There was cause for celebration in the Neil Squire Society’s (new window) Fredericton office last week. Galen, a black and white Portuguese Water Dog (new window) (in name only) had his third birthday. What better way to celebrate than with cake!

Galen is a service dog belonging to Shelley Jones, the Employ-Ability Program Coordinator for the Atlantic region. He is her Hearing Ear Dog (new window), her “extra set of ears,” or as she often refers to him, her “security blanket.”

Shelley was six weeks into her Social Work program (new window) at St. Thomas University (new window) in Fredericton when her world was dramatically altered. While talking to a friend on the telephone, Shelley experienced some ringing in her ears, but thought nothing of it at the time. After hanging up the phone, she encountered such a severe case of vertigo (new window) that she was unable to stand or even sit up on her own.  Knowing that something was drastically wrong, Shelley called her friend back who quickly came to help. Even with the assistance of her friend, Shelley could not get up. That is when they knew they had to call 911, and Shelley was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with sirens blaring.

Shelley does not remember the noise of the ambulance, however.  She had completely lost hearing in her left ear. Not that she knew it at the time. She was so disoriented by the dizziness (new window) she was experiencing that she did not realize her hearing was gone until three days later. After undergoing numerous tests, doctors concluded that her hearing loss was likely caused by a virus (new window). They also informed her that it was permanent.

Once an aspiring sound technician (new window), Shelley describes this time in her life as “really devastating.” It was “not just a matter of one ear works. One ear doesn’t.” She can no longer determine where sounds come from or how close or far away they are. In noisy environments, she cannot filter sound and often experiences absolute hearing exhaustion. She even noticed a difference in her reading comprehension and ability to concentrate. However, the impact of her hearing loss runs much deeper than even that.  For Shelley, it was a real period of “grief and loss,” something many people do not understand or often associate with an acquired disability.

In the months following the onset of her hearing loss, Shelley went through a significant loss of identity. A recognized extrovert, Shelley was no longer able to participate in the large social gatherings she once enjoyed. With her inability to filter sound, she suffers severe hearing exhaustion in these situations and now has to avoid them altogether. For someone who was once energized by being around others, this was a big adjustment. With time, Shelley realized that it was “not the end of the world.” She would just have to “figure out a different way of functioning.”

Another thing that struck Shelley very hard and something she discusses often is the loss of her sense of security. Because she can no longer determine the location and distance of sounds, Shelley is very uneasy when she is out in public alone. When she hears a noise, she cannot tell if it is down the street or right behind her shoulder. Understandably, this can be very unsettling.

Enter Galen, the black and white Portuguese Water Dog (new window) with big brown eyes that could melt the coldest heart.

It was through a friend that Shelley first learned of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides (new window).  After doing some research, Shelley decided to apply to get her own Hearing Ear Dog (new window). She completed the fourteen page application and went through the rigorous interview process. This process included home visits from the dog trainers who traveled all the way from Ontario to Shelley’s home in New Brunswick to make sure it was a suitable environment for one of their dogs. These visits also helped them make a good match between Shelley and her dog. Just like an online dating site, individuals are matched with a dog based on personality and lifestyle. Almost a year after losing her hearing, Shelley traveled to Ontario to get her Hearing Ear Dog (new window), Galen, whose greatest gift has been giving Shelley back the sense of security she had so suddenly lost.

As puppies, service dogs like Galen spend the first year of their lives doing typical training and obedience. They are then sent for an additional six months of specialized training, so they can become certified Seeing Eye Dogs (new window), Hearing Ear Dog (new window), Mobility Assistance Dogs (new window), Seizure Response Dogs (new window), or Autism Response Dogs (new window). Trainers work with the natural tendencies of the dogs to determine what they will be trained to do. For example, a dog that is a barker by nature may not make a great Hearing Ear Dog (new window), but will probably do well as a Seizure Response Dog because of its ability to get people’s attention with its persistent barking.

As a Hearing Ear Dog (new window), Galen is trained to alert Shelley to certain noises in her home— the doorbell or knocking at the door, the alarm clock, the kitchen timer, the telephone, someone calling her name, and the smoke detector. At work and in public, Galen’s natural curiosity goes a long way in reinstating Shelley’s sense of security. A simple tilt of the head with ears perked indicates to Shelley where a sound is coming from. Galen has certainly earned his status as Shelley’s “security blanket.”

For Shelley, one of the great things about having Galen is that he is a great tool for raising awareness about disabilities. When Shelley walks into a building with Galen wearing his bright orange vest indicating that he is a service dog, most people realize Shelley has some sort of disability. However, many are perplexed because Shelley’s disability is not outwardly visible. This opens the door for discussion about invisible disabilities.

Shelley’s life altering experience and long period of adjustment propelled her into a new way of being. She is excited to bring this new way of being to a career at the Neil Squire Society and be a voice for disability issues… all with Galen by her side.