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Excellence, compassion, and service

Meet IHDI

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of International Hearing Dog, Inc (IHDI) is to empower individuals who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing by purposefully training specially selected dogs to alert to sounds; carefully matching these dogs with handlers who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing; and supporting the paired teams throughout the lifetime of the match.

VISION STATEMENT

Our vision is to establish IHDI as the recognized leader in the hearing dog industry; to increase awareness and understanding of the needs of the hearing impaired community and the critical role of hearing dogs; to heighten and maintain IHDI's visibility in the community; to create and adhere to Best Practices in every aspect of our work; and to always abide by and maintain our Core Values.

CORE VALUES

These are the values that root the beliefs International Hearing Dogs, Inc operates from and the principal perspectives that guide IHDI's engagement with our staff, clients and supporters and guardianship of our hearing dogs.

  • Respect – At IHDI we are committed to providing a welcoming, accessible, non-threatening, and protected environment where individuals feel recognized, vital, and honored. In creating this environment, we have come to believe that respect must be at its nucleus. At IHDI we respect the inherent worth and dignity of each person and strive to treat all with equity and compassion.
     
  • Commitment to Our Clients – At IHDI we are committed to reaching the people who would most benefit from our services. We understand that our clients face challenges in their everyday living, and we are dedicated to providing a hearing dog with the temperament and training required to help provide our clients a renewed sense of independence, safety, and companionship. We pledge to strive to understand their needs and their abilities; to be clear around expectations and honest and open in our communication; to select a dog that has the greatest potential for them, and to remain in partnership with the client and their dog throughout the life of the match.
     
  • Commitment to the Dogs – At IHDI our dogs are the heart of our program. They do not only provide the service of alerting that is critical to our clients' safety and independence, they provide the unconditional acceptance and bond with our clients that often become a motivating catalyst for every area of our clients' lives. Our dogs provide a priceless and challenging service; consequently, we are fully and deeply committed to provide them with the optimum of care and treating them with the dignity and respect in all phases of their lives.
     
  • Service – At IHDI service is the cornerstone of all our practices. We strive to serve with excellence, compassion, and responsiveness to meet the needs of our clients, volunteers, and community members. We hold ourselves to the highest standards. We honor our history while fully realizing that we will never be too large, too old, too accomplished, or too complete to develop greater skill, to seek innovative answers, or to open new doors.
     
  • Safety – At IHDI, safety is a paramount concern. Accident and injury prevention, and ensuring the security of persons and animals, is a foremost priority. Procedures and rules for safety are developed and adhered to and training, supervision, and safety awareness are continually provided. It is unequivocally expected that every person at IHDI place safety first in all actions and activities.
     
  • Stewardship & Accountability – At IHDI we keep faith with the public trust through the efficient, conscientious, and honest use of the resources entrusted to us and are always mindful that our mission is accomplished through the generosity of others. We act with integrity, honesty, and openness and vigilantly fulfill our commitments. We act within the spirit of our agreements, contracts, and the law. We are committed to being fiscally responsible, principled stewards of our resources, and to maintaining sound business practices that are ethical and transparent.
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