"I love the independence Gerry’s brought me."

Alison was partnered with hearing dog Gerry in 2022. As well as making a huge difference to her confidence, he’s also made her invisible disability - her deafness – more visible.

Alison talks about the time she realised she needed to be more open about her deafness and about the impact Gerry has had on her life.

“I always wanted to be a primary  school teacher, so I was chuffed when I got into university. Once there though, I didn’t want to admit I was deaf, so I didn’t ask for support.

“Things came to a head at a one-to-one with my tutor. After I’d had to ask her to repeat herself several times, she said, “If you can’t follow what I’m saying, how will you be able to teach?”

“My confidence plummeted. I left university and I gave up on my dream of being a teacher.”

After joining the University of Edinburgh as its British Sign Language Officer, Alison moved to be closer to her work.

“I enjoyed the independence of living on my own, but it was quite isolating. When I took off my cochlear implant, I couldn’t hear anything and not being able to hear the smoke alarm made me anxious.

“Since getting Gerry, he’s proved time and again that he’ll tell me if there’s a fire. Earlier this year, I was at a hotel when the fire alarm went off. Gerry immediately nudged me and dropped to the floor to show the danger signal.

“The other important sound he alerts me to is the alarm clock. He was trained to put his paws up on the bed, but I feel like he’s more of a gentleman because he just nudges me gently to say, ‘time to get up’.

“At work, before I had Gerry, whenever I met someone new, I’d have to explain that I was deaf and ask them to face me. Now, people see Gerry’s Hearing Dogs jacket and get my attention before speaking to me.

“Out and about, my hearing loss used to affect my confidence quite badly. For instance, if I caught the train, I would be nervous about asking staff to tell me about important announcements. Now I love the independence Gerry’s brought me. I have more confidence to do things on my own without having to rely on my partner or my mum.

“I can’t put into words the joy he’s brought into our lives. I just love him to bits. I can’t imagine life without him now.”