The Hearing Dogs for the Deaf charity held a volunteers Fair at their beautiful head office in Buckinghamshire on Saturday 09 April. As I am a brood holding volunteer I attended to help promote their current requirement for additional brood holders, specifically Spaniel broods. The event was fantastic and well attended. The icing on the cake for me however was meeting up with the Stud holder the super Stud (Ed) that my girl (Roo) was mated with back in 2019 along with one of their Valentine's Day 2020 litter, Carlos who has qualified as a Hearing dog and his recipient. A wonderful family reunion as none of us were aware that any of the others would be attending.
Additionally I met the socialisers and carers of another of the litter, C-Jay who has recently qualified and left them to join his deaf recipient and transform their life. A common theme of the questions on the day was one that I posed to them. Namely 'What was it like giving him away?' Their response was that whilst emotional, the joy of knowing the difference he'll make to a deaf person meant that they were more proud than upset.
My girl and the other broods attending gained a lot of attention until a demonstration of what these clever hearing dogs are trained to do. Understandably the fabulous demonstration captured everyone's attention and the obvious fun that the clever dog showed whilst in working mode got everyone smiling.
It was heartening that there were so many people who turned up with great questions demonstrating that they were interested but just needed a few reservations addressed. Things like:
How old would a brood be when they were placed with them?
Well as the charity spends a lot of money and time developing their dogs to ultimately reduce the loneliness and isolation experienced by many Deaf people they undertake a lot of assessments of their puppies (and sometimes externally brought in puppies) to ensure that they have the type of temperament required. Their health and DNA are checked to ensure that they show no health issues and that their hips and physical condition are top notch. This essentially means that it is highly unlikely that a brood would be handed over to a volunteer holder before they are at least a year to 18 months old. As a brood holder this means that the brood you are taking on has been well socialised already and has most likely gained several of the puppy star awards which track their development to a fully qualified hearing dog.
What support can be expected?
Well what a super question to be able to answer on behalf of the charity and the breeding team. Simple answer = All the support you need. The charity in my opinion spares nothing to ensure their dogs' needs are met. This means that quality food is supplied, Veterinary services and costs are covered and when the brood has been mated all required equipment (Whelping box / play pens / disinfectant / blue roll and cleaning supplies etc. etc. etc.) is provided. For my girls' litters I have been overwhelmed with how much equipment was supplied. It's not just food, vet bills and equipment that is covered but the breeding team are available 24/7 during the whelping (birth) and post whelp period. They rely upon the brood holder to advise when the whelp is starting and then attend the birth giving valuable reassurance, expertise and support. As nature normally means that births are during night hours this means that they end up attending in the early hours of the morning, immediately after being told the birth is starting. Regular check ups are made during the time that the brood holder has the pups. Visits are made at key stages such as weening the pups off mum, getting the pups to the vet for their 1st vaccinations and dropping off any additional equipment that may be needed to assist.
What does the charity ask in return?
As the dogs' welfare is the number 1 priority for the charity, a brood holder is expected to ensure that the broods' health is maintained to a high standard. Weight needs to me monitored and clearly time needs to be spent exercising the brood and stimulating them mentally. Regular training sessions are set up at The Grange which aim to ensure the ongoing development of the brood. It is not expected that they achieve the assessment levels of fully qualified hearing dogs but should the brood holder be interested in getting their brood to that level support would be offered.
When the brood is in season then there is a requirement for the brood to be taken to the vets so that tests can be undertaken on her hormone levels which in turn assist the team in ensuring that the mating is undertaken at the optimum time. These tests are likely to be done over several days and once the hormone levels are identified as ideal for mating it is likely that the brood will need to be taken to the National Breeding Centre at The Grange over a couple of days so that the team can oversee the safe mating process.
What happens when the Brood is in season?
Essentially it is a requirement to log the start of the season with the breeding team. This then allows them the opportunity to assess whether they wish to take advantage of the season to arrange a mating. Regardless of whether they advise that the brood should have a rest season or that they plan to carry out a mating it is the brood holders responsibility to ensure that safe exercise is undertaken. This means that lead walking is required. It may mean that the timing of the exercise or the location needs to be altered so as to avoid contact with other dogs - especially full males! As a brood holder for an energetic working Cocker Spaniel this exercise regime is not as enjoyable as our normal routine BUT it is a small price to pay to ensure that her welfare is not compromised. There is the inevitable season discharge to deal with and as a brood holder it is something that comes with the deal. It's advisable to have suitable covers for areas you need to protect (white carpets etc.) but there are diapers products available should these be appropriate. I don't have any experience of them but the breeding team are always happy to advise.
What happens when the Brood is retired?
The breeding team will advise when they decide that they will no longer mate the Brood with one of their Stud dogs. They will give the brood holder the opportunity to take on the brood as their pet dog. Personally I can't see why I wouldn't take advantage of this but should circumstances mean that I couldn't take my girl on as a pet for the rest of her life then the charity would arrange for an alternative home for her.
It wasn't just a fair which was promoting being a brood holding volunteer. There are many volunteer roles that the charity offers. If you are interested in volunteering then please visit https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteer/ to find out more and register your interest. Who knows who you'll be reunited with when you get involved!
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