Even though the economy is taking a serious toll on all of us, if you are deaf, life doesn’t change simply because you have less money.  Despite incredibly rough times, Danielle Clarneaux will receive her long awaited hearing assistance dog, Baewulf. With the help of many gracious donors and supporters,  another milestone as been accomplished for Positive Partners Assistance Dogs, Inc. (PPAD) and one of the most exciting days of Danielle’s life. Baewulf, a long coat German shepherd born, raised and trained in Sun Valley, Idaho, has been placed with Danielle Clarneaux in Bellevue, WA.

Baewulf will bring an element of normalcy to Danielle’s life by alerting her to sounds such as the alarm clock, smoke detector, doorbell, sirens, someone saying her name, and also when she unknowingly drops an item.

In Danielle’s silent world, just falling asleep at night can be a stressful event.  Imagine if you were unable to hear the smoke detector or if someone were breaking into your home?  Just trying to communicate with people who often mumble or turn their heads so she can’t lip read is difficult.  Having Baewulf with her will be a constant reminder to the public of her invisible disability and help her function more independently on a daily basis.

Danielle lost her previous hearing assistance dog, Rosie,  about a year ago and had her heart set on another shepherd.  She almost gave up, not finding a program anywhere in the country that was training German shepherds as hearing assistance dogs.   While Positive Partners trains many other breeds , they are one of the few programs that incorporate German shepherds.

Baewulf has been through over 300 hours of training, including public access skills in restaurants, the gym and pool, airports, doctors’ offices, buses, grocery stores, pet stores, on airplanes — anywhere Danielle might need to go. “Teaching Baewulf to have impeccable public manners is a huge element of Baewulf’s training,” says Executive Director and Trainer Fran Jewell.  “Danielle, Baewulf and I spent almost 3 weeks  together while Danielle learns all of Baewulf’s alerts and commands.”

One of the special components of the PPAD program is that applicants are encouraged to take part in their dog’s training long before the dog is permanently placed.  This gives the applicant an opportunity to get to know and bond with their dog before the dog actually goes to live with them.  For PPAD, having the applicant participate in training early on helps the program to custom train the dog for the applicant’s specific needs.  In the long run, this helps the program save money on unnecessary training for complicated skills the applicant might never use. Danielle also adds , “It has helped my spirits so much visiting Baewulf every three months or so and seeing how he has matured and doing some training together. He knows I’m someone special, and I think that will make the adjustment to his new life easier.”

Keeping an eye on Danielle while she is swimming.

Baewulf flying in the plane's cabin.

 Others who have benefited from the work PPAD does are Sun Valley locals Margery Friendlander and her mobility dog Chocko, and Bill Pereira and his dog Chief.  Chief is in training as a diabetic alert dog for Bill. Wyatt, a black Labrador, was placed last summer with Janele Payne of Meridian as a wheelchair assistance dog.  Guide dog Atticus was placed with Margaret Miller in Hawaii in 2006. Upcoming dogs in training are guide dog Isabella and hearing assistance dog Emerson.

Danielle and PPAD would like to thank the individuals and community members who have supported the training of Baewulf with their donations and volunteerism. “I am so grateful to each and every one of you,” says Danielle. “I wish you could personally share my joy as I welcome Baewulf into my home next week.  It will be the beginning of our lives together.  It truly could not have happened without you.”

PPAD trains dogs for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired as well as those in wheelchairs.  For more information about the program, to donate or become involved, please visit www.ppadi.org or call Director Fran Jewell at 208-721-1309.

ed:  Look for Fran and some of her dogs at our herding trials and at upcoming tracking seminars.