Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity involved in training hearing dogs to alert deaf people to everyday household sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and in public buildings.
Hearing dogs alert their deaf recipients to household sounds by touching them with a paw or nudging with a nose to gain attention. The recipient then asks the dog 'what is it?' by voice and/or hand command and then the hearing dog leads the recipient to the source of the sound. For danger signals such as the smoke alarm, the hearing dog will alert the recipient in the same way, but when asked 'what is it?' the dog will lie down to indicate danger.
Five key points about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People:
- Hearing dogs are provided to deaf people at no charge.
- The Charity receives no government funding. We rely on the generosity of individuals, groups, companies and other organisations.
- Each dog is trained to the specific needs of the deaf individual they have been matched to, creating a life-changing partnership.
- The breeding, training, placement and life-long care of each hearing dog costs around £45,000.
- It takes 12-14 months for a puppy to complete its socialising training and a further 16-18 weeks for a dog to complete soundwork training.