Dandy the Hearing Dog
From the newsroom of The Sacramento Bee, California, Thursday,
September23, 1999 .....
Diana Griego Erwin: Fire robs her of all but her sidekick
A desk in a corner at Pride Industries in Roseville sits empty this
week. Below it, a fluffy doggy bed is empty too, except for a toy
stuffed lamb standing guard over the usually rambunctious scene.
Rambunctious because Juanita Roup -- whom everyone calls
"Nita" -- usually creates quite a stir in her corner and
always without uttering a word.
Roup is deaf, but that doesn't keep her from being the firecracker in
this small, close-knit office of co-workers who all seem to adore her.
"She's what you call feisty," said Sara Bumgarner, who sits
behind her.
"We call her this," said Caryl McAdams and with one quick
movement she signs "brat" in American Sign Language.
Her friends may have their opinions, but authorities are calling her
lucky after 61-year-old Roup and her small terrier mix, Dandy, narrowly
escaped from a fire Monday at their Carmichael home.
Roup and Dandy, who is trained to alert her human friend to sounds
such as ringing telephones and fire alarms, were out on the driveway
when firefighters pulled up. By then the house was fully involved in
flames. Roup escaped with burns on her face and one arm, but lost
everything of material value in the fire.
Everything except Dandy.
Everyone who knows Dandy knows the wiry canine as Roup's constant
sidekickand best friend. She's one of those dogs that possess human
characteristics.
Dandy wears sweaters in fall, antlers at Christmas and a shiny yellow
slicker on rainy days, although not, Roup's co-workers said, without
obvious embarrassment.
They said Dandy struts queenlike into the office every morning with
stopsat each desk for short meet-and-greets, expecting at least a few
pats or rubs to acknowledge her arrival. Then she dutifully retires to
her bed under Roup's desk because business is business; Roup is pretty
firm about that.
"Thank goodness nothing happened to that dog," said
Jeannette Lewis, another office friend. "I don't know what Nita
would have done then."
As it is, friends are worried about Roup's welfare now that she has
lost her home and all its contents.
It isn't just the clothes, the pots and pans and treasured keepsakes
most of us would miss, although these, too, are gone. People who are
deaf depend heavily on technology to communicate and Roup lost both her
computer and TTY machine in the fire. TTY technology allows people with
hearing disabilities to communicate with others via telephone. The
computer was only 3 weeks old. Dandy lost all her doggy toys. The two
are staying temporarily with a friend.
Another problem is that Roup's previous rental arrangement was one
she'll be hard pressed to replicate. The house that burned down was
owned by an elderly friend who now lives in an assisted-care
environment. His family generously rented to Roup for just $300 a month.
A search for housing Tuesday and Wednesday left Roup in tears. The
most she can afford is $400 a month on her meager income as a disabled
person, if she also wants to eat, she added ruefully.
At Pride Industries, a nonprofit organization that provides myriad
services to people with disabilities, Roup assists in the employment
services office with everything from filing and typing to publishing the
department's client newsletter.
But she also keeps things, well, lively. When co-workers put filing
in her "in" basket, she flashes them the sign for
"No." She playfully insists that Harrison Ford is her
boyfriend.
On her first day in the office two years ago, most of the co-workers
didn't know sign language. Now they know enough to get by. Actually, she
makes them sign. That's just the way she is.
None of them is fluent in American Sign Language, but a mix of
legitimate signs and make-do charades has developed into a useful
universal office language. The message her friends want to get out now
is that their fiercely independent friend needs help.
"She's just this great person we love who needs to get back on
her feet", McAdams said.
Roup's work friends are fielding suggestions and offers; questions
can be directed to Caryl or Jeannette at Pride Industries, (916)
783-5473.
