I love having bits of life where I don’t have to worry about my ears. As I’ve said before, having a dog is one of those things. Our dog Izzy is a great companion and she never says things I can’t decipher.
You meet a lot of people, too, when you are out with a dog. Dog owners are a friendly bunch, who are usually ready to stop and talk. In the relative quiet of the countryside, one on one, I can cope quite easily with these conversations; my hearing causes me very few problems. Hurrah!
Nigel and I were novice dog owners when we first had Izzy, five years ago. Whilst we were working we had always had cats, but retirement brought different opportunities. It was a bit of a shock at first; dogs are not at all like cats. Whilst we were still getting used to this I amused myself by inventing a list of life lessons that Izzy might be promulgating if she was a canine life coach………
“No matter how awful the weather you’ll feel better if you go for a walk.”
“If you feel a bit tired have a BIG drink of water – a whole bowl full – then have a good SHAKE. You’ll feel great after that.”
“When others are snappy, growly or plain bad-tempered – ignore them. Walk on by with your tail up”.
“Life is fantastic. Hurl yourself at it.”
“Get enough sleep.”
There are lessons there for all of us………
More than a bit deaf 
Hi Vera,
As a ‘more than a bit deaf” from birth, I know all the tricks of the trade!
Firstly I want to say I love your blog and I hear ya . . . I only wear my aids when I’m listening, some find that quite offensive when I drop that line . . . they’ll get over it!!
Only after moving out of home did I find the refuge with my dog, it takes them about an hour I reckon to work out that we don’t work the same as others. Without much training, he lets me know when someone’s at the door, the baby is awake, or something is boiling on the stove – love that one!
I actually prefer to walk with just the dog (Senna), no lip reading required and I understand everything he says!
I will say though when walking with more than one person, always position yourself in front, the other trick is to hold an empty water bottle and you’ll find you learn to pick up on the vibration of people talking. Trust me it works, you may need to hone in those skills but it works.
Again thanks for your blog, I enjoy a little light relief reading.
I hear ya Alison 🙂
Hello Alison. Great to hear from you. I agree entirely about how relaxing it is to walk with a dog – I love it – and I’ll have a go at the empty bottle trick next time I’m out with a person. Very best wishes to you and Senna. Vera.