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Tell me more about how you lost your hearing Ann.
Ann: Good morning, I have lot of allergies and that’s caused lots of problems in the ENT department.
So eventually my ears closed down and the sound was not being transmitted from the outside to the inside.
Louisa: How long ago was that?
Ann: It started off gradually: about 20 years or so.
Louisa: At that point, did you know what was happening, was that explained to you?
Ann: Yes, I had a very good consultant at the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham. Who was very supportive and talked me through all the stages and all the processes.
Louisa: So how did your association with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People start?
Ann: It was a long time ago. It was about 15 years.
I am a member of a group in my home town and they had a speaker come.
Hearing Dogs are very fortunate to have a network of volunteer speakers across the country,
And one of the speakers came to the group and explained all about the work of Hearing Dogs.
At that point I was not actually deaf enough.
There is a level of deafness which you have to be at, and I wasn’t at that point.
Since then, over the last 15 years, my hearing has got so bad that I am now profoundly deaf.
Louisa: So Max, here, when did your relationship start with him?
Ann: I met him in 2004. And he stole my heart.
(Laughter)
Louisa: How did it work? Did you have any choice over Max or did he choose you? How does it work?
Ann: It’s a bit like a dating agency really.
I said I didn’t want a little dog: I like dogs you can play with.
They offered me Max
You come here on a visit and you met the dog
And if you fall in love with each other then the dog is trained for your specific needs.
Louisa: I’ve been watching you for about the last ½ hour and you are definitely in love with each other.
(Laughter)
Louisa: What was life like before you had Max?
Ann: It’s very difficult to explain. It’s a bit like being in the dark.
Deafness is an invisible disability: when you look at someone you don’t realise that they are deaf.
You very often come across as stupid, ignorant or plain rude.
And I found myself less and less going out in the community, less and less talking to people.
I was frightened to talk to people and go out, because if they spoke to me and I didn’t hear what they were saying back to me it made for a lot of frustration.
I became quite reclusive, didn’t go anywhere, wasn’t interested in doing anything.
I got very depressed and was on medication from the doctor for it.
Louisa: And now, what sort of things does he do for you? We’re going to have a demonstration in about an hour, but describe how he helps you day-to-day.
Ann: The first thing he does is to wake me up in the morning.
Obviously when I take my hearing aids out I can’t hear the alarm clock.
Louisa: How does he do that?
Ann: Because he’s a big dog he keeps his back feet on the floor and he lays himself across me.
So when you get 35 kilos of Labrador launching itself at the bed, you actually don’t go back to sleep.
No chance of sleeping in. No chance of being late for work.
It’s very exciting because you always reward an action with a biscuit or a treat or a game or a play.
In his case it’s breakfast and being as he is a Labrador he’s very keen on his food.
Louisa: I love the fact he’s getting all tied up in the wires here. And he’s a bit dribbly but he’s beautiful.
Ann: Dribble is a bit a breed trait with Labradors particularly when there’s biscuits around.
(Laugh)