Sponsor Gatsby and transform a deaf person's life

Labrador puppy on a grey blanket with a pink and yellow doughnut toy, plants in the background.

Sponsor this cute Labrador from just £5 a month and you’ll receive a fantastic welcome pack, printed updates throughout his training journey, and exclusive Pupdates in our Puppy Pen blog. You will also be helping people to live well with hearing loss.

Sponsor Gatsby from £5 a month

Labrador puppy on a gray blanket with a donut toy and plants in the background.

Indoor Labrador Retriever puppy near dog bed and colourful toys, facing camera against gray paneled wall.

Labrador puppy wearing a burgundy 'Hearing Dogs for Deaf People' vest, standing on grass with a blurred background.

Labrador puppy standing on grass with fallen leaves, in a garden with a house and trees in the background.

Labrador puppy sitting on the floor in front of a grey panelling, looking slightly off to the side

A Labrador puppy is crouched down with its nose to the ground in a playful pose.

Labrador puppy walking on grass with one paw raised. He looks curious about something ahead of him.

Labrador puppy running on a grassy field with one paw raised mid run and ears flapping, leaves scattered on the grass and background blurred.

Sponsor Gatsby: A warm-hearted and cuddly friend

Say hello to the great Gatsby! Forming new friendships wherever he goes, this gorgeous golden Labrador loves a fuss and greets each new day with delight. Exploring the world with his big puppy paws, Gatsby is the very essence of ‘a good boy’. What’s more, he’s been given the green light to begin his training towards changing a deaf person’s life.

A dream day for this sweet pup starts with a morning snuggle, followed by playtime with his favourite people and greeting some new pals in the park. And let’s not forget Gatsby’s unique hobby of exploring his favourite cardboard box!

His Volunteer Dog Trainers, Sue and Steve, have noticed that it’s not just Gatsby’s confidence that is growing every day… “It’s amazing how tall he’s getting,” said Sue. “It’s like when you plant a seed in the garden and the following morning think ‘Oh wow, that’s grown a bit.” Aim high and reach for the sky, Gatsby!

After an exciting day, gentle Gatsby rests his long legs in his comfy bed alongside his favourite duck toy. This cosy canine companion will support his future deaf partner to find joy and connection, every day

Sponsor Gatsby from £5 a month

A man wearing a shorts and blue tshirt is sitting on porch steps with a white cockapoo dog — Peter and his hearing dog Arya

How your puppy sponsorship will help

You'll help a puppy become a life-changing hearing dog. They'll stop a deaf person feeling isolated and alone, and alert them to sounds they can't hear including the doorbell and the fire alarm.

Start your Puppy Sponsorship

Very small fluffy white Spaniel puppy with light brown ears holding a soft toy duck in her mouth in a room with a dog bed and some other toys in the background

Sponsor for £5 a month

£5 a month could pay for lots of yummy treats and exciting toys to reward your clever puppy during their training.

Young black Labrador looking to the left with a small hurdle and some cones in front of her and a person to the left, only their legs are visible.

Sponsor for £8 a month

£8 a month could pay for fun puppy classes that help your pup on their journey to become a hearing dog.

Woman in Hearing Dogs burgundy jacket in bed in room with a dog on the bed in front of her laying down but looking alertly at the women

Sponsor for £12 a month

£12 a month could teach your puppy how to alert a deaf person to life-saving sounds, such as the smoke alarm.

Training progress: Gatsby’s going to puppy class!

Gatsby has been putting his best paw forwards in his early training. As well learning core skills like walking nicely on the lead, he’s been having lots of fun at his regular puppy classes. Recently, he’s been practising being handled by his trainers whilst sitting nicely on his mat. This is great practice for having his paws, ears and tummy checked over when he visits the vets. So far, nothing seems to phase our laid-back boy!

Will his duck remain as Gatsby’s favourite toy? How long will this Labrador’s legs become? And which deaf person will he grow up to support? Sponsor Gatsby today to find out!

Sponsor Gatsby from £5 a month

1. How do I sponsor a puppy?

2. What do sponsors receive? How do they follow puppy’s progress?

All sponsors receive a fantastic welcome pack, which includes a certificate, car sticker and postcards of their puppy. You'll also receive a cuddly puppy toy, notepad and pen.

From then on, we send regular updates on how your puppy is doing, either printed or, if requested, by email. We publish training updates roughly every five to six months, depending on how quickly the puppy goes through training. On average, across the 18-24 months of a puppy’s training, this means four updates.

The updates show, through beautiful photos, how your puppy is getting on, with comments from the people involved with his or her training. The full set of updates goes right the way through training and then introduces you to the deaf person your puppy is helping on a daily basis (if they have given us permission to do so).

In between full updates, we also publish ‘Pupdates’ (see what we did there?) in the online Puppy Pen every two months, showing what a fun life your puppy is having as he or she learns about the world. When we do this, we also email our sponsors to tell them there’s a new Pupdate.

So, you'll see the progress you have made possible. You can also celebrate the outcome, when your puppy is partnered with a deaf person and helps them to live well with hearing loss.

3. Can I sponsor as a gift?

Yes! Sponsorship makes a great gift for both children and adults.

To do this, go to the sponsor page and choose ‘it’s a gift’ under ‘Who is this sponsorship for?’. You can also choose whether to have the welcome pack sent to you, or directly to the gift receiver.

It generally takes around 10 working days for welcome packs to be despatched. If you don’t manage to order in time but you want to be sure you have something on that special day, you can download our print-at-home certificate in one of two ways:

If you sponsored online, you will be emailed a link to download your sponsorship certificate as soon as your sponsorship is set up. If your email doesn’t arrive, then please check your junk/spam folder.

If you have sponsored via a manual form, then please phone us on 01844 340734 or email us at sponsorapuppy@hearingdogs.org.uk and we will email a certificate through.

4. What happens when my puppy graduates?

When the puppy’s training journey ends and he or she is matched with a deaf person, we transfer the sponsorship automatically to a new puppy if you paid by Direct Debit or a monthly PayPal donation. You can of course choose not to follow your new puppy and cancel your regular donation if you wish by contacting us. If you paid as a one-off, we ask if you’d like to sponsor another puppy.

We do this with a letter or email at the same time as your final update, in which you get to see the result of your support. We also show you lovely photos of the new puppy. It’s a very exciting time, as one journey ends and another begins!

5. Why do you have minimum amounts?

As a well-run charity we try to be as efficient and effective as possible in everything we do. However, there are certain limits below which we would simply lose money on each sponsorship. The amounts we ask for mean that, after costs are considered, sufficient money goes towards helping a sponsor puppy through its training and helping a deaf person live well with hearing loss.

Sponsor Gatsby and transform a deaf person's life

Sponsor Gatsby: A warm-hearted and cuddly friend

How your puppy sponsorship will help

Sponsor for £5 a month

Sponsor for £8 a month

Sponsor for £12 a month

Training progress: Gatsby’s going to puppy class!

General sponsorship FAQs

1. How do I sponsor a puppy?

2. What do sponsors receive? How do they follow puppy’s progress?

3. Can I sponsor as a gift?

4. What happens when my puppy graduates?

5. Why do you have minimum amounts?