Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.'s mission is to rescue and professionally train dogs to help people and enhance lives, maintaining a lifelong commitment to all dogs we rescue and all people we serve.

Dogs for the Deaf, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, "for impact" organization, was founded in 1977 by the late Roy G. Kabat. Roy worked with exotic and domestic animals for movies and television and had a small traveling circus. After retiring to the Applegate Valley in southern Oregon, he was contacted by the American Humane Association and their headquarters in Denver, Colorado. A deaf woman in Minnesota had had a dog that had trained itself to let her know when things were going on. As she lost more and more hearing, the dog alerted her to more and more things. After her dog died, the woman realized how much she had come to depend on the dog and began a search for someone to train a new dog for her. The American Humane Association began some experimental work trying to train dogs to help people who were deaf, and they wanted Roy's advice. After spending two weeks in Denver, Roy came back to Oregon and began Dogs for the Deaf.

Saving dogs, training them, placing them with people, and supporting the partnerships over their lifetimes could not be manifested without the many donors that Dogs for the Deaf honors each year. Donor relationships are supported throughout the year by various vehicles: magazines and letters to the clients, opportunities to meet trainers when they are in town and open site visits to the Dogs for the Deaf campus. Dogs for the Deaf cultivates relationships and alliances with agencies and individuals that support and contribute to the safety and welfare of dogs and the independent living challenges of people.

Dogs for the Deaf enjoys a financial profile that demonstrates prudent investment of donor dollars. Donor support directly covers the cost of rescuing dogs, training dogs to assist people, placing each dog with the right person, and ensuring on-going support for the lifetime of the partnership. Administrative and fund development costs are supported with the income earned from endowment investments grown since 1999.

http://www.dogsforthedeaf.org/

**Thanks so much to my guest Vaughn Maurice who not only shared the history as to how this all got started but also how listeners or if anyone knew of someone who is losing their hearing, is deaf OR has Autism...how they can apply to get one of these specially trained animals to join their life at NO COST AT ALL...

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