenge) and for working with me. I came to truly enjoy our weekly training sessions and I must confess I miss them and Susan. I honestly knew very little about training animals and so I was a blank slate. I have even been able to use much of what Susan taught me to keep my neighbor’s dog from being a wild thing when I am in the backyard with RC (how neat is that?).

Right now as I write this my husband is preparing to deploy for Iraq with the 1st Cavalry at Ft Hood (he is active duty Army). When we got news of the deployment dates in late July, he was a bit concerned about leaving me home alone because in spite of all we do to try to keep me independent, I am disadvantaged in many areas because I cannot hear much at all without my hearing aids. This is cause for him to worry about me here at home, alone with three children. RC's arrival has definitely eased his mind and she makes me feel like I can go anywhere and not be at a total disadvantage in the public.

I will not say that it is easy to go everywhere with a dog. Often, it is like having a permanent baby in that you have to make sure she is safe, fed, watered and clean not to mention some people just really do not like a dog in public. I have had quite a few adverse reactions and at times they’re very hurtful. Because my hearing loss became severe in my adult years, most people do not realize or believe I am disabled and so they feel I have no need for a dog to help me. In Wal Mart recently I turned around to check where my daughters were and I realized one of the employees was yelling across the floor at me, "Ma'am you can't tell me you're blind and need that dog!"

That was a bit embarrassing and it was not the first reaction I had like that; but, I am also learning not to let them make me feel stupid or embarrassed because they are uneducated about how many different types of service animals there are and how many jobs a dog can do. Also, because my business is free lance Interior Decorating we tend to be rather "unique" and who knows maybe in the long run we will be able to get the word out and about to others about THSD and how they are helping people like me to remain independent and "normal".

My gratitude to my sponsors and to THSD can never be expressed in words or deeds. I feel confident RC and I will continue to work together and to grow together. I must confess my attachment to her is much greater than I have ever felt to just a regular "pet" and I think it is because I have become so dependant on her to be my "ears". There are no words, no ways I can ever repay the kindness shown to me through this experience and it is quite humbling to know someone foot the bill for my need.

I am a vocal advertisement for THSD and their work and for all who give to such an organization let me say your sacrifice is such a blessing to me and I am sure so many others so Thank You from the deepest part of me.

Sincerely

Colleen Saffron

THSD adopted RC from Citizens for Animal Protection