THE region’s first Australian Lions Hearing Dog has taken up residence in the Blue Lake city.
Agnes the labrador, which is the 586th dog to complete the program since it began in 1982, was delivered to Pauline Lewis last week after around six months of training.
Now settled into her new home, Agnes will enhance everyday tasks for Ms Lewis and can accompany her in public places and public transport just like a seeing eye dog.
Valued at $35,000, Agnes was gifted to Ms Lewis with the Lions Club of Mount Gambier donating $2000 back to the program to sponsor Agnes’ delivery and ongoing training.
Hearing dog trainer Bella Pearson said each dog was trained on 10 different household sounds.
“She is trained to alert when the phone rings, when an alarm goes off, when someone knocks at the door or when a baby cries in addition to others,” she said.
“For all of her sounds she will go to the source of the sounds, then come back to Pauline and lead her there.
“Unless there is a fire, in that case she will find Pauline and drop in a warning signal.
“Another great thing is that we source our hearing dogs from rescues, which means they get another chance at life making a real difference which is positive.”
Ms Lewis said she was grateful for her new companion and looked forward to a different life with Agnes by her side.
“I get hearing tests often and while getting tested I noticed a poster for the Australian Lions Hearing Dogs,” she said.
“I had lost my sense of smell by then as well, so I knew I needed extra help with that.
“Having Agnes means that if I do not have my hearing aids in, I will not have to worry about not waking up during a fire and I’ll be able to move around public areas with confidence now.
“She’s not only a hearing dog, but also a companion for my husband and I, we’re excited to begin life with her.”
Lions Club of Mount Gambier president Malcolm Laslett said the club was proud to support the delivery of Agnes.
“We are hopeful that others in our region who may need the assistance of a hearing dog will notice Agnes and look into getting the program,” he said.
“It would also be great if people saw what lions do in the community and decide they’d like to be part of that.
“We’re about helping the community wherever we can and are always looking for others to join us on that journey.”
