David Rutley, Member of Parliament for Macclesfield, took a brief break from his Parliamentary duties to meet Elvis, a future hearing dog. He also met other hearing dog puppies and dogs and their recipients, and found out about how the trained dogs alert their owners to sounds such as the doorbell and fire alarm.
The charity Hearing Dogs is encouraging MPs to spread the word about the Great British Dog Walk, twenty organised walks at National Trust sites in the UK aimed to raise funds and awareness of the charity. Hearing Dogs has relied on the generosity of individuals and businesses to partner over 1,000 hearing dogs since its inception in 1982.
Michele Jennings CEO of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People said, “It’s fantastic to be here in Westminster to spread the word of what we do and more specifically about our Great British Dog Walk events. The walks are going on across the country all the way until 4th June.
“Hearing dogs alert deaf people to important sounds such as fire alarms, text messages or even their baby crying but they also help by telling them if a Skype call is coming in, or their cooker timer is going off, and lots of other practical things that we all take for granted.
“They are also great for making friends! Hearing Dogs make the invisible disability of deafness visible - with their burgundy jackets the public can tell ‘this is a deaf person at the other end of the lead and I need to consider them, by talking directly to them’. Many lovely friendships have been forged through our dogs.”
David added, “It was great to meet the Hearing Dogs team, and of course the dogs themselves, to find out more about the important work done by hearing dogs and the Great British Dog Walk. I was hugely impressed by the abilities of the hearing dogs, which is a testament to the skills and dedication of their owners. I hope that the Dog Walk will be a big success and help to promote the charity.”
Adults can buy tickets to their local walks on greatbritishdogwalk.org, children go free.