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If you’ve entered or are thinking of entering Strutt Your Mutt Charity Walks and getting sponsorship you probably would like to know a little bit more about this wonderful charity.

There are lots of inspirational stories and photos on their website https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk which you can explore at your leisure, but here are the 5 most important things you might like to know.

  1. Train clever dogs to help deaf people
    In a nutshell, that’s what they do - train dogs to alert deaf people to sounds they would otherwise miss – simple 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.
  2. Hearing dogs bring independence, confidence and companionship

    But our clever canines do so much more than alert their recipient to sounds.

    Deafness can be a very isolating disability. A hearing dog can give a deaf person a newfound sense of independence and confidence now they have a loyal companion and a true friend by their side.
  3. Hearing dogs have even saved lives

    As if this wasn’t enough – hearing dogs have saved countless lives in their important role; fire alarms sounding at the dead of night, alerting them to the shouts of a loved one who is in peril, even saving their recipients from potential car thieves!

    Dogs are known for their loyalty and love – valuable traits seen in a hearing dog every day.

  4. We’ve helped thousands of deaf people so far, and we aim to help many more

    Thousands of dogs have already been matched with deaf recipients since 1982. Currently there are over 900 working hearing dog partnerships across the UK.

    The charity makes sure that, once a deaf person has been matched with a hearing dog,they are guaranteed a hearing dog for life. So when their first hearing dog retires at about the age of 11, they will be soon partnered with a new dog – and a lot of them keep their former hearing dogs as pets!

    The cost to train and support each hearing dog throughout their lifetime is £40,000 – so they rely heavily on supporters like us to enable them to help change lives. It really is all down to people like us and you, to help them create these many life-changing partnerships and there are still so many deaf people whom need help.

  5. Matching a hearing dog and a deaf person is practically an art form

    A hearing dog and their deaf recipient need to be carefully matched to ensure the partnership will work well.

    So many little things need to be taken into consideration – for example, we wouldn’t match a bouncy, bubbly Labrador with a 70-year-old lady with mobility problems. But that Labrador would make a great companion for a fit 35-year-old who loves going out jogging every morning.

    These important lifestyle factors are taken very seriously to ensure the right match is made.