Dog Ears is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing specially trained dogs to be companions and to assist the hard-of-hearing. The carefully screened dogs are trained to alert their owners to everyday sounds that the hearing impaired cannot hear. The simple act of being alerted to a knock at the door, someone walking up behind you, or the oven-timer going off, gives the hard-of-hearing a new great freedom and a boost in self-confidence that most of us could not even imagine.

“Fully Certified Hearing Dogs” are dogs that have been through an extensive training program to be of service to their deaf or hard-of-hearing owner. In public places, the dog would alert to emergency vehicles or someone calling the person’s name. While at home, the dog would alert the person to a smoke alarm, timer, door bell, phone or crying baby. Fully Certified Hearing Dogs have earned all the legal rights of any service dog. To be recognized as a service/hearing dog in public, they wear a bright orange collar or leash and may also wear an orange backpack or vest. Their owner carries a card with an ID picture on one side and the law pertaining to service dogs on the other side.