Who will be crowned top dog?

Published 21 Sep 2009 11:20 0 Comments

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A DEAF pensioner is hoping her companion will be crowned top dog at a charity awards event.

May Tribe will be rooting for her hearing dog Sparrow - who is one of three finalists for the award of Rescue Hearing Dog of the Year.

Sparrow, was rescued by the RSPCA as a puppy in Leeds and was selected by charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to take part in training.

The organisation specialises in training dogs to alert their deaf owners to sounds such as doorbells, telephones and smoke alarms.

The 13-year-old mongrel bitch was paired with Miss Tribe from Maidenhead in 1997.

She said: "Having been deaf since the age of 10 I had mastered the art of working out my strategies for coping in the world of the hearing and got on with life.

"Unfortunately, as I got older my problems increased. At times I felt like screaming, especially when people commented on the fact that I was never in. The truth was I was hardly ever out. I just couldn't hear the telephone or the doorbell unless I was sitting right beside it."

The pair have been companions for 12 years and Miss Tribe says times were hard before Sparrow's arrival.

The 80-year-old added: "With Sparrow at my side my life has been turned around. She has raised my confidence, restored my self-esteem and helped me to make a lot of new friends.

"Wherever we go someone always speaks to us. With Sparrow the world is a much more friendly place for me. She provides confidence, security and companionship and improved my quality of life beyond measure. I am so proud of Sparrow - the unwanted dog, who then became my rescuer."

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