Football legend Stuart Pearce has teamed up with Yorkshire-based charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, which trains life-changing hearing assistance dogs, to launch a new campaign encouraging people to volunteer as a hearing dog puppy trainer.
In a new tongue-in-cheek video for the charity, Pearce – known for his passion, grit and iconic penalty moments during his time at high-profile football clubs – urges people to join the ‘Best Club Ever’ by volunteering to train a hearing dog and transform the life of someone who is deaf or has hearing loss.
The charity is urgently looking for more volunteers in Humberside, particularly Hull and Beverley, to help train their life-changing hearing dogs and its campaign, supported by Stuart, aims to highlight the benefits of becoming a puppy training volunteer.
As well as training dogs that will help deaf people to rebuild confidence, connection and companionship, volunteers for the charity also make new friends, learn new skills and feel a real sense of community with other people doing the same thing. No previous experience with dog training is necessary and all costs are covered by the charity.
Stuart Pearce said: “I’ve been part of some brilliant teams in my time, but this is a club that really changes lives. The volunteers at Hearing Dogs are incredible, and it’s been a joy to help shine a light on the work they do.”
Andy and Ness Readhead from Hull say that volunteering as puppy trainers has had a hugely positive impact on their lives:
“The pride that comes each time the puppy you’re training progresses and ‘gets’ what you’re asking them to do, is huge”, said Andy. “Knowing that you have helped make that happen, and that every step brings them closer to changing someone’s life, makes it even more rewarding.
“Volunteering for Hearing Dogs has had a hugely positive impact on our lives. It has helped us understand how to train a dog and to read their body language. The trainers have been invaluable in helping us train both our pups and are always at the end of a phone.
“The first puppy we trained was a black Labrador called Sage. It was hard when he left us, but made easier when we saw how much he’d changed the life of the deaf person he’d been partnered with. Seeing how much he meant to her, had a huge impact on us and gave even greater meaning to what we were doing.”
David Robson, a spokesman for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “We are so grateful to volunteers like Andy and Ness for giving up their time to train our pups, and to Stuart for lending his support to our new campaign.
“Our volunteer puppy trainers take a puppy into their home from eight weeks old, and with the full support of a local dog training instructor, get them started on their training and socialisation journey so that the pup can one day be matched with the deaf person whose life they will change.
“Our dogs are trained to alert deaf people to important sounds such as smoke alarms, intruder alarms, alarm clocks, doorbells and even the sounds of a baby’s cry – all sounds that could otherwise be missed. They provide lots of love and companionship too, which is just as important as many people who are deaf or have hearing loss can feel isolated and cut off from their friends, families and communities because of their invisible disability.
“We, along with Stuart, would encourage anyone in Humberside who loves dogs, has enough time every day to dedicate to caring for a pup, and wants to make a real difference to someone else’s life, to visit our website and find out more about volunteering.”
More information on joining the ‘Best Club Ever’ by becoming a volunteer dog trainer can be found at www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteer-puppies.
Stuart recently collaborated with Hearing Dogs for a short video to promote volunteering for the charity (below).
