Sunderland dog lovers needed to take home a puppy

Dog lovers in Sunderland are being given the chance to change someone's life by volunteering to train hearing dog puppies.
A litter of hearing dog puppies.A litter of hearing dog puppies.
A litter of hearing dog puppies.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity that trains dogs to alert deaf people to important and even life-saving sounds.

It has launched an urgent appeal for volunteers to help train and socialise hearing dog puppies.

Hearing dog puppy Rio.Hearing dog puppy Rio.
Hearing dog puppy Rio.
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The charity has seen an influx of hearing dog puppies born during the summer that need to be placed in homes for 14-16 months from this autumn, so that they experience all the sights and sounds they will regularly come across as working hearing dogs.

There is currently a shortage of volunteers in Sunderland which means that the charity is not able to train as many life-changing dogs as it could until homes for the puppies have been found.

There are currently 10 working hearing dogs already changing the lives of deaf people in the North East, and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is dedicated to increasing this number, but needs help.

Victoria Leedham, volunteering manager at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “It’s definitely been a summer of love at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and as a result we have experienced a summer puppy boom.

Hearing dog puppy Ortis.Hearing dog puppy Ortis.
Hearing dog puppy Ortis.
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“This means we now have lots of cute little life-changers that are looking for homes in Sunderland from the age of eight weeks, so we’re urging anyone who might have the time and commitment needed to give a pup a home for anywhere between fourteen and sixteen months to get in touch to find out more.”

The role of a puppy socialiser volunteer is to ensure that the puppy they are matched with gets a good level of training and experience before it enters the next stage of its life.

They take the puppy into as many different environments as possible, such as shops, on public transport, cafés and in and around busy towns.

This gives the young dogs the confidence to accompany a deaf person everywhere they go when they become a hearing dog.

Hearing dog puppy Lyon.Hearing dog puppy Lyon.
Hearing dog puppy Lyon.
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Puppy socialisers also provide the puppies with house training and obedience skills and take them to weekly puppy classes along with other hearing dog puppies and their volunteers.

The whole process is funded and supported by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and each puppy socialiser is assigned a local instructor who will provide full support along the way.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People relies on its extensive network of more than 2,500 volunteers in order to continue its life-changing work in training dogs that will change the lives of deaf people.

The role would suit anyone who is able to drive or has access to a car driven by someone else, has a secure private garden, enough time to train a puppy daily, and who is not away from home for more than two to three hours at a time.

For further information visit www.hearingdogs.org.uk/puppies or contact Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s volunteering team at [email protected] or on 01844 348122.