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By MIKE STUCKA TAUNTON ‹ Kara Goldrick's 11-pound furry friend has yet to save her life but has given her a healthy new independence. ³We've been everywhere together, said Goldrick as she petted Wheezy, a 2-year-old Shih Tzu. We've been to the theater together. We've been to the Providence Performing Arts Center. We've been in a car accident together, and we've been in the ambulance together.. Wheezy was brought into 24-year-old Goldrick's life this spring, in part to help keep her out of the hospital. Goldrick was born with poor hearing. Wheezy was well-trained to respond to noises, getting Goldrick's attention and leading her to smoke detectors, door bells and microwave timers. That freedom means Goldrick no longer has to have a friend stay with her, or go to stay with a friend, if she would otherwise be left at home. Shortly after she got Wheezy from the National Education for Assistance Dog Services, Goldrick's mother left for a trip to Ireland. Goldrick was home alone, except for Wheezy, for the first time. "At 23, I was more than capable of staying home,," she said. "It's just I can't hear the fire alarm or the burglar alarm. ... I've been ready to live on my own for a while.." Near Worcester and the NEADS headquarters, assistance dogs are common. In Taunton, hearing dogs are more rare and often require explanation. Goldrick said she's had a few problems, like the restaurant that told her to leave. She explained the law, hasn't had a problem since, and now frequents the restaurant; Wheezy, highly trained, often naps under her chair. Goldrick said restaurant patrons often doesn't know there was a dog in the dining area until she gets up to leave. Another frequent haunt is a Brooks Pharmacy, where cries of Kara are common from the staff and the pharmacist keeps dog biscuits on hand for the hearing dog, which comes into the store an orange NEADS vest. Other dogs are not allowed. Goldrick and Wheezy first met in February. Goldrick waited for Wheezy's purr because the dog reminded the person so much of a cat. The Shih Tzu was a far cry from Goldrick's earlier dog. "I had a collie when I was a kid, and I thought [Wheezy] was so small, but then I thought she was so cute,,"Goldrick said. Goldrick had found her buddy. Goldrick returned to NEADS for a week in March, after helping raise some of the roughly $6,500 needed for a trained dog. Schools often "adopt" a dog for $250, while corporate sponsorships pay many of the bills. People needing the dogs may hold bake sales and car washes. Sheila O'Brien, executive director of NEADS, said people typically stay for one to two weeks in training in West Boylston. Goldrick's and Wheezy's graduating class included two other dogs and two people: a woman in her 70s who was getting her second dog, after the first lived 14 years as a hearing dog, and a woman in her early 30s who got her first hearing dog when she was 17. "It was a match made in heaven,"O'Brien recounted. "They hit it off right away.." In the end, Wheezy got her NEADS vest and the two were officially a pair. "It means so much to me to be home alone.,", Goldrick said. "I'm not nervous being home at night any more. In the car I don't hear sirens, and I don't worry." On the road, Goldrick checks to see if Wheezy has noticed a sound, just as she checks her instruments and her mirrors. Wheezy, 2 years old, is the consummate professional. "She's totally different with the vest on, more focused, less like a dog. She's never as relaxed as a pet because she's not a pet."Goldrick said. Hearing dogs can also respond to alarm clocks, making the 11-pound Shih Tzu a better choice than, say, a Labrador retriever that might aid a blind person. The hearing dogs jump on their owners to wake them up, though it's not a job Wheezy relishes. "She doesn't like to do it, because she likes to sleep in the morning," Goldrick said. Goldrick has become such a believer that she gives talks across the state about the hearing dogs, talks that help raise money. Wheezy has given her a better life with more independence and confidence. "She's forced me to become more social, because everybody's asking about her. She's forced me to be more assertive because people say, ŒOh, you can't have a dog in here," Goldrick said. Wheezy relaxes with a rubber cheeseburger, being a playful dog after a day at work. Even while at work, Wheezy's attitude helps teach people about hearing dogs and the people that need them. "She makes people smile wherever we go," Goldrick said. "No matter where we go she's breaking down barriers, and people are learning about hearing dogs and service dogs."
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