Southport & District Fundraising Branch 

Hearing Dogs
Deafness can be an isolating and lonely disability, but a hearing dog can provide practical assistance as an alternative to using technical equipment.

A hearing dog is trained to alert its owner to a variety of sounds, including:

telephone
doorbell
cooker/microwave timers
alarm clock

On hearing these sounds, a hearing dog will touch its owner with its paw and the owner will then ask "What is it?". The dog will then take its owner to the source of the sound.

The only time the dog will not take their owner to the source of the sound is when danger sounds such as the following occur:

burglar alarm
smoke alarm

When a hearing dog hears any of these emergency sounds, they touch their owner with their paw and then lie down to indicate danger.

About 75% of hearing dogs come from rescue centres. This means not only are they assisting a deaf person, but a home is found for unwanted dogs.

The dogs come in all shapes and sizes. They are easily recognised by their burgundy jacket.

Click here to read about the Hearing Dog of the Month.