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.
Choose another Hearing Dog of the Month
February 2008
Name: Bumble Breed: Labrador
Bumble is a three year old black Labrador that was donated to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People when he was a young puppy along with his three siblings. In December 2005, when he was 15 months old, he was placed with severely deaf Jill Roach in Kent.
Jill had been suffering from hearing loss since having chicken pox as a child, but coped reasonably well until she was in her 20s. After developing serious problems with her ears - which caused poor balance and bouts of unconsciousness - and contracting septicaemia, she had to have her right ear removed. Further operations resulted in her becoming severely deaf. Jill takes up the story: “I had thought long and hard about how things would be after my operation, but nothing really prepared me for what was to come. I had always been so very independent, living on my own. Like so many of us I took so much for granted. I never imagined what it would be like not to be ‘normal’.
“The reality of life after the operation was vastly different. Not hearing what is going on around you makes you feel very vulnerable. I soon stopped going out for walks because I had no idea what was happening around me. I couldn’t hear people saying ‘Excuse me’ in the shops so I’d either be pushed out the way or rammed in the legs with a trolley. I wasn’t being ignorant, or rude, I just couldn’t hear them. Deafness is such an invisible disability it’s hard for people to know. So I became a recluse. However, staying at home had its own problems. I couldn’t hear the doorbell, the telephone, the alarm. What if the smoke alarm went off…..?”
Fortunately Jill’s brother told her about Hearing Dogs, and after many months of waiting, Bumble was finally placed with her. From the minute they initially met, Jill knew that Bumble was going to change her life, but she did not realise it would be in so many ways. “My life is now wonderful again. I no longer hide away at home and rely on other people. With Bumble by my side I have the confidence to go out shopping and walking. I’m happy in my home knowing that Bumble will let me know what is going on, when someone comes to the door, when dinner is ready and I even don’t mind when he wakes me each morning when the alarm goes off! He’s always so happy to tell me and it’s a pleasure having him.”
Jill works for the police and Bumble has a big role to play there too. Jill explains: “Bumble comes to work every day and is the star of the station! He tells me about the fire alarm, and if I'm ever in the office on my own and have a problem, he can go and fetch someone for me. Oh, and he helps me jump the queue in the canteen as the staff up there love him and want to fuss him!”
Just how Bumble has changed Jill’s life is immeasurable in terms of confidence and independence. Jill sums up what he means to her: “Having Bumble has changed my life for the better. I’m not frightened by new challenges and once again live the life I did prior to my disability having taken hold. Without Bumble my silent world would be a much more miserable place.”