A day in the life of hearing dog Albert

Matt Sadler

What do hearing dogs do is a question we are often asked, so we followed life-changing hearing dog Albert to see how he helps his deaf partner, Sarah, in a typical day.

Expect sounds, shopping and plenty of playing!

Albert is a cocker spaniel with light coloured fur. he is wearing his hearing dog jacket and looking up with mouth slightly open

07:30 – Wakey, wakey! First I wake up my mum because she can’t hear her alarm clock go off.

Albert is standing at the side of a bed, look intently off camera.

08:00 – Then it’s straight into the garden for a quick sniff around.

Albert is in the garden on the grass with his nose to the ground sniffing

08:30 – The most important meal of the day, it’s breakfast time and sometimes I get so excited that I dance around. I have half in my favourite Kong as I eat too quickly. 

Albert is waiting patiently , looking intently at his blue bowl of breakfast held in front of him.

09:30 – Walkies time… Well I prefer jumping! 

Albert is in mid jump over a large log, his ears flapping out to the side.

09:45 – I’m sure I saw a squirrel up there. 

Albert is standing beside a tree, looking up intently.

10:30 – Off to the shops on the bus and I get to wear my uniform. 

Albert is sitting at a bus stop wearing his burgundy uniform jacket. A road can be seen in the background.

10:40 – I always look up at my mum to make sure she’s okay. 

A close up of Albert's face as he looks up. He is settled on the floor of a bus, still wearing his jacket.

11:15 – We’ve gone food shopping. If I’m good I might get treats. 

Uniformed Albert is standing in a supermarket aisle. Shelves of bread can be seen in the background

11:30 – I’m an expert at walking alongside the trolley.

Albert on a lead looks up at the camera. The wheel of a supermarket trolley can be seen beside him.

12:30 – On the busy bus home, but that doesn’t bother me. 

Albert is lying calmly on a bus, wearing his uniform. He is craning his head back and looking upwards.

13:15 – Yay, I got treats!

Albert is back hame and is standing on all fours with a large bag of treats in his mouth.

14:30 – There’s always time for a spot of sunbathing. 

A close up of Albert's face as he lays, eyes closed and relaxed on grass

16:30 – Walkies time and look at my bouncy ears. 

Albert is running happily through some long grass, and his ears are both flapping high above his head.

18:00 – One of my jobs is to let mum know when the cooker timer goes off and I get lots of treats for doing so. 

Albert is standing on blue carpeted house stairs. A digital cooker timer and a jar of treats are on the step beside him

18:20 – The best time of the day – dinner time! 

Albert is sitting on some wooden flooring gazing up, as someone holds his blue food bowl

18:45 – Must work out how to solve this puzzle. 

Albert is standing on a rug, with a puzzle treat toy in front of him.

19:25 - This toy is bigger than me!

Albert is walking across the grass in the garden, with a very large cuddly toy in his mouth.

20:00 - I have a quick groom and health check every night. I’m so relaxed that I often fall asleep.

Albert is laying on his side while he is brushed

20:20 - One last check of the garden to make sure there are no squirrels. 

It is early evening in the garden and Albert is standing on the grass looking back

20:45 - I always brush my teeth with doggy toothpaste before bed.

Albert is shown having his teeth brushed

21:00 – I’m dreaming about squirrels and tomorrow’s adventures. 

A very sleepy Albert is snuggled in his fluffy grey dog bed

About the author

Hi everyone, I'm Matt and I look after the charity's social media, blog and e-newsletter.

I spend a lot of my day talking about our hearing dog superstars - it's a hard life!

Matt Sadler