Miss-Delectable
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Deaf woman and her hearing dog graduate in the same week (From The Northern Echo)
A DOUBLE celebration took place in Richmond, when a deaf woman received her PhD in the same week her hearing dog completed his full training.
Dr Christine Maddern, 55, received her PhD in medieval stone sculpture from the University of York last month, in the same week that her Yorkshire terrier Reggie qualified as a fully trained hearing dog.
Having lost her hearing after contracting meningitis at the age of five, Dr Maddern developed a love of reading and worked in several libraries before becoming a civil servant at the Department of Education.
Reggie, 2, has been living with her since last March whilst undergoing training with charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and completed his final assessment last month.
He has learnt to alert his trainer to various sounds such as the door bell, cooker timer and smoke alarm.
Dr Maddern said: “I’m overjoyed to have achieved my PhD after a lifetime of study, and now I’ve got Reggie, I’m starting to meet more people. “They see his burgundy Hearing Dogs coat and realise I’m deaf - they stop and chat, and want to know all about how such a small dog can be such a huge help to me.”
For more details about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People visit Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
A DOUBLE celebration took place in Richmond, when a deaf woman received her PhD in the same week her hearing dog completed his full training.
Dr Christine Maddern, 55, received her PhD in medieval stone sculpture from the University of York last month, in the same week that her Yorkshire terrier Reggie qualified as a fully trained hearing dog.
Having lost her hearing after contracting meningitis at the age of five, Dr Maddern developed a love of reading and worked in several libraries before becoming a civil servant at the Department of Education.
Reggie, 2, has been living with her since last March whilst undergoing training with charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and completed his final assessment last month.
He has learnt to alert his trainer to various sounds such as the door bell, cooker timer and smoke alarm.
Dr Maddern said: “I’m overjoyed to have achieved my PhD after a lifetime of study, and now I’ve got Reggie, I’m starting to meet more people. “They see his burgundy Hearing Dogs coat and realise I’m deaf - they stop and chat, and want to know all about how such a small dog can be such a huge help to me.”
For more details about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People visit Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.