Dennis was matched with NEADS Service Dog for Hearing Nalton in January 2023. We asked him to share some insights about his life with Nalton.

“What can I say about Nalton? All of my three previous NEADS Service Dogs for Hearing have been special, but Nalton is in a class by himself,” says Dennis Perham. “When I am here alone, I can be sure that Nalton won’t let anything get past us. If there is an Amazon delivery, Nalton is on his feet and alerting me as soon as the plastic bag is set down on the front porch. No need for anyone to ring the bell. Same goes for visitors—Nalton lets me know before the car finishes entering the driveway. He is my four-legged security system.

“I had a plumbing chore that was frustrating me. Nalton offered watchful supervision from just outside the door and when the cussing got too vociferous, he licked my face and bit my chin. He made me laugh, which broke the tension and let me finish the job sooner.

“Not a day goes by without laughter and a mood lift, all because of this extraordinary dog.”