A helping paw
I’ve always wanted to work with animals. I used to work for the police service, where I helped victims of crime and I am passionate about improving people’s quality of life. Before I worked for Hearing Dogs, I was a volunteer and was fascinated by these amazing animals.
The best part of my job is being alongside dogs every day, in the knowledge that each one will go on to change a deaf person’s life. The worst part is saying goodbye to the ones that you’ve spent so much time with.
Each potential hearing dog will live with a volunteer puppy socialiser for the first 12 to 16 months of their life, to get basic obedience training. That dog will then return to one of two Hearing Dogs national training centres of excellence in Yorkshire or Buckinghamshire, where they will undertake an advanced soundwork training course.
As one of the Hearing Dog trainers, I help to teach each dog how to alert their owner to important sounds, such as the doorbell, telephone, alarm clock and smoke and fire alarms. It usually takes between 16 to 18 weeks for a hearing dog to complete their soundwork training. Once qualified, it will be partnered with a deaf person and will change that person’s life.
It’s not just adults who are given hearing dogs. Our hearing dogs-for-deaf-children scheme has been an outstanding success since the pilot was launched in 2008. Parents tell us that one of the biggest problems faced by deaf children is that they cannot sleep throughout the night. It can be extremely frightening after dark for a child who can’t hear any background noise – they don’t have the distant sound of television or parents talking downstairs for comfort.
Every parent I have met who has a deaf child has said that their child has had trouble sleeping, which has gone on to affect their behaviour and school work. But hearing dogs help hugely, often solving the problem of their sleeplessness straight away. This shows that not only do hearing dogs provide practical support, but they also offer comfort, security and companionship.
Hearing Dogs was founded in 1982, so we’ve been training dogs for deaf people for more than 30 years. Over that time, we have learnt which breeds are most receptive to soundwork training, and also the attributes needed to become a fully qualified hearing dog.
Poodles, cocker spaniels, Labradors and retrievers all make exceptional hearing dogs, as well as poodles crossed with cocker spaniels. We also have our own Kennel Club-accredited breeding scheme to ensure that all of our puppies are of the highest standard.
We match the characteristics of the dog to that of the recipient. We also consider the environment, such as a city or rural location. Each person who receives the gift [recipients are not charged] of a hearing dog will be able to state their preference for a large or a small dog, and we ensure that both the dog and person are happy with the partnership. In most cases, it’s love at first sight. It’s such a heart-warming feeling to see each dog create a bond with its new owner, and knowing how big a difference that dog will make to a human life. It’s the most rewarding job.
Hearing Dogs For Deaf People: 01844-348100, www.hearingdogs.org.uk
The best part of my job is being alongside dogs every day, in the knowledge that each one will go on to change a deaf person’s life. The worst part is saying goodbye to the ones that you’ve spent so much time with.
Each potential hearing dog will live with a volunteer puppy socialiser for the first 12 to 16 months of their life, to get basic obedience training. That dog will then return to one of two Hearing Dogs national training centres of excellence in Yorkshire or Buckinghamshire, where they will undertake an advanced soundwork training course.
As one of the Hearing Dog trainers, I help to teach each dog how to alert their owner to important sounds, such as the doorbell, telephone, alarm clock and smoke and fire alarms. It usually takes between 16 to 18 weeks for a hearing dog to complete their soundwork training. Once qualified, it will be partnered with a deaf person and will change that person’s life.
It’s not just adults who are given hearing dogs. Our hearing dogs-for-deaf-children scheme has been an outstanding success since the pilot was launched in 2008. Parents tell us that one of the biggest problems faced by deaf children is that they cannot sleep throughout the night. It can be extremely frightening after dark for a child who can’t hear any background noise – they don’t have the distant sound of television or parents talking downstairs for comfort.
Every parent I have met who has a deaf child has said that their child has had trouble sleeping, which has gone on to affect their behaviour and school work. But hearing dogs help hugely, often solving the problem of their sleeplessness straight away. This shows that not only do hearing dogs provide practical support, but they also offer comfort, security and companionship.
Hearing Dogs was founded in 1982, so we’ve been training dogs for deaf people for more than 30 years. Over that time, we have learnt which breeds are most receptive to soundwork training, and also the attributes needed to become a fully qualified hearing dog.
Poodles, cocker spaniels, Labradors and retrievers all make exceptional hearing dogs, as well as poodles crossed with cocker spaniels. We also have our own Kennel Club-accredited breeding scheme to ensure that all of our puppies are of the highest standard.
We match the characteristics of the dog to that of the recipient. We also consider the environment, such as a city or rural location. Each person who receives the gift [recipients are not charged] of a hearing dog will be able to state their preference for a large or a small dog, and we ensure that both the dog and person are happy with the partnership. In most cases, it’s love at first sight. It’s such a heart-warming feeling to see each dog create a bond with its new owner, and knowing how big a difference that dog will make to a human life. It’s the most rewarding job.
Hearing Dogs For Deaf People: 01844-348100, www.hearingdogs.org.uk
Hearing dogs in numbers
- Hearing Dogs For Deaf People currently has more than 850 hearing dogs placed with deaf people in the UK. Since 1982 it has created over 1,920 partnerships.
- The charity offers a lifetime commitment to each partnership, which costs around £45,000.
- One in six people in the UK has some form of hearing loss, and the demand for hearing dogs is increasing. As a charity, we receive no government funding and rely solely on public donations to continue our life-changing work.