Hearing Dog Albert has made me visible

This year alone the Pets at Home Foundation has raised more than £650,000, beating last year’s fundraiser which raised an astonishing £629,335. It is the biggest donation the charity has received from a corporate partner in its 40-year history.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a charity dedicated to training dogs to alert deaf people to important and lifesaving sounds they would otherwise miss. Deafness can also be a very isolating disability, so hearing dog provide love, companionship, and emotional support. The charity has matched thousands of life-changing hearing dogs with deaf people since 1982.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People helps people like 33-year-old Sarah Bond from Sheffield. As someone who was born profoundly deaf, Sarah was often made to feel like she was not important and almost invisible. This however all changed when she was matched with her Cocker Spaniel Hearing Dog Albert.

Sarah comments: “I used to be embarrassed and shy about being deaf, but now I’m proud to take Albert everywhere. He is part of me, like my missing piece of jigsaw that has now completed me. Albert has done so much more than what I expected from him as a hearing dog. He is not just my hearing dog; he is my best friend. I’ve noticed that people are kinder to me now and make me feel involved in society. Albert has made me visible”.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is just one of the many charities that benefits from the Pets at Home Foundation. According to the most recent Pets at Home Foundation Impact Report, in 2023 the Foundation donated over £4 million to pets and the people who love them, marking a record-breaking year in terms of financial donations for the charity.