Episode 9:

Oscar is a hearing dog!

Posted by Elizabeth Murphy

Chocolate roan spaniel sitting on grass wearing hearing dogs jacket
Oscar made it, he’s a hearing dog!

He did it! With your amazing sponsorship, Oscar has grown from a little pup into a qualified assistance dog. Now, he’s supporting his deaf partner, Gary, to feel confident and in control, wherever he goes.
 

Man sitting on grass next to chocolate roan spaniel hearing dog

Gary shared, “I was born deaf due to rubella, so have been profoundly deaf all my life with a little residual hearing. However, in my late 40s, I started to realise that I was not picking out conversations very well.

“I started to find life a bit depressing. I became more reliant on my family to do simple things like answering the door or cooking. As my hearing gradually got worse, my confidence went downhill and I found myself turning down social events. I was no longer in control of my life.

“Oscar has restored my sense of control”

“Despite having had a cochlear implant* fitted two years ago, which was life-changing, my deafness was still impacting my independence and confidence in certain areas of my life.

Illustration of cochlear implant

*Cochlear implant – a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who has a severe or profound hearing loss. It turns sounds into electrical signals that travel through a part of the ear called the cochlea, and through the auditory nerve to the brain. The deaf person’s brain then interprets these signals as sound.

“I work in London in a big office environment. I did not speak up in meetings because I could not understand 80 per cent of what was being said. I would spend all the time worrying about whether someone was going to ask me something. I became an introvert, which wasn’t really my original persona.

“I knew that a hearing dog could be the final jigsaw piece to bring all the parts of my life together. Oscar has been one of the best life decisions that my family and I have made. My only regret is not applying sooner!