Cheers for the ears, Fido

Less well known, but equally important to those who own them are New Zealand's hearing dogs for the deaf; an extremely special group of canines trained in our very own region.

Hearing dogs are specially trained to listen for the everyday sounds that people who are deaf cannot hear, such as smoke/fire alarms, alarm clocks, people knocking on the door or using the doorbell, telephones and faxes ringing, baby-cry monitors and portable timers.

Every time a hearing dog hears one of these sounds - at home, at work or when they and their owner are just out and about - they gently paw their human companions (recipients) to let them know theyve heard it.

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Equally amazing dogs are the Mobility Dogs. They do everything from pick you your TV remote, to finding your keys, opening the fridge, and the best thing is to provide company, and to help foster friendship outside of the house. That, of course, goes for all people with a disability. Dogs help bond people together.