Cecilia and Bertie are looking forward to a bright future together

Bertie is a hearing dog!

Bertie made it! Hurray! And he now lives with Cecilia.

Cecilia started to feel very lonely after taking early retirement, especially when her son and his family moved abroad. Now, she and Bertie are looking forward to a bright future together.

Growing up with a hearing loss

Cecilia has led a full life and raised a family. Still, as she explains, challenges can come at any stage of life.

“I was born with a hearing loss and had my first hearing aid at seven years of age. It has always made me feel a bit ‘on the outside’. At school I did a lot of guessing. I don’t believe I heard a single word during assembly.

“I trained as a nurse but struggled to hear, as hearing aids weren’t as advanced as they are now, so I lost my confidence completely by the end of my training.

“Still, I was happy to get married and have children. Then I went to university as a part-time mature student, and became a teacher, working with students who had barriers to learning, which I loved.”

A new set of challenges...

The pandemic, and the changes to life since, have been hard for deaf people. For Cecilia, it became a major issue.

“I found lipreading online difficult, and when we returned to school, social distancing meant I couldn’t position myself in a room to hear properly. After a lot of heartache, I took early retirement.

“During this time my eldest son moved overseas with work. Losing my role as a teacher, and not being able to see my lovely grandchildren, was a double blow, and I began to feel very lonely.

“Eventually I started finding it hard to get up in the morning. For the first time in my life I was so isolated and unhappy.”

... until Bertie came along

Today, Bertie is helping Cecilia practically and emotionally, every day in so many ways.

Cecilia smiles: “I still can’t believe I have been so fortunate.

“I feel comfortable not being near the front door when I’m expecting a guest or a delivery, whereas I used to hover around nervously in case I didn’t hear them.

“I use timers for lots of things now – the washing machine, microwave, filling the bath – knowing his determined little nose boop is going to tell me about them.”

Indeed, Bertie is helping Cecilia move forward with life once more: “I feel confident getting out and about. For example, Bertie comes with me to visit my 94-year-old mum every week, enjoying a snooze on the train after a fun walk to the station.

“We are often stopped by people telling me how beautiful he is. Other passengers comment on how well behaved he is. It’s lovely to tell people all about him. I feel so much more engaged with the world around me now.”

The future’s bright with Bertie

“Bertie and I have had some wonderful adventures together across London and beyond. We have so many more planned as we grow older. I am never lonely with him.

“To you, his sponsor, I would like to say thank you so, so much. Our hearing partnership is the most extraordinary, wonderful gift I could ever imagine.”

And here, Bertie’s training journey ends as his adventures with Cecilia begin. It would be amazing if you could consider sponsoring another puppy. Whatever you decide, from all of us at Hearing Dogs, from Cecilia – and from Bertie – thank you.