Ana and Valley: A great team
Posted by Matt Sadler
When Ana went to university, a lot changed in her life. Her amazing hearing dog Valley, alongside our ongoing support, helped Ana with this transition.
Ana had hearing dog Valley as a child. She explains: “I used to be really anxious about going out in public. I always had to ask someone to be with me in case I’d have to talk to someone.”
So, Ana decided to take matters into her own hands. She contacted Hearing Dogs, and when she found out she was eligible, convinced her mother that it would be a great idea to have one. She was right!
“Having Valley with me helps people understand that they need to talk more clearly and that I need to lipread. People are a lot more patient and considerate, especially at the height of the pandemic when people were wearing face masks.”
Valley helped Ana through the society-wide challenges of the pandemic. Ana’s next big step came when she went to university to study Sport and Exercise Science.
Starting university is a huge change for anyone but as a deaf student with a hearing dog, there were some extra things Ana had to think about, including some additional training for Valley.
Back to Ana: “There are three major areas where Valley’s training has been supplemented: being around more people in lecture rooms; settling patiently during long lectures; and learning new alarms.
“Firstly, we had to get her more comfortable in larger rooms with lots of people to prepare her for big lecture theatres.
“So, with the help of a Hearing Dogs trainer, I started teaching her to tuck under a chair so that she’d be able to do this in the theatres. Then, whenever I went to a café or restaurant, I’d get her to settle under my chair again. To do this, I gave her a treat whenever she did it right. She does love her treats!
“Before the semester began, we also visited the lecture theatres and labs. So, she was already used to the rooms and knew what to do.”
This is an object lesson in how we train our hearing dogs. It is always gently, at the dog’s pace, and involves lots of love, fusses, patience, and treats.
Back to Ana: “For the settles, we started with short café visits and built up to longer restaurant settles. When we moved to university she was pretty much ready – she just needed a chewable rubber toy to keep her occupied at first, but now she rarely uses it and snoozes quietly beside me.
“Finally, the smoke and fire alarms are different at university, so she’s been taught the new sounds. This is such an important alert, where she lies down to tell me about the alarm but doesn’t lead me to it. I know that she’ll get it right if the time comes.”
“There are also many smaller ways in which she supports me. She alerts me to my phone, which gives me independence. Valley has perfected settling, and sleeping. She wakes me up in time for lectures too and having a dog in accommodation also helped my flatmates and I bond, especially at the beginning of the year.
“One alert in particular has helped with this. My parents used to do ‘the call’, in which they’d ask Valley to find me in the house. She’d trot off, give me a nose nudge, and then lead me back to them. Now, my student friends use it!”
Indeed, Ana hasn’t just coped with university – she’s excelled in sport, having been invited to train with the England Deaf Women’s football team!
“Valley comes to camp with me. She wakes me up because it’s very important not to be late for morning training sessions. When I’m training she gets looked after by staff on the sideline but during recovery, she comes and lies down beside me.”
And how do the other team members feel about Valley?
Ana laughs: “Everyone on the team loves her! She has definitely helped me bond with my teammates and staff too. She’s a very sociable dog so loves all the attention she gets.
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