Sometimes a dog comes along, and nothing is ever the same again – in the best way possible! In 2017, when Chris Hannah decided it was time to adopt a dog, he didn’t realize exactly how much of a life-changing of a decision this would be.
Chris shares with us why adopting a deaf dog was the obvious choice for him – even though it might sound like a surprising decision for a music teacher to make. And yes, Cole the Deaf Dog’s name was inspired by the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus (the deaf son of a music teacher).
From day one, Chris witnessed the impact Cole made on his students and everyone he meets. Learning about Cole’s disability opened an unexpected dialogue for children (and adults too!) that disabilities aren’t inabilities – and sometimes those qualities that make us different are our superpowers.
Cole’s presence in students’ lives even led Chris’ school to launch a unique social-emotional learning program. Chris and Cole also created a motivational school assembly program for other schools in their region.
In Part One of Chris and Cole’s story, we’ll also hear about the surprising challenges they faced for Cole to become a therapy dog and about their meaningful work with a Veterans’ Memorial Home.
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Chris & I discuss:
The role that pets and music each played in his early life;
How all the experiences in his life led up to him deciding to adopt a deaf puppy in 2017;
How Cole got his name;
Learning how to train a deaf dog;
The unexpected challenges Chris & Cole encountered on their journey to becoming a therapy dog team;
The impact that Cole makes on Chris’ students – and everyone he meets;
Chris & Cole’s therapy dog visits to a local Veterans’ home
