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"Teach what you know." That's a commonly used phrase, but to Bud and Joyce Guymon, demonstrating what they know along with a fuzzy family member that they love is downright natural. In case you didn't meet them during Escapees Fun Days in Wisconsin, I'll give you a hint. The fuzzy member's name is Stanly who is Bud's Certified Hearing Dog from Dogs for the Deaf, Incorporated (DFD), a Certified Hearing Dog training and placement facility of Central Point, Oregon. Stanly alerts Bud to knocks at his door, smoke alarms, and even when his wife calls his name. Stanly, like other hearing dogs, are trained to alert their partner by leading the individual to the sound (like when Bud's wife, Joyce, calls Bud's name) or by the touch of a paw when an alarm clock rings.

Ron and Jo Goosman, of Texas, also agree on how a Certified Hearing Dog has made all of the difference. Jo, Ron's wife, used to have to stomp on the floor of their motor home so that Ron could feel the vibrations which gained Ron's attention. With Ron's dog, Billy Bud, things changed...and now owner and dog are inseparable. "Billy has been a godsend to me; he alerts me to sounds such as door knocks, timers, smoke alarms, and name calling, as well as a few other things. His favorite job is getting me up in the mornings," said Ron. To date, Billy Bud has traveled over 50,000 miles on the open road and, like the Guymons, Ron and Billy Bud are big attractions at demonstrations for Dogs for the Deaf. A Dream Come True For Robin Dickson, President of Dogs for the Deaf, her experiences with the DFD are a dream come true. Her father, the late Roy G. Kabat, was a Hollywood animal trainer and had previously worked on such films as "Dr. Doolittle" and "Born Free." He broke the sound frontier by rescuing suitable shelter dogs, which he trained, based on his personal method. "Our goal was and still is to help two problems in this country. First of all, the horrendous unwanted dog population; secondly, providing sound awareness to the thousands of deaf people in the United States, " Robin relates. An Invitation To Escapees To Robin, DFD's appearance at Fun Days was a wonderful experience. "We welcome Escapees members to stop and visit our facility when they are in southern Oregon. We will give you a tour so that you can see the dogs actually in training. If you wish, you can dry camp in our parking lot overnight," Robin adds. How to Volunteer There is also a special way that Escapees members can help DFD--by interviewing applicants for dogs in different parts of the country. What's involved? Here's a quick list of frequently asked questions about the volunteer position: • What is a DFD interviewer? An interviewer is a volunteer who agrees to go to the home of an applicant for a Hearing Dog and interview them. The information gathered from the interview helps decide whether the person is a good candidate for a Hearing Dog or not. • What training do you give to the interviewer? We supply the interviewer with a packet of information that includes what to look for, questions to ask, etc. • How much time commitment is needed for the interviewing? The actual interview can take 1 to 3 hours. • What sorts of things does the interviewer do? We ask the interviewer to video the home and the interviewee. The interviewer asks questions that are listed in the packet and write the applicant's response to the questions. The interviewer must like people and be comfortable talking about some personal things like financial ability to care for the dog. The interviewer must also be able to be objective and provide accurate answers in spite of a natural desire to want to make sure that the person gets a dog. Hearing Dogs are not the right answer for everyone, and it costs us a lot of money to try to place a dog with someone who really should not have one. • Who should the RVer contact to volunteer? They should contact Beth Hay in our office. • How much advance notice do you need for someone to tour DFD, park overnight in your lot, and then do the interview training? If it is a large group, we like to have a few days notice at least. If it is an individual, couple, or one family, they should call to find out the tour times for the day they want to come, and they can arrive anytime. They are welcome to park overnight in our parking lot and dry camp. I hope that you will give volunteering with DFD a try. There are many ways that you can help--just give them a call and see what they need. Robin pretty much sums it up: "The more people we have involved with DFD, the more dogs that we can rescue and the more people we can help." To fully understand how DFD changes lives, drop in for a visit. You'll be glad that you did. For more information contact: Beth Hay Dogs for the Deaf, Inc. 10175 Wheeler Road Central Point, OR 97502 www.dogsforthedeaf.org © Copyright 2002 Hope Sykes and The RVing Volunteer®