Charity urgently seeking volunteers to help look after and train life-changing hearing dogs

CHARITY URGENTLY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO HELP LOOK AFTER AND TRAIN LIFE-CHANGING HEARING DOGS

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People are looking for volunteers in Manchester and Cheshire to help train their young dogs who will go on to help deaf people leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. Could you help train one of our puppies?

As a volunteer puppy trainer, you will:
• Look after one of our adorable puppies or young dogs for anywhere between 6 months to 2 years.
• Work with a trainer to learn more about dog training and attend local fun puppy classes.
• Meet like-minded people and make new friendships.
• Directly help deaf people leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life.

The role would be ideally suited to someone who has:
• A loving home with a secure garden and access to a vehicle.
• Access to a computer and the Teams app.
• Time to dedicate to training a young dog on a daily basis.
• Be aged 18 or over.

We are also recruiting volunteers for holiday cover and short-term stays.

No previous experience is required for the role – you will have full support and guidance from a Puppy Training Instructor both in person and online.
The charity will also cover all costs involved, from the moment the volunteer takes the puppy home, to when it is handed over to one of our deaf partners after its training is complete.

Caroline and Terry from Wilmslow have fully trained 3 puppies and their current trainee, Jayda is 15 months old. Caroline says “Jayda is making excellent progress. We start with basic training and when ready, we introduce them to public places and soundwork training to prepare them for their working role”.

For people who may be interested, we are holding an open puppy class on:
Date: Tuesday 12th September
Time: 11am – 2pm
Venue: Woodford Community Centre, Chester Road, Woodford SK7 1PS
This will be a great opportunity to meet some of our current pups and their volunteer trainers and to see exactly what this incredibly rewarding role entails.

If you’d like to find out more, please head to the ‘Volunteer’ section of our website https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteer/ , or call our lovely Volunteering team on 01844 348122.

About Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national charity that trains dogs that help deaf people leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. The dogs do this through constant companionship and emotional support, giving deaf people the confidence to reconnect with their family, friends and community around them.

Just as importantly, they help by alerting deaf people to important and life-saving sounds like the smoke alarm, alarm clock and oven timers. Their burgundy coats also signal to the public that their partner is deaf. This combination of practical assistance and lifelong friendship can be completely life-changing.