Sophie ( the puppy) will begin puppy obedience training soon. Then basic obedience, then advanced obedience. Then she will begin training as a hearing dog. A hearing dog alerts the deaf person to environmental sounds that Lilly could not hear. For example, smoke alarms, alarm clocks, door bells and so on.
I realize that Lilly is too young to take advantage of a hearing dog right now. I have had some people tell me that she does not need a hearing dog, because she has 2 CIs. Well, as we all know, she is still deaf. It is not uncommon for Lilly to come home and take off her CIs to enjoy some down time. I fully expect her to do this throughout her life. In that situation, if the fire alarm goes off, the dog will let her know. If someone rings the doorbell, Sophie will alert Lilly that somoeone is at the door. Or the good example that my wife uses. In a few years from now, Lilly will be at the age where she will want to go to slumber parties. If she is at a slumber party, and there is a fire or other type of emergency, everyone would probably instantly evacuate. After they do that, because they are not firmiliar with looking after a deaf child, they may forget that Lilly could not hear the alarm. I am hopeful that other parents would have the foresight to realize that Lilly could not hear the alarm, but I would not bet her life on it. With the hearing dog, we wouldnt have to hope they remember that Lilly did not hear the alarm, because Sophie main objective in her life will be to hear for her.
I realize alot of this may seem far fetched, but I am a firm believer in having a plan. I have hed way too many times in my professional life where having a simple plan has saved my life and the lives of my coworkers.