To celebrate Hearing Dogs Week 2011, Hearing Dogs for Deaf people is for the first-time ever inviting the British public to nominate hearing dogs that are transforming the lives of deaf recipients all over the UK for an inspirational Hearing Dog of the Year Award.
Supported by celebrities such as Ben Fogle, Tim Vincent, Matt Baker, Kate Humble and Pam St Clement, the Charity currently has over 750 working hearing dogs in the UK transforming lives of isolation and loneliness into lives of independence, confidence and security by training dogs to alert deaf people to important household sounds and danger signals such as the alarm clock, doorbell and smoke alarm in the home, at work and in public buildings. 
The public can nominate hearing dogs that they know, perhaps through family, friends or work colleagues, for one of three special awards; Life-changing, Heroic or Team/Dual-purpose Hearing Dogs of the Year. This year is the first time the Team/Dual-purpose award has been included and this category will be sure to celebrate some amazing partnerships that have been formed through this very special area of the Charity’s work with children and people with additional disabilities such as dual-trained hearing/guide dogs for deaf-blind people.
Life-changing category: for hearing dogs that have completely transformed the lives of their recipients, bringing independence, confidence, security and companionship Heroic category: for hearing dogs that have gone above and beyond the call of duty and potentially saved someone’s life or averted a dangerous situation
Team/dual-purpose: for specially trained Team hearing dogs placed with deaf children within hearing families and Dual-purpose hearing dogs that are trained to perform the dual role of another assistance dog to meet the needs of people with additional disabilities such as a dual hearing-guide dog for a deaf-blind person.
Click here to enter a Nomination
Says Ben Fogle, celebrity supporter of the Hearing Dog of the Year Awards: “I hope as many people as possible will set about nominating hearing dogs they know for one of these inspirational national awards.The life-changing work that they do in alerting their deaf recipients to sounds, and the emotional and therapeutic benefits of the companionship they offer, provide such valuable independence and confidence as well as an extra sense of security.”
Tim Vincent added: “I have been bowled over by the life-transforming difference that this charity and their inspirational hearing dogs make to the lives of people with hearing loss. The work that the dogs do in alerting their recipients to sounds and also the emotional and therapeutic benefits of the companionship they offer provide such valuable independence and confidence – as well as a extra sense of security. 
Last year’s awards night was so moving and truly inspiring and I am looking forward to another amazing night celebrating the work of the Charity.”
Ian Ford, Chief Executive of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, says: “The Hearing Dog of the Year Awards recognise the truly life-changing difference that hearing dogs make to the lives of people with hearing loss. We are delighted to be opening up nominations for the awards to the general public and hope that they will respond by telling us about the amazing difference that hearing dogs all over the UK are making to the lives of their friends, family or perhaps work colleagues.”
Nominations for the Hearing Dog of the Year awards close on Friday 22nd July 2011. A panel of celebrity judges will decide upon the winners and runners-up of each category ahead of a star-studded awards presentation night in London in October, sponsored by Specsavers Hearing Centres and Royal Canin.
