The Mail journalist Liz Jones, who regularly writes about her deafness, has been criticised for saying that she has four hearing dogs.
The charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People have found no record of her having an official hearing dog, and say they have asked her not to say she does have one on two previous occasions. They have contacted Mail on Sunday’s editor to make an official complaint.
In an article about disabled workers published in yesterday’s paper, a photo on the article showed a dog wearing an official Hearing Dogs jacket.
In her article Jones said:
I’m disabled. You might not believe this… a libellous comment was placed under one of my online columns, about living with a hearing dog. I have four, actually, all trained to create a commotion if my fire alarm goes off.
Official hearing dogs are legally allowed to enter public spaces in the UK, and Jones’ article later added:
Last Sunday, I went for lunch in a country restaurant. I checked beforehand they were happy with dogs, so I took along Mini Puppy.
In response to this, a blog called ‘Fake Hearing Dogs’ appeared yesterday on the Pardon Group site, written by Lisa Baldock, a hearing dogs user and a volunteer for the charity.
Of Jones adding an official jacket to her dog, Baldock said:
When someone places an old hearing dog jacket or a makeshift jacket on a dog that isn’t properly qualified it makes me cross – I know I shouldn’t sound like a know-it-all but I’m stating facts as a trained Hearing Dogs speaker– I just know how hard my assistance dog charity works to produce and get properly trained dogs to assist a deaf person’s life.
Following her blog (of which more below) Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s Chief Executive Michele Jennings told us:
The Mail on Sunday has printed a very irresponsible article by Liz Jones, and published a photograph alongside that is both misleading and upsetting. She has caused an enormous amount of distress amongst disabled people, and wasted a significant amount of the charity’s resources.
The Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hearing.dogs?fref=ts provides just a flavour of how much the disabled people we help have been upset by her article, and how furious they are with the Mail for publishing it. Twitter and Yammer are also full of posts by concerned supporters of the charity.
Liz Jones does not have one Hearing Dog, let alone four. We have no evidence of Liz Jones even applying for a Hearing Dog. To publish without checking the truth is extremely irresponsible. To then publish a picture of a genuine Hearing Dog alongside, that was also an ambassador for the Charity, and that has had nothing to do with Liz Jones, is misrepresentation.
Liz Jones may have four pet dogs that she considers are trained to assist with her hearing loss. They are not Hearing Dogs, which are dogs that undergo 18 months of socialisation and training to become fully qualified Assistance Dogs, and which are owned and supported by the charity for their entire working life.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People currently have almost 1,000 fully trained and qualified dogs in service, and we are second in size in our provision of Assistance Dogs to Guide Dogs for the Blind, with whom we work closely to train dogs for people who are both deaf and blind. We also work with the other UK Assistance Dog charities – Dogs for the Disabled, Canine Partners, Support Dogs, Medical Detection Dogs and Dog AID, all of whom employ experts who work incredibly hard to train dogs to a very high standard to help disabled people.
It is this very high standard of training and qualification that the hospitality and leisure industry, and the Institute of Public Health, recognises and therefore allows disabled people access to public places with their Assistance Dogs, where pet dogs would simply not be permitted.
Liz Jones, by her irresponsible journalism, jeopardises the very rights for which disabled people and the charities that help them have campaigned for decades. A poorly trained dog that behaves badly in a restaurant, whose owner fraudulently claims is an Assistance Dog, simply causes restaurant and leisure operators to think twice in future about admitting disabled people with their genuine Assistance Dogs.
Disabled people can then be refused entry to public places with their Assistance Dogs, which is wholly distressing for a disabled person when confronted with such a refusal, as well as being illegal. But it would appear Liz Jones fails to comprehend the damaging consequences of her irresponsible journalism. Far from championing the rights of disabled people, she is actually jeopardising them by her actions.
I have written to Liz Jones on two occasions previously, asking her to stop saying she has a Hearing Dog, and I have invited her to visit our training headquarters in Buckinghamshire so she can see the skills we have developed over 32 years, the dedication of our 160 staff and the kindness of our 1700 volunteers. She has not even had the courtesy to reply.
I would hope that Liz Jones and the Mail on Sunday would not want to force a charity that is funded entirely by donations from the public into a position where we have to pay for expensive legal advice to pursue this matter further. However, we have yet to hear from either.
Baldock’s blog pointed out some key differences between how an official hearing dog would behave, and how Jones’ dogs reportedly behave:
Inca’s alerting to my fire alarm is very different to how Liz describes it – she nudges me and lays flat on the floor – the commotion that Liz describes wouldn’t be right – when a danger sound sounds you are wanting calm not chaos!
That is just one of the examples why our assistance dogs are uniquely trained – so much thought has gone into the long process.
Another thing to consider here is that the jackets are awarded – only dogs trained by the organisation are given Hearing Dog jackets.
This photo in the article may possibly be Liz’s dog with the charity’s Hearing Dog jacket on, and I feel saddened because that’s a misrepresentation of a wonderful charity’s work. How did she acquire it??
All Hearing Dogs have new ones now – this helps us to keep up to date records of all the properly qualified ones and also eliminate the fraudulent examples!
People claiming that their dogs are official hearing dogs is more widespread than many people think – Baldock says she has previously spotted ‘fake’ hearing dogs three times in her home city.
Tim
October 20, 2014
Expecting responsible journalism from the Mail would be a bit like expecting gentlemanly conduct from Jason Voorhees.
sashadiestal
October 22, 2014
This is a dreadful way for a journalist to behave and I am stunned that Liz could lie about having a hearing dog for deaf people. It is even worse when she has failed to respond to your enquiry and a disservice not only to the deaf community and the dogs but journalism itself! Shame on you Liz!!!
Mrs Jay S Heathfield
October 23, 2014
As a recipient of Rufus my Hearing Dog For Deaf People” I am extremely upset and annoyed by this false reporting! I went through a lot and waited 5 years for Rufus 🙁
Mary Allen
March 21, 2015
I have an unofficial epilepsy assistance dog that regularly saves my life when I have small ‘freeze’ seizures in the road.
Should I stop using him and get run over by a car because a charity spokesperson says he is a ‘fake’ assistance dog? Should I remain housebound because someone is unhappy that I did not have to spend 4 years on a waiting list?
My unofficial assistance dog has been officially behaviourally assessed and unofficially trained to help me.
Disabled people suffer enough stigma, surely?
Kerena Marchant
October 30, 2014
I am profoundly deaf – a journalist – and I once owned a Hearing Dog. I now have 4 dogs which work with us in a similar way that we trained. I assure you they do not bark when fire alarms go off. One of them almost saved my son’s life, However I would never call them Hearing Dogs. The are part of,the growing number of unofficial assistance dogs. I could if I wanted have them recognised as such and get a jacket. I was told by my mum when I became a journalist to always get my facts right. Clearly Liz Jones can’t. She is not profoundly Deaf, she does not have 4 Hearing Dogs. This is a gross mis-representation of profound Deafness and of Hearing Dogs by the Daily Fail. I have complained to the Editor, who sadly continues to back this journalist. Kerena Marchant
Mary Allen
March 21, 2015
Did she write ‘Hearing Dog’ or ‘hearing dog’?
Kerena Marchant
November 1, 2014
I have been in correspondence with her Editor over this. It is now apparent that he also fails to see the factually inaccurate reporting about profound deafness and hearing dogs and continues to back her. I am therefore also making a complaint to IPSO. Am also annoyed that he is printing part of my complaint in his letters page to encourage debate with the woman. Grrr I don’t want to debate with the woman she is beneath it!
Kerena Marchant
November 2, 2014
Well today’s column sheds more insight into. Liz Jones’ profound hearing loss. She is apparently able to ring up her local NHS dentist, in Yorkshire apparently, and hear the voice intonation of the cheery receptionist who informed her that she would only pay £18.50 but would habe to wait until February to see the dental hygienist. Clearly she has enough hearing to learns about the real world of NHS dentistry on the phone. This to me is much more accurate audio logical testing than the audiologist at spec savers. Clearly she does not need 4 dogs making a commotion to hear a fire alarm, she can hear a cheery voice on the phone and take down accurate details of pricing and waiting lists.
Mary Allen
March 21, 2015
Ever heard of Assistive Technologies?
Mary Allan
March 21, 2015
My unofficial assistance dog has saved my life many times. I would be dead if it wasn’t for him.
Before you start calling unofficial dogs ‘fake’, ask yourself who are we all trying to protect here, the disabled person, or the charity?
My dog has been behaviourally assessed and rigorously tested and without him I would not be able to go out, as I have so many small and big seizures, I ‘freeze’ in the road.
Please, if you must throw stones, then criticise the Picture Editor of the newspaper who stuck in the official Hearing Dogs photo in the paper, probably without the journalist’s knowledge.
Unofficial assistance dogs carry out a vital service for people who live with difficult medical conditions that most people will never fully understand. Have some empathy and stop these knee-jerk reactions prompted by pique and self-interest.
Mary Allen
March 21, 2015
1. Did Liz Jones say she had a hearing dog or an official Hearing Dog for the Deaf?
2. Did Liz Jones select the picture for the article, or, as is usually the case, was the picture chosen by the newspaper’s Picture Editor?
ABBSOLUTEKitten
April 12, 2015
Mary Allen Hearing Dog and offical Hearing Dog for the Deaf is the same thing And we are trying to protect Disabled people from the embarrassment of being refused entry into places just because another person’s “assistance dog” cannot behave. We do understand that there are unofficial assistance dogs that help people but the law recognizes offical assistance dogs by the assistance dog UK logo on dogs coats …..no fault of ours that the law only recognizes them. Everyones entitled to their opinion obviously and mine is that you took time to jump on everyones comments above sounds to me like you either know Liz Jones or you don’t fully understand the issues she has caused
ABBSOLUTEKitten
April 12, 2015
ALSO there are people out there who just write assistance dog on a coat and stick it on their dog just because they want it in th shops or restaurants with them we’ve cone across quiet a few people like that
indomitabledamsel
April 12, 2015
This should explain a bit more in depth, because Liz Jones or Daily Mail is NOT allowed to use a hearing dog for deaf People charity image to demonstrate that Liz got 4 dogs from them. I’d have to say you are misinformed, Mary – Liz Jones does not have a Hearing Dog from the charity but it’s a misrepresentation of the charity that they give out more than 1 dog to a recipient and it’s frankly dangerous…
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/mar/04/mail-online-censured-liz-jones-article-print-version-cleared
I advise you to look at Assistance Dogs UK – http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/ – This will explain more in depth of their role because they cover 7 assistance dogs organisations including Hearing Dogs. The owners are photographed with their dogs and they have yellow booklets that HAS to be carried around to prove.
You NEED a public liability insurance if you have an assistance dog because whatever happens you are insured. Due to unofficial dogs roaming around not properly trained like official assistance dogs, then you won’t be part of the ADUK register as it’s there to protect the genuine owners with assistance dogs and is used to assure that it is a genuine assistance dog.
Please don’t ever think it is ok to use an unofficial jacket to wrap a dog and take it to public places especially they’ve not been scrutinised behaviour wise in an assessment environment otherwise you’ll be the one who will be liable if something happens. Again education is vitally important to promote the right message that all charities have worked so hard for.
Yes Dogs are our lifeline as I can understand that wholeheartedly but don’t make a sweeping statement without checking all the facts first.
It is not the first time that we deafies, have had run ins with Liz Jones.
mairi grant
April 13, 2015
This lady has little respect for people let alone disabled people! Her latest article on the cruelty of dog showing is equally as distressing! She has totally belittled the enormous amount of work, time, dedication and love that goes into training a hearing dog so to improve the life and lifestyle of a deaf person and in doing so is making a mockery of the trainers and disability in general! In the same way she is making a mockery of dog exhibitors, most of whom have dogs that are loved so much, health tested, fit for function, have regular vet checks and visits, are up to date with vaccinations, are groomed properly and thoroughly enjoy their sport! This vile individual will go to any length for a story that the unsuspecting public may sadly believe and ought to be stopped in her tracks before she damages people’s hearts and reputations! Such disrespect! I myself am a dog exhibitor, my dogs are walked daily, Fed top quality food, live in our house, are regularly health checked, are fit for function but above all else they are our family pets who just happen to be show dogs, I have a disabled child who without her dog would live a less happier life! Her little dog is her best friend! This lady only reports on one side of things and is totally ignorant to the truth and is misleading people, she has no love for dogs and doesn’t realise that her irresponsible opinion is not only detrimental to people, it is detrimental dogs, kennels up and down the country are not filled with trained assistance dogs, nor are they filled with health sound good natured pedigree dogs! They are filled with crossbreeds and irresponsibly bred dogs bred by irresponsible, cruel pet owners and by drawing wrong and unfair negative attention to pedigree dogs she in turn is unwittingly lining the pockets of backstreet breeders and puppy farmers by turning the public towards that route! Her irresponsible reporting needs to be balanced by the truth so that our trained assistance dogs can be given the utmost respect they so rightly deserve, their dedicated owners too who I hold in utmost high regard and the dog exhibitor who lives to improve the health and welfare of pedigree dogs should be left to do just that! There are always the tiny minority of bad apples in every sport and walk of life but the vast majority of those of us working with our dogs are doing it in love, with love and for love, for every one bad story there are 1000 good ones, don’t be misled by this lady who is totally selfish! Excuse my rant but I live every day with a child with a disability, I know the hardship, have shed the tears and have a huge heart for disabled people having the best quality of life and dogs are a huge part of making that happen, I am sick disgusted of his lady’s ridiculous lies and its about time she was shown for what she is, a liar