Puppy Carer Lynda has been looking after Hearing Assistance Trainee Yannis since the 14th of February, 2023 – a sweet little labradoodle valentine.
Lynda was recently retired and thought that Puppy Socialising would be something that she could enjoy as well as wholeheartedly dedicate all the new spare time on her hands! Yannis is her first dog that she has fostered through Australian Lions Hearing Dogs.
Lynda and her family have Alfie, their pet King Charles Cavalier who Yannis has been fantastic company for and they have lots of fun together. Throughout Yannis’ time in the Puppy Program, Lynda was able to learn lots about training a puppy and picked up some really useful tips to use with Alfie from the Australian Lions Hearing Dog Puppy team.
Lynda’s favourite part about being a Puppy Socialiser has overall been just having this beautiful pup with them in their lives, “He gives us so much joy and love; I have really enjoyed learning along with him and seeing how he has just picked up everything he has been taught so well. He has been an absolute pleasure to have in our home.”
Although Yannis has filled their home and hearts with so much love, he wasn’t as kind to their backyard. When he was younger Yannis was a bit of a digger and loved to be a bit mischievous in the garden, he soon grew out of the mischievous stage but is stall a goofy boy at heart.
Yannis is coming along very nice in his training to become a Hearing Assistance Dog. Since he started training in late October, he is very consistent with his training and quickly building up his confidence. Yannis recently passed his PAT (Public Assess Test) and is on the home stretch of his training with us and will soon be delivered to his recipient.
Yannis is one of the first dogs to be involved in our new ‘Bed and Breakfast Program’ trial which has been going very well for both parties. He gets dropped off and picked up by Lynda four days a week – almost like school! He also gets to enjoy the weekends with his foster family.
His delivery will be extra special as Yannis will be our 700th Hearing Assistance Dog delivered to a deaf/hard-of-hearing Australian. This is such a big milestone for us, and we are so stocked that it gets to be Yannis – he is turning into the sweetest boy and an incredible Hearing Assistance Dog. This could not have been possible without the hard work of Lynda and her family shaping Yannis into the dog that he is today.
Yannis is Lynda’s only foster puppy, but if she were to foster again in the future – Yannis would be hard to beat.
“He is a beautiful dog, smart, loving and so keen to learn new things. Yannis is an absolute pleasure to have had around and whoever gets to have him in their home will be very, very lucky”, says Lynda.
To anyone considering starting their Puppy Socialisation journey for one of our Assistance Dogs, “If you have the time in your life and want to support a very worthy cause, the benefits are amazing and it is such a rewarding thing to do. The pups are absolutely gorgeous and you have the support of trainers with helpful fortnightly catch ups for a training session. You are their foster family and they love you, you get so much love back – it’s just so special and really worth it.”
We thank Lynda and her Husband for all their hard work with Yannis; it has definitely paid off.
