They train dogs to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds they would otherwise miss –  sounds that many people take for granted like the doorbell, alarm clock and even danger signals like the fire alarm. Being aware of these – thanks to a hearing dog – makes a real difference to deaf people’s lives, and can even save them. 

Jo has been a volunteer for hearing dogs for 2 1/2 years and she tells her story of training two hearing dogs, a wonderful Labrador  called Ellie who went to her recipient in November and a gorgeous cockerpoo called Vanilla who Jo has just started training.