This month Ron finally arrived to join the Train AV team based at Arena Business Centre in Ferndown, Dorset.  And he’s no ordinary recruit.

Ron is a hearing assistance dog – a cocker spaniel cross – and  he’ll be supporting Mike, whose business offers cross platform training and commissioning services in AV and Digital Signage across the country.

Mike explains: “It comes as a revelation to many people to discover that although I work in a world of sound, I am profoundly deaf, the by-product of a neurological condition I suffered when I was 27.

“I was determined not to let my disability put an end to using my skillset nor force me to give up my passion to run my own AV training business. I have become an accomplished lip reader and take translators with me to foreign assignments.”

Sadly, in the past couple of years, Mike’s hearing has deteriorated even further, and he lives with huge levels of pain every day.

Mike says: “After seeking advice from a pain consultant, I decided to do what was best for me and hope everyone in my industry would understand. I have been polling clients for the past two years to see if there would be any objections to me bringing a hearing assistance dog on site. My customers are so supportive, and Ron’s already got many invites to go to client workplaces.”

After a four-and-a-half year wait, with lots of form-filling and assessments, Mike and Ron were matched as the perfect working team and are finally together. A highly intelligent dog, Ron has been trained to be Mike’s ears and alert him to dangers and specific sounds.

“As Ron is going to be travelling all over the country with me, it was important to have a dog that has a legal right of entry into premises such as workplaces and restaurants. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People are one of the few charities who provide dogs with access all-areas status.”

Employer and employee are already working well together. “As soon as his harness and jacket go on, Ron knows it’s time for work,” explains Mike. “His whole demeanour changes and he focuses fully on me.”

Mike added: “It can cost up to 40k to train an assistance dog throughout its lifetime and I cannot thank the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People enough for their support. Ron is making a huge difference not only to my working life but my homelife too.”

David Robson, a spokesman for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “We are thrilled that Ron is already making such a difference to Mike’s life, both at work and at home. Our dogs are highly trained to alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds, such as smoke alarms, alarm clocks, and even Skype call alerts and text message sounds.

“Being alerted to these sounds by a loyal and loving dog can make deaf people feel much safer and can enable them to live the life they want to. Research has also found that hearing dogs can alleviate anxiety, make people feel less isolated and lonely, and help them to feel more connected socially and at work. They can truly transform the lives of deaf people.”

Mike added: “He’s so therapeutic to stroke and I am already noticing my pain levels have subsided exponentially. I feel more confident with Ron by my side when I am out in public.  I’m proud to be championing disability in the workplace and hope my story will help other disabled entrepreneurs continue to realise their goals. This four-legged friend and employee is a life-changer for me.”

You can follow Ron’s career via his own blog coming soon to Train AV’s website https://trainav.co.uk/.

https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/