Help from the ears of a dog

Service animal being trained to help deaf woman

Candice Benavides and her new hearing dog Cookie participate in team training at Texas Hearing & Service Dogs' training center in Dripping Springs Sept. 9. After five days of training, Cookie and Candice will undergo 13 weeks of in-home training.


ALICE -- Single mom Candice Marie Benavides' biggest fear has been that her 4-year-old might need her at night and she won't know it. Born deaf and unable to wear her hearing aids to bed, the 24-year-old has had her daughter, Leana, sleep with her.

But now Benavides can rely on better hearing than any human ears.

On Sept. 8 after a more than three-year wait, Benavides began bonding with Cookie, an 18-month-old mixed-terrier being trained as a hearing and service dog. The final day of weeklong training in Austin was cancelled because of Hurricane Ike-related problems. But Tuesday, a trainer brought Cookie to Benavides to settle into her new home.

"I love her already," Benavides said. "And having her here will help me feel more independent and confident about myself," the nursing home business office coordinator said. "Now I will be able to know that when I go to bed at night, or when I'm out somewhere, there will be no unheard sounds or voices."

Cookie is one of more than 500 dogs trained in the past 20 years at the Texas Hearing & Service Dogs facility in Dripping Springs to help people with hearing loss and physical disabilities.

The companionship and unconditional love benefits of the dogs are beyond the technicalities they learn, said Sheri Soltes, founder and director of the non-profit program. "It's technology you can hug."

Each dog goes through a $17,500 year-long training, which includes three months of weekly in-home and in-public training with an instructor.

The cost of the dogs, which includes veterinary, food and training bills, is covered by donations and sponsorships. The dog is free to recipients.

All of the dogs come from animal shelters, Soltes said, and Cookie is from Citizens for Animal Protection shelter in Houston.

The dog has learned to respond to Benavides' name.

"People can call me from behind and I don't hear them," she said. "Cookie will touch my hand with her nose and lead me to anyone who calls me."

Cookie comes with an orange vest with a hearing dog identification badge detailing the Texas statute for Americans with Disabilities Act allowing service canines in public places.

Cookie has been trained to stay on a mat in public places and to sit at doorways until Benavides makes eye contact and gives her permission to enter. The waiting list is long, Soltes said, but once dog and human are matched, the training takes a few weeks.

"We use positive reinforcement training, rewards and treats for accomplishment," she said. "If (the animal makes) a mistake, there is no punishment or force at all for any reason.

"The result is always a win-win situation. Candy and Cookie -- just like the sweets -- are a perfect match."

Contact Mike Baird at 886-3774 or bairdm@caller.com

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