Hearing Dog Is Life Saver And Job Stopper

Tuesday, January 30th 2007, 10:01 am

By: News On 6

Service dogs can give the people who have them a sense of security and freedom that they may not get any other way. Tulsan Andrea Tadpole has a hearing ear dog, heâ€™s trained to hear things she cannot. News on 6 reporter Rick Wells learned that having a hearing dog has made Tadpoleâ€™s life safer, and made finding a job, so far, impossible.

"I've been looking for a job since the summer," said Andrea Tadpole.

Looking for work unsuccessfully, the reason she says is lying quietly at her feet; heâ€™s her service dog Toby. He was trained by an Oklahoma City company called â€œDog Ears,â€ his job is to make Andrea Tadpole's life easier and safer by hearing things she can't.

Tobyâ€™s job requires him to be with her and Tadpole thinks thatâ€™s why sheâ€™s had such a tough time finding a job.

"Service dogs at work in Tulsa, Oklahoma, other than Seeing Eye dogs, is very unusual," said Tadpole.

Tadpole was a high school dropout who went back to the University of Tulsa as an adult and graduated with honors. She says she has a variety of work experience, and a strong resume, but she isnâ€™t getting called back after interviews.

"If I take my dog to the first interview, I don't get a second," she said.

If she is silent about the dog and then is called back, or is even offered a job then asks for an accommodation for the dog, the opportunity evaporates.

"What kind of accommodation do you need?" asked reporter Rick Wells.

"I need to have permission to have the dog lay under my desk," Tadpole said.

What does Toby do for Andrea? If someone knocked on the door and she didnâ€™t hear it, Toby alerts her that someone is there.

"I hear all the time about tolerance and diversity, but I have not experienced that," she said.

What she's really looking for she says is someone progressive and open minded enough to hire both of them.

You may be wondering isn't that discrimination? Apparently the law allows employers some wiggle room, if accommodating the dog would cause a hardship or serious financial difficulty.