Hope: fun life, work life (it's all fun)

Welcome to your next Hope Pupdate!

Let's kick this one off with a lovely video showing Hope and her sponsor puppy friend Arya have a bit of a sniff around together, as dogs like to do. And no, we don't know which is which either!

Then they had a fun frolic in the fields! These look like happy dogs to us...

Hope even managed to show off some of her skills. Below, she demonstrates an amazing 'recall'. This is the way in which she comes running back when called, by voice or whistle. It's really important: the last thing her eventual deaf partner will want is to be left alone. They will need to know that she's always nearby, enjoying herself but still attentive to their needs, and that she'll come back if they need her.

Now for some real training. Hope has been learning how to alert deaf people to sounds! She's doing so well, because she's such a bright little dog. It started with her getting used to a squeaker. With lots of help from her fab volunteers Barry and Liz, Hope soon learned that it was a 'good thing' to give a nudge with her nose if she heard the squeaker.

Eventually Hope will move on to 'real' sounds, like the portable cooker timer, doorbell and - very importantly - the smoke alarm and fire siren. For most of the sounds, she'll give a nose-nudge, and then go to the sound. But for the alarms or sirens, she'll just lie down, which tells the deaf person that there's danger nearby but she won't lead them to it. How clever is that?

Another aspect of training below: grooming.

Yes, it's important that Hope is happy to be groomed nicely - it's all part of everyday life when looking after a dog. As you can see however, she doesn't have a problem with it at all. In fact she seems to quite like it!

And finally, Hope and Arya seemed to have picked up a friend. 

But they're all being casual and cool about it...

That's all for now! Every day, in every way, Hope's growing and learning about the world. One day she'll change a deaf person's life, and this will be through your kindness. Today however, thank you again for sponsoring her!