Helping Terri-Anne in every way

Leo made it! He is officially a hearing dog!

Deaf since birth, Terri-Anne wanted to express herself as an outgoing, independent person. When her previous hearing dog Billy died, she realised how much he’d helped her to achieve this. Today, Leo is continuing Billy’s fantastic work.

"I yearned for independence"

Terri-Anne has Treacher Collins Syndrome which causes conductive hearing loss, so she has been profoundly deaf all her life. However, she’s not one to let things hold her back. “I have always been really active – sailing, water skiing, and horse riding,” Terri-Anne says. “I’m now a support worker at the Cambridge Deaf Association.”

Despite Terri-Anne’s strong desire to engage with life, she lacked confidence. “I had hearing aids but they caused painful infections. They also became less effective when my hearing worsened. So, I relied on my mum a lot for everyday communication, such as visiting the GP or going shopping.

“I yearned for independence, but when I started living alone, I knew I could easily become isolated. I also had difficulty sleeping in case anything happened such as the fire alarm going off. My GP recommended Hearing Dogs to help with all these issues.”

Terri-Anne was matched with Billy, a beautiful Havanese. She describes his impact directly: “Billy changed my life. He told me about sounds such as the alarm clock, which often wouldn’t wake me up. I also had a vibrating pager that told me when the doorbell or smoke alarm were sounding, and a flashing doorbell, but sometimes I would not notice them or they wouldn’t work. Billy was more reliable (and friendlier!) than equipment.

“Billy also got me out walking and I made many new friends at the park. I hadn’t noticed how lonely I’d been feeling. I’d also been so tired, because I’d recently had a cochlear implant, but kept it switched on at night in case I missed anything. This affected my sleep, but with Billy to wake me I could turn it off and sleep soundly.”

Eventually, Billy retired due to his age and then very sadly passed away. And that’s when Terri-Anne really understood how important a hearing dog was to her.

“I had to dust off the old equipment. Without my furry friend beside me, I didn’t want to go out. I couldn’t sleep. Eventually I had time off work with stress.”

Without Billy, Terri-Anne lost her connection with the world around her, and this crisis affected every aspect of her life. She needed a confident dog who would enjoy being active with her.

And then along came Leo to make everything right again!

Terri-Anne knows what Leo’s special gift is: “He makes me laugh, every day!"

As importantly, Leo’s training also helps Terri-Anne practically. He alerts her to sounds in the home, including the smoke alarm. He also helps her at work, as she often sleeps overnight at clients’ houses, and Leo’s so clever he can recognise all the different alarm clocks! As she says: “He’s a fun dog without his burgundy coat, but put his coat on and he’s totally ‘at work’.”

With all this love and practical support, Leo has helped Terri-Anne get back to a full, rewarding life. She smiles: “I no longer feel lonely. I feel safe at night, and I am sleeping better.”

A fun life together

Leo is helping Terri-Anne embrace life once more: “I want to start water skiing and sailing again, and I’ll be gently introducing Leo to the boat, so that he can have fun too with his little doggy life jacket on, like Billy did.”

This continuity is captured beautifully by Terri-Anne’s closing words: “Billy’s favourite place was the beach, where he loved running around in the fresh sea air. Now, it is Leo’s favourite place.”

Maybe when the Coronavirus lockdown is over, they’ll be on a beach together, or at work – or even water skiing! This is because of your kindness in supporting Leo. However, with deafness rising,we are still training more dogs to meet demand. It would be wonderful if you would like to sponsor another hearing dog puppy.

Whatever you decide, from all of us – volunteer puppy socialisers, trainers, Terri-Anne and Leo – thank you so much for your kindness.