Chelsea: The Story of a Signal Dog » (1st ed)

Paul Ogden, a deaf college professor, and his wife Anne, who is hard of hearing, discovered their "ears" in Chelsea, a beautiful, gentle Belgian sheepdog. Instead of herding sheep, like her ancestors, Chelsea works as a signal dog, helping the Ogdens live as normally as possible. She "tells" them if someone is at the door or on the phone, and wakes them when the alarm has gone off. She even reacts to the sound of strange voices and unusual noises. "A warm and witty book . . . Chelsea's tale is a delightful read. . . . That feeling of love and devotion — the Ogdens for Chelsea and she for them — comes through on every page of Paul Ogden's book." — The Baltimore Sun

School Library Journal

YA-- A detailed, entertaining, and educational look at the training of man and beast to form the working partnership that enables a qualified dog to provide the independence sought by the disabled. While the emphasis is on a single dog, Chelsea, and her work with her deaf master, other humans with different physical handicaps and their experiences are also related. Ogden makes it clear that these are working animals, always on duty. He relates both the problems that Chelsea helped him to overcome and some of her funnier bad habits. Although the chapters are long, Chelsea is a readable and enjoyable account.-- Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA-