Natasha Acosta, who can’t hear alarm clocks, is awakened each morning by a nudge from her dog. When the doorbell rings, the dog comes to get her and when she drops her keys the dog shows her where.
That’s because Acosta, a 21-year-old nursing student at Copper Mountain College, is partially deaf and her dog — a two-year-old female Labrador / Golden Retriever cross — is trained to help. You’ve heard of seeing-eye dogs; meet Kellogg, a hearing ear dog.
Natasha and Kellogg —worth $50,000— are together thanks to the largesse of a nonprofit called Canine Companions for Independence. For this pair, it’s a match made in heaven; Kellogg alerts Natasha to fire alarms, lets her know when her name’s being called and, who knows, perhaps one day will tell her when the baby’s crying.
“It’s been an experience. It’s different. Ever since I got her, it’s definitely built my confidence up and made me feel a lot more independent.”
