Marnie: Play, pals and practice

Marnie has passed her Hearing Dogs Assessment! This means she's a fully-fledged hearing dog, ready to help a deaf person leave loneliness behind. These are very exciting times and we hope to be able to tell you how her journey ends before too long!

Until then, here are some photos and videos Maggie shared towards the end of their time together. First, a few words from Maggie:

"I am going to really miss her as she has gone everywhere with me and now people will think I am talking to myself and not Marnie! 

"Marnie has been no trouble at all to me right from the start. I love that when we are out walking she stays quite close to me, has a little play with the other dogs, and comes back to me when I call her.

"She has the sweetest temperament and even when my two-year-old grandson was rugby tackling her she didn't mind at all.

"Everywhere we go people make a fuss of Marnie because she is so friendly I am sure her deaf partner will love her as much as I do."

We're sure they will too Maggie, because you've done such a wonderful job of bringing her up.

So, here's the grandson she mentioned. Rugby tackling? Butter wouldn't melt!

More grandchildren below, this time there does seem to be a bit of a ruck and maul going on, but not involving Marnie.

After graduating, Maggie made sure Marnie kept up her training. Here she is waiting patiently for the bus...

... and now, waiting patiently on the bus while, presumably, the driver and other passengers wait patiently for Maggie to take the photo!

As we may have explained before, it's essential that Marnie is happy traveling in any form of public transport, because she'll be accompanying her deaf partner wherever they want to go. Buses, trains, trams, we've even had stories of our dogs on planes and helicopters! They're so well trained, they just take it all in their stride. This means they'll be by their deaf partner's side at all times, helping them to reconnect with the world around them, and lead the kind of full, satisfying life we are all entitled to.

Let's end with some more fun! Two fab videos Maggie shared, one with Marnie happily splashing around in a river, as dogs love doing, and another in which she shows off her agility - and, in a flourish, her recall in coming back. Clever Marnie!

What is it dogs like so much about having a splish-splosh? Whether it's a river, a puddle or even a bucket, they just love the wibbly-wobbly wet stuff.

We know why they like the seaside! It's so bracing, with exciting smells and sounds, and plenty of large open spaces to run around in. There's also plenty of fun to be had, especially with tennis balls...

That's all for now. As we said, these are very exciting times because in our next update, we hope to tell you all about how Marnie's helping a deaf person. Until then, thank you once again for sponsoring Marnie.