Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a UK charity which trains dogs to alert deaf people - both adults and children - to a variety of sounds at home and in public.
Each hearing dog also helps to bring a visibility to their recipient’s deafness thanks to the burgundy jackets they wear when out in public. Hearing dogs also create a new level of confidence, companionship and independence for a deaf person, who may have previously felt too isolated and vulnerable to leave their home.
Due to increased demand for hearing dogs from deaf people all over the UK (one in six people in the UK has a form of hearing loss), there is a continued need for funds to enable the Charity to increase the number of hearing dogs that can be trained each year. The organization is non-government funded.
The Charity - which was co-founded by vet Dr Bruce Fogle (father of Ben Fogle) - also has its own breeding scheme and since its inception in 1982, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People has placed more than 1,600 hearing dogs. There are currently more than 775 hearing dog partnerships across the UK.