Luca loves life with Tracey and Paul

Luca is now living with new volunteer trainers, who will help him continue onto the next stages of his training journey.

They're called Tracey and Paul, and they have plenty to tell us about Luca!

Tracey begins: "Luca has been very helpful in the garden. He specialises in pruning, even if things don't need it! Here he is inspecting the ground to make sure we had pulled all the runner beans up!"

That is extraordinarily helpful! What a helpful dog Luca is!

Back to Tracey: "Luca has had a haircut and has gone from this fluff ball....

... to this handsome sleek chap - he's half the dog he was!"

Maybe half the dog physically, but he's still 100% hearing dog in training!

Over to Paul: "Luca's impulse control is really good and he waits very patiently before being told 'off you go' for his dinner."

It's very important that Luca has learned not to react on impulse. He knows that if he's patient, he'll be rewarded. This will make his life with his eventual deaf partner so much easier - no running off or being distracted, just happily looking after his partner like a good friend.

Paul continues: "Luca took his first trip on a train, all while adhering to government restrictions around travel. He really enjoyed it. He behaved brilliantly and wasn't at all fazed by everyone wearing masks."

This is so great. We have been training our dogs to be happy around people with facial coverings during the pandemic. It really isn't something we considered previously, but it seems our volunteer trainers are more than up to the task. Oh, and look how handsome he is in his 'I'm learning to be a hearing dog' burgundy coat!

Paul continues: "We discovered that a local restaurant is named after him (well nearly) - his fame is spreading!"

Let's leave the final words to Tracey: "Luca loves nothing more than lying in the garden sunbathing, but when the weather is chilly outside, he still manages to find his spot in the sun indoors!"

"To finish off, here is a video of him practicing his alarm clock alert."

Who's got a waggy tail then...?

What a soundwork superstar! A lot of deaf people tell us that their alarm clock simply does not wake them up, no matter how loud it is, or even if it's under their pillow, vibrating. So, a happy, bouncy dog on you first thing in the morning does the trick, and it's actually a wonderful way to start the day.

So, Luca is doing really well, and this is thanks to your support. We hope you're enjoying following his journey. We know we are! Until next time, from all of us at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People... thank you for sponsoring Luca.