About Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

The below information and more can be found at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People website

We train hearing dogs who transform deaf people’s lives

Hi, we’re Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. If you’ve come to this page you probably want to know a little bit more about what we do – and we’re really excited to tell you.

There are lots of inspirational stories and photos on this site which you can explore at your leisure, but here are the 8 most important things you might like to know.

1. We train clever dogs to help deaf people

That’s what we do in a nutshell – we train dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss –  sounds that many people take for granted like the doorbell, alarm clock and even danger signals like the fire alarm. Being aware of these – thanks to a hearing dog – makes a real difference to deaf people’s lives, and can even save them. 

2. Hearing dogs help deaf people reconnect with life 

But our clever canines do so much more than alert their recipient to sounds.

Deafness can be a very isolating disability. A hearing dog can give a deaf person a newfound sense of independence and confidence now they have a loyal companion and a true friend by their side.

3. Our dogs have even saved lives

As if this wasn’t enough – hearing dogs have saved countless lives in their important role; fire alarms sounding at the dead of night, alerting them to the shouts of a loved one who is in peril, even saving their deaf partners from potential car thieves!

Dogs are known for their loyalty and love – and we see these valuable traits in a hearing dog every day.

4. We’ve helped thousands of deaf people so far, and we aim to help many more

We have matched thousands of our adorable dogs with deaf people since our humble beginnings in 1982. At the moment, we have almost 1,000 working hearing dog partnerships across the UK.

When a hearing dog retires at about the age of 11, their deaf partner is able to reapply for a new dog – and a lot of them keep their former hearing dogs as pets!

Many of our deaf partners are keen to continue life with a hearing dog, but in some cases other types of personalised support may be more suitable, so we will always talk to people about the other ways we can help.

The cost to train and support each hearing dog throughout their lifetime is £40,000 – so we rely heavily on our amazing supporters to help us change lives. It really is all down to people like you, who give up time, effort and money to help us create many life-changing partnerships. But there are still so many deaf people whom we can help.

5. We put a lot of time and thought into matching a hearing dog with a deaf person

A hearing dog and their deaf partner need to be carefully matched to ensure the partnership will work well.

So many little things need to be taken into consideration – for example, we wouldn’t match a bouncy, bubbly Labrador with a 70-year-old lady with mobility problems. But that Labrador would make a great companion for a fit 35-year-old who loves going out jogging every morning.

We take these important lifestyle factors very seriously to ensure we make the right match. 

6. Our staff and volunteers are really passionate

We are so passionate about training these amazing animals, and it’s a real team effort. And everyone in the Hearing Dogs family has an important part to play. 

7. We have a free e-newsletter that we send to 27,000 of our friends

You could get to know us better by having a look around our website. Or we can send you the best stories, videos and photos to save you time. Our free monthly e-newsletter is received by over 27,000 of our Hearing Dogs friends. It would be great if you joined, too.

8. You can help us change even more lives – and it’s really easy

If you would like to get involved, here are three simple ways you can help.

The above information and more can be found at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

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