When Charlie met Frankie

Do you recall us telling you that Charlie's favourite sleeping position is upside down...?

That's right - he'll snooze with the best of them, provided the best of them snooze on their backs. As Volunteer Puppy Trainer Tunja said, "upside down is definitely his favourite napping position."

Hang about though - who's this?

Wake up Charlie! It's your pal Frankie!

Tamsin, Tunja's daughter and the other half of Charlie's Volunteer Training Team, explains: "When Charlie first came to stay, we also had hearing dog trainee Frankie with us, before she moved on to live with her new deaf partner."

"As you can see, Frankie was very excited to have a little puppy to play with and even let him steal her big bed."

We really love it when our volunteers are looking after more than one dog, or have pet dogs of their own. It all goes towards helping our puppies grow up to be happy around their big brothers or sisters. They learn how to play nicely, how to be confident around other dogs and people, and generally have a lovely time. The older dogs enjoy it too!

And they even learn some of their training from their older friends...

Isn't that a fab video? We don't think we've seen 'synchronised sitting' before.

Charlie has definitely made himself at home with Tamsin and Tunja. He even has his own personal rain shelter.

When he's not snoozing, or holed up in his shelter, they've been helping little Charlie to learn about the world, and his place in it. It's so important that puppies learn to be confident in their senses and in themselves. So, Tamsin and Tunja - 'Team T' - have been encouraging him to explore using all his senses. He found the pineapple something of a sensory overload.

So, now Charlie knows all about pineapples! That's ticked off the list.

Here's another great example. Tunja explains: "Charlie is exploring the car for the first time. This helps him to learn the smells and sounds, for when we start making short trips with him."

It's such a great way to bring up a puppy - slowly, surely, and with immense skill, care and dedication.

So what do you make of all this then, Charlie?

Oh well, he's off again!

Charlie is having a fantastic time with 'Team T', finding out about the world around him, learning new skills, and just loving life.  It's hard to believe right now, but one day, he'll change a deaf person's life. He's come so far already, and this is thanks to your kindness in supporting him. So, from all of us at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, thank you for sponsoring Charlie!