Jamie and Arthur

For Jamie, losing his hearing was soul-destroying. Feeling trapped, the outside world became intimidating and terrifying. Then, he met his hearing dog, Arthur. Now, Jamie’s days that were once filled with anxiety, are filled with laughter.

Head and shoulders image of a young man with long brown hair looking into the distance with a sad expression

“In 2008, when I was 17, I was diagnosed with a genetic condition called NF2. It causes benign tumours to grow on the nerves in my body, mainly in my inner ears. I lost the hearing in my left ear in 2009. I then had chemotherapy for nine years to try to protect my remaining hearing.

“When I started losing my hearing, I quickly found that people could not be bothered to help me understand them. At the pub, I would end up standing on my own in silence and in the end, I would give up and go home. Slowly, I lost touch with people. They moved on with their lives and I was stuck in the same place.

“In 2020, I had an operation on my right ear and lost 100% of my hearing. But I didn’t just lose my hearing, I lost a part of myself. Becoming profoundly deaf was the most soul-destroying thing to ever happen to me. It felt like I was trapped behind a window. I could see people moving, but I had no idea what was happening.

Silhouette of a person and a dog from the side, the person is crouching down and leaning towards the dog

“I became too anxious and afraid to go outside on my own. The thought that I wouldn’t be able to understand people terrified me. Even answering the door to the postman seemed intimidating. I heavily relied on my parents to alert me to sounds. They now use Sign Supported English and I couldn’t have survived without them.

“A few years after my diagnosis, we saw a hearing dog on The One Show on the BBC. I was amazed – a dog that can help a deaf person just never occurred to me before. As things got worse, I realised that I needed support and companionship. I also thought having a hearing dog would be the perfect way to make my hearing loss clear to everyone.

For the first time in years, I finally feel like myself again.

“When Arthur arrived, I literally jumped for joy as he got out of the car. For the first time in years, I finally feel like myself again. With Arthur, it’s like my head is finally clear. Being paired with such a happy, clever dog has made me feel human again.

“Before Arthur, I was too scared to even pay for something in a shop. Now, we have to say hello to every single dog we see and that means I have to talk to the owners! We’re going on daily walks, just the two of us, talking to strangers and laughing a lot.

A young man with long brown hair is sat on a sofa with his arm around a black and white Spaniel, the man is laughing as he reads a book

“What I love most about Arthur is that he is always so excited to see you – he is just so full of beans! He gets so excited at dinner time and spins around over and over again on the spot – it’s impossible not to smile.

“There is another moment that sticks in my mind: it had been raining and running on wet paws inside made Arthur slide a good six feet across the kitchen. He made me laugh out loud – I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so hard!

“At home, I started to cook as a distraction from my hearing loss and now I do it all the time. Arthur is so good at alerting me to the cooker timer. He is my little assistant who helps me make dinner every night.

“To everyone who made our partnership possible, including the incredible people who sponsored Arthur’s training, I can’t thank you enough.”