Libby is all Susan wanted to help with her silent world

Libby made it! She has been partnered with Susan!

Susan has been totally deaf most of her life, and needed practical support from a perceptive little dog, happy in any home, and around people with disabilities. Libby was the perfect match.

The partnership begins

Susan was born profoundly deaf, after her mother contracted Rubella. She wore hearing aids until the age of 16, then realised she had gone completely deaf.

“Having been born with hearing loss, I don’t feel the isolation that deafened people sometimes experience,” Susan says. “I can feel left out of a conversation with hearing people, but my job involves supporting deaf people with disabilities in their homes, and I have a wonderfully supportive family.”

Susan’s biggest problem was not knowing what was going on around her. No matter what hearing technology she used, it was a constant challenge.

“People could never get my attention. I would always be looking around me in case they wanted to say something. I could never tell whether the doorbell had rung – I have a flashing doorbell but I couldn’t see it, particularly during daytime. I relied on the people around me to tell me about things I couldn’t hear. My daughters were forever telling me that the cooker timer was going off.”

Susan also found herself apologising for her deafness. “I had to say 'Sorry I am deaf but lipread', but still it could be really hard to understand what the person is saying. This made me feel very awkward.

“I investigated cochlear implants but was told they would only help with really loud noises such as sirens. So, I decided to go for a hearing dog. I could have had both, but I needed more help with the day-to-day challenges I face.”

Did she make the right decision? Of course! She was matched with Libby!

“She makes my life so much easier. She tells me about the doorbell, and my daughters no longer have to tell me when the cooker timer goes off. It’s also much better out and about because her burgundy Hearing Dogs coat tells people I’m deaf. It’s such a relief not having to explain to people all the time.

“Libby is great at work too. All my clients love her! They welcome her into their homes. She’s been so well trained: unfamiliar places and wheelchairs don’t bother her at all. She just makes everyone around her happy.”

Susan smiles: “I also love that she’s a bit cheeky. She’s discovered that, if she puts something in her mouth, I’ll take it out and occasionally pop a treat in her mouth instead. It’s become a little game now: she’ll find a sock or a slipper to put in her mouth when she wants a treat!”

What’s next?

Libby is being taught to react to her daughters saying ‘Call mum’. She’ll then find Susan, give her a nose-nudge, and lead her back to them. How clever!

Susan is thrilled. “My daughters, now aged 29 and 27, have noticed how much more understanding people are of my deafness: Libby’s burgundy coat does the job nicely. People take their time to speak to me clearly now.

“Libby is all I wanted to help with my silent world. At home, at work… she goes everywhere with me. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for sponsoring my cheeky Libby.”

This is a perfect example of how a hearing dog helps someone needing practical help. Instead of being frustrated on a daily basis, Libby is now Susan’s ‘ears’, telling her when someone wants her attention, and to tell the world about her ‘invisible disability’.

They’ve forged a lovely life together, and this is thanks to your support. And so ends Libby’s sponsor journey. It would be wonderful if you would consider sponsoring another puppy. However you decide, from all of us, from Susan and of course from Libby… thank you.