Cat gets job helping to train hearing dogs

Frank is currently training a puppy called Kasper

A Siamese cat has been recruited to help train hearing dogs.

Frank, who lives in High Wycombe with owner Julie Shute, spends time with dogs to see how they react to him, and assess if the trainee could live with a cat owner.

Rachel Broadley, dog training instructor at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People's Buckinghamshire training hub, said: "Frank is proving to be a great addition to our training team.

"It's not a job that would suit every cat, but as a confident boy who loves dogs, he is already best friends with trainee puppy Kasper."

Frank is introduced to dogs first via a glass door

The charity trains dogs across the country to recognise sounds such as smoke alarms, doorbells and baby monitors.

Trainee dogs are slowly introduced to Frank, who is first seen behind a transparent glass door.

Later, Frank will rest on his owner's lap in reach of the dog to see how they behave.

Ms Shute said: "When a dog comes up to Frank, I can tell by his body language if he's comfortable around them.

"Throughout the whole interaction, he's always free to jump out of the way or leave the room. But if he's comfortable, his muscles will relax, and the dog can then come closer to sniff him."

Dogs that bark, seem overinterested or back away from Frank may not be appropriate to live with a cat owner.

Frank's owner said she reads his body language during the meetings

At the end of each training session, Frank is awarded with his favourite snack: roast chicken pieces.

The owner continued: "Frank got involved purely by accident when I decided to volunteer as a puppy trainer and was given our first puppy, a Cockapoo called Gizmo.

"They ate, slept and played together. My trainer at the time observed this and asked if it would be possible for other hearing dog puppies to visit Frank to see if they could be matched with a deaf partner who already had a pet cat.

"Frank started taking his role with Hearing Dogs very seriously and soon earned his title of 'chief cat tester'."