Teddy’s Guide to Testing Trevor’s Roger On
Hello everyone. Teddy here.
You may have seen me around the clinic. I am one of the official greeters, professional tail-wagger and – alongside my colleague Buddy – a key member of the angli-EAR Hearing welcome committee. Buddy also holds the title of Chief Supervisor, which mainly involves watching things from the most comfortable spot in the room.
What you may not know is that Buddy and I have a second job at home.
Trevor sometimes wears a small microphone called Roger On, which connects to his hearing aids to help him hear conversations more clearly in difficult listening situations. As two enthusiastic golden retrievers, Buddy and I consider it our professional duty to provide as many difficult listening situations as possible.
We take this responsibility very seriously.
The Kitchen Test
The kitchen is one of our most important research environments.
Oomans think kitchens are for cooking and conversation. Buddy and I understand that they are also excellent generators of background noise – footsteps, cupboards, the kettle, and the gentle sound of two dogs positioning themselves hopefully near the biscuit tin.
Despite all of this, the Roger On microphone helps Trevor hear the person speaking clearly above everything else. We find this remarkable, though we have noticed it does nothing to improve the speed at which biscuits are dispensed. Further testing required.
The Across-the-Room Test
This test takes place when Trevor is on the sofa and someone is speaking from the other side of the room.
Without the Roger On, this is usually the moment when Trevor says “sorry, what was that?” Without the Roger On, this happens quite a lot.
With the microphone placed near the person speaking, Trevor can follow the conversation easily – even from across the room. Buddy and I observe these sessions carefully. We are excellent listeners ourselves, particularly when the word “walk” is involved.
The Table Conversation Test
Sometimes several humans talk around the table at the same time, which they seem to enjoy despite the fact that nobody can hear anyone properly.
When the Roger On microphone sits in the middle of the table, Trevor can follow the conversation even when people are speaking from different directions at once. Buddy and I supervise these sessions from floor level, which also happens to be the optimal position for catching anything that falls off the table. This is not relevant to the testing. We simply like to be thorough.
The Garden Test – Special Easter Mission.
Spring has arrived, and this weekend the garden will be busier than usual.
There will be family, outdoor conversation, the distant sound of children hunting for Easter eggs, and – if previous years are anything to go by – at least one moment where someone shouts something important from the other end of the garden and nobody quite catches it.
The Roger On microphone is particularly useful in exactly these situations. Background noise, distance, multiple conversations happening at once – it helps Trevor follow what is being said even when everything else is competing for attention.
Buddy and I will also be conducting our own search of the garden this Easter. We have been told the eggs are chocolate and therefore not for dogs. We remain unconvinced that this policy is entirely fair, and intend to launch a formal review.
Teddy’s Final Thoughts
Anything that helps humans hear better is, from a dog’s perspective, an excellent development.
Clearer conversations mean fewer misunderstandings. Fewer misunderstandings mean a calmer, happier household. And a calmer, happier household means that very important words – “walk,” “dinner,” “treat” and “good boy” – are far less likely to be missed.
Buddy and I will of course continue our testing programme. Standards must be maintained.
Happy Easter from both of us.
Teddy (Senior Research Consultant and Biscuit Quality Analyst, angli-EAR Hearing)
From the angli-EAR Hearing team: Roger On is designed to help hearing aid users follow speech more clearly in challenging listening situations – whether that’s background noise, group conversation or hearing someone from across the room. If you’d like to know more about Roger technology, just ask us at your next visit. And from everyone at angli-EAR Hearing, we wish you a very Happy Easter!
