"I feel so much safer and more confident with Rosie"

“When I began to lose my hearing in my 20’s, it made life with my young sons very difficult. When they were babies, I couldn’t hear them crying. And when they were little, one of the boys managed to open the garden gate and went running down the road. That really scared me because I hadn’t even heard it open.

“When my hearing deteriorated even more, my husband Gerry told me he was reluctant to leave the house. He didn’t like leaving me on my own because I would get anxious – I’d think I’d heard the telephone ring and I’d call him asking if he’d phoned me, but he hadn’t.

“I often felt intimidated when I went out too. Once, I’d bought my shopping in M&S and was looking down at my bill when a lady came up behind me. She’d probably asked me to move, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying, all I could see was her shouting at me.

“As my hearing loss got worse, life became increasingly difficult. I’m a friendly person - I like talking to people, and I thought that if I couldn’t communicate with anyone, what was the point.

“It was a nurse from the Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service who suggest I apply for a hearing dog and Rosie came to live with us in 2022.

“Before, I didn’t like being left on my own at home. I’d get anxious, imagining I’d heard the doorbell but finding no one there. Now I know that unless Rosie tells me, there’s no one at the door.

“If the smoke alarm goes off, she drops her belly to the ground, showing me the ‘danger’ alert. I feel so much safer and more confident with her.“I’ve also found the confidence to begin using public transport on my own. That was a big step for me. To start with, I’d catch the bus into town with Gerry, and now I go on my own. I would never have done that before Rosie.

“She makes every day an adventure and she’s there for me all the time. I’m more confident, so much happier, and more content. She is my best friend.”