A VETERINARY surgeon from Hartford received a special canine thank you from a little dog who helps look after her deaf owner.

Miniature black poodle Jessie visited orthopaedic and spinal specialist Charlie Sale at Oakwood Veterinary Referrals based at the Willows Veterinary Hospital with her owner Thelma Mannington of Sandiway.

The pair were there to show their gratitude to Charlie, 48, who battled back from a bout of flu to successfully complete the Wilmslow Half Marathon and raise £1,345 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds such as the doorbell, alarm clock and danger signals like a fire alarm.

Charlie said: “I have treated hearing dogs in the past - pre training, while they have been in training or once they have gone out to be with a recipient. It was important to me to understand better how they were trained and what they were being asked to do so that when I was asked my opinion about how best to treat them, I had a much better picture of their life as a working dog.

“I was impressed by the care with which these dogs are looked after. Their welfare is extremely important to the team who care for them and if for any reason they do not make it as a Hearing Dog, then the organisation works hard to make sure the dog is in as good shape as possible to find a loving home.”

Charlie was later invited to the charity’s annual awards dinner.

Jessie’s owner Thelma understands first-hand the value of a lifelong Hearing Dogs companionship.

Her first hearing dog Emi, a bichon frise, sadly passed away in 2014. The pair helped raise more than £10,000 for the charity over their time together and had a very strong bond which left Thelma heart-broken when her beloved companion died.

Thelma said: “When Emi died, I was very, very sad. I felt like I had nobody to talk to and she helped me so much in my life that I really didn’t know what to do.”

Thelma had an 18-month wait for her ‘loveable’ Jessie while the charity took a great deal of care to find a suitable dog that met all her requirements and put the now two-year-old dog through her training.

An already inseparable bond has been formed between the two of them since Jessie’s arrival in January and Thelma explained: “She follows me everywhere. She looks after me and I look after her. She’s my sunshine, my ears and I am so happy to have her.”

Jessie is trained to go up to Thelma and nudge her with her paw when she hears the doorbell or the phone ringing. She then leads her to where ever the sound is coming from. She also alerts Thelma in the morning when her alarm clock goes off and generally makes day-to-day life less challenging for Thelma who lost her hearing in early childhood.

Thelma and Jessie thanked Charlie for his charity run efforts and added: “We really appreciate it because these dogs are so important and both Jessie and I really do thank him very much.”

For more information about Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, go to www.hearingdogs.org.uk