Customer Reviews

A Place for Grace

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The picture on the cover of the book caught my eye. I was in the waiting room of an audiologist's office looking through a catalog. My husband and I ride bicyles and we had just returned from a visit to San Francisco. While in San Fransisco, I saw a book about how to select the right breed of dog to suit you personalities and had decided we would look for a poodle. There it was, all together! A dog looking like a poodle riding in a basket on a bicycle with it's master with the Golden Gate Bridge and skyline of San Francisco in the background. My hearing was gone. (had declined from hard of hearing to deaf in about two years) I was going to be evaluated for a coclear implant and was in the market for a hearing dog. We had lived in San Francisco and I enjoyed the references to certain locations as Grace worked her way through the streets. I had researched schools for training service dogs and could imagine what it was like for Grace to try to learn special commands for deaf people. She passed the tests on responding to the sounds a deaf person would not hear such as doorbell, microwave, smoke alarm and phone, but had trouble reacting to the alarm clock without jumping in bed and dropping off to sleep. After much effort and some modifications, she was able to graduate and become a full-fledged hearing dog.

My Grace is two years old now. She is an unofficial hearing dog in that I chose not to have her go through the intensive training required to be a service dog. I have a cochlear implant and rely on her to alert me to emergencies through the night when my device is turned off and if my husband is away. She travels with us and is loved by all who meet her. She has never been denied access, a privilege we use discriminately. And yes, she jumps in bed with us and goes right to sleep.

It was after finding this book that I was able to find my Grace and return to the hearing world-AMAZING!