Alert Joey just right for Diane
A PARTIALLY deaf mother-of-two has taken charge of her first hearing dog.
Diane Duffield, 34, of Rowner, Gosport, is now the owner of lively cocker spaniel Joey – a canine that alerts her to sounds around the home.
Ms Duffield says that before receiving the dog from charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People she was always concerned about children Kieron, nine, and Harrison, five.
She said: 'Before Joey came I couldn't bear the thought of my husband Carl going out.
'I wouldn't relax and would be constantly thinking I had heard something. At night, I would be terrified that I wouldn't hear my boys if they were to cry out.
'But now I have the confidence to be on my own in the house. I totally trust Joey and know if he hasn't moved then there isn't a sound I need to respond to.'
Joey alerts Diane to household sounds that those with hearing take for granted, such as the doorbell, cooker timer, telephone and smoke alarm.
The full article contains 175 words and appears in NS-Final newspaper.
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Last Updated:
07 May 2008 2:52 PM
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Source:
NS-Final
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Location:
Portsmouth
