This week I have met so many new people out and about, with and without dogs who have stopped me to admire my gorgeous four legged buddy, Roo. I am, like every dog owner of the opinion that I have the best dog. What is lovely about dog ownership is that everyone like me who is convinced their dog is the best is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!
Once a conversation has started, I explain that she is one of the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf dogs and almost without fail I get a confused look or occasionally a 'What's a hearing dog?' response. I may get a few leaflets printed with this link : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001503g so that I can pass them onto those folk who show more signs of interest. It is part of the Nicky Campbell Lifeline series and is a great short explanation regarding the phenomenal impact being partnered with a hearing dog has. It also explains how a donation can be made so who knows it may prompt a donation.
I'm fortunate to also volunteer for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity and as part of my work with them I get to take qualified Guide Dogs out for exercise. The charity calls it 'Free Running'. It is a chance for the dog to let off steam and burn off any pent up energy by being able to run and roam without having to work on guiding their owner. I now ensure that I have Roos' Hearing Dog Family flash on her lead as well as the Guide Dog flash on their lead that I carry around. This means that I can tell the people we meet when they are chasing each other that we're having a 'Service dog' competition and often this enables me to give a little more information regarding the work that Hearing Dogs do - It seems everyone knows what the Guide dog does.
I recommend watching the Nicky Campbell Lifeline program - It's only 9 minutes long but if it is no longer possible to view it on iPlayer then you can still find out more via the charity website.
What does the charity do?
How can I donate?
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