Football legend Stuart Pearce backs charity appeal for more puppy training volunteers in Peterborough and Stamford
Football legend Stuart Pearce has teamed up with national deaf 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, which has a puppy training hub in Peterborough and Stamford, is urgently looking for more volunteers there 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.”
Judy Sewell has been a volunteer puppy trainer for over 15 years. “Volunteering as a puppy trainer provides endless opportunities to meet people, especially in retirement. When you’re out walking or training your gorgeous puppy, everyone wants to stop and chat!
“New volunteers are always very welcome. We meet regularly for dog walks, fundraising activities, and, of course, coffee and cake. We all support each other, and our WhatsApp group is always busy.
“I’d be lying if I said it was easy to hand the puppies back after their training, but when you hear from the deaf person they’ve been partnered with about the difference the dog has made to their life, it’s incredibly rewarding.
“We’ve seen first-hand the difference the puppies we’ve trained have made. One deaf partner even invited us to her wedding as a thank you for training her new ‘ears’.
“If you’re a dog lover and have time to devote to training a puppy, the job satisfaction is amazing.”
David Robson, a spokesman for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Judy and her fellow volunteers for giving up their time to help train our puppies, 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 Peterborough and Stamford 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. It can be viewed at http://youtu.be/M-N5Hf6fZew.