York man's new-found independence thanks to hearing dog

Robin Mills’s hearing dog, Spirit, has been trained with help from First TransPennine Express which boosts the charity’s programme by providing free railway passes for dogs and their handlers.

The hearing dogs are taught to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals including alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke alarms and fire bells, and help their owners navigate public places. Getting used to public transport is a crucial part of their training.

First TransPennine Express got involved with the charity five years ago and annually donates travel passes so trainers can introduce dogs to trains with no cost to the charity, and help them travel across the North of England.

For Robin, having his hearing dog means he can now go out confidently on his own, and strangers can easily see he is deaf when he has Spirit in her assistance dog coat by his side.

Now the charity is appealing for more people to become puppy socialisers.

Rebekah Barr is head of training at the Beatrice Wright Centre in Bielby. She said: “Our hearing dogs are highly trained to change the life of a deaf person, as not only do they alert to important sounds, they also provide increased confidence and independence.

“We are always looking for new volunteers in the local area, so whether you socialise a puppy, provide one of our dogs in training with bed and breakfast or join in one of our fundraising events, your support is invaluable to the charity.”

Each puppy spends about 18 months in training – the first year with a volunteer socialiser and the final 18 weeks at the centre in Bielby learning the specialised skills they need.

The team needs people to act as “B&B” volunteers — which means busy families or working people can look after one of the trainee hearing dogs at home on weeknights and weekends, but drop the dogs off at the Bielby centre every morning.

For details visit hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteering or phone 01844 348100.