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Hearing dog Vader is family’s best friend

Headshot of Angie Tomlinson
Angie TomlinsonThe West Australian
Damon Barrett and his hearing dog Vader.
Camera IconDamon Barrett and his hearing dog Vader. Credit: tralian, Iain Gillespie

With Labradoodle Vader by his side father-of-three Damon Barrett knows when his baby is crying.

Vader is a Lions Hearing dog and helps take the stress out of many everyday tasks for Mr Barrett, who is deaf.

“Since I had three children I really needed a working dog to inform me of any urgent response for the safety of my children’s wellbeing,” Mr Barrett says.

Vader has been trained to tell Mr Barrett when someone is at the front door; he is an alarm clock to wake him; he sits if a smoke alarm goes off; and when Mr Barrett’s child is crying he informs him by guiding him to the baby’s room.

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Mr Barrett says Vader allows him to feel more confident and his stress levels around handling his family have decreased.

“Vader is always my best friend, he works for me and my family at all times,” he says.

Vader was rescued from a pound, the source of many of the Australian Lions Hearing dogs, which come in all shapes and sizes.

The dogs are trained and provided free to eligible people across Australia. The $30,000 training cost is covered by Lions Australia through its fundraising. Up to 25 dogs are placed each year and the organisation hopes to reach its 600th dog this year.

The first Lions Hearing dog to come to WA was Joey in 1983. He has been followed by 23 more, with 10 currently active in WA and a further three placements expected over the next 18 months.

Hearing dogs have the same access rights as guide dogs for the blind, and can be identified by their orange collars and leads.

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