Here we show just how special all of our hearing dogs are: "Thelma’s devotion to duty in making me aware of sounds is just great, and my confidence and quality of life is growing day by day. She has many friends in our local supermarket, and now people stop me to talk to me about her and what she can do. We have even now been on holiday: this would have been unthinkable in the past, and is all down to Thelma giving me back confidence to enjoy life again."
Chris Goard and hearing dog Thelma
Hearing Dog of the Month
Each month a dog is chosen to be 'Dog of the Month' - all of our dogs are special in so many ways. These are just a few of our hearing dogs who have provided love and support to their owners.
February 2010
Name: Foggy Breed: Mongrel
25 year old Simon Moore was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a condition which causes facial disfigurement and severe hearing loss. In Simon's case, he has no ears and was born profoundly deaf, meaning that he has to use a hearing aid all the time. He also suffers from severe Sleep Apnoea, which means he can fall asleep anywhere, making travelling alone impossible. This all changed when he was partnered with this hearing dog Foggy.
Simon explains "With having no ears, which is common with TCS, normal hearing aids were out of the question. I went on to have a Bone Conduction Hearing Aid, anything that makes a sound behind me or to the side of me, that's when I find it difficult."
"The main and obvious thing was the fact that I take off my hearing aid when I'm in the bath or when I'm sleeping at night. But I have to say the biggest problem I had before I got my dog was my health issues. I have severe Sleep Apnoea and before I got Foggy I would never think about travelling anywhere without having someone travel with me as I often fall asleep on journeys."
Foggy has completely turned around Simon's reluctance to travel alone. "I work as a BSL (British Sign Language) tutor and so I get to travel quite a bit and get to meet lots of people. I now travel by train at least three times a week and I'm on buses more often than that. Foggy has really made me more independent and I can't thank him enough."
As someone with a facial disfigurement Simon says "I've always had people looking at me and staring, but anyone with a facial disfigurement will say the same. It never bothers me. I look different, you get used to it. But ever since I got Foggy we share the looks from people. I still get people stare at me but Foggy also gets his share of people looking at him, whether it's because they've never seen a hearing dog before or they're just surprised to see a dog inside a shop or restaurant."
Simon is now the Chairman of the Norwich and Distract Fundraising Branch of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and so has met many other deaf people with hearing dogs. He also does a lot of work at his local Deaf Community Centre. He says Foggy is like a mascot there, and everybody is always glad to see him. Simon says "Foggy has really changed my life! I'm a lot more independent and active. I have a great social life now thanks to him, all because when he's with me I have no problems travelling."