Hero Flo – the incredible multitasking dog!
A guide and hearing dog and also the street's burglar detector too!
In addition to making people aware of Kate’s dual sensory loss, Flo’s hearing dog training has given her a very important role in the community. Kate explains: “We have had a spate of burglaries in our area recently. On the evening of the first one, Flo alerted me in the middle of the night, but I thought she just wanted to go out. However, I found out the next day that there had been a burglary two streets away and the police had caught the person hiding in my shed.
“A few days after that, Flo alerted me twice in the night – once at midnight and then at 4.45am. Again the police told me that a house close to me was broken into at midnight, and the police had attended at 4.45am! So Flo was spot on. Now the police have asked me to dial 999 if Flo alerts me in the night, and have told me that having Flo has made me much safer than the other residents in the street.”
Kate feels very lucky to have her canine partner: “Flo has made an enormous difference to my life. I feel so much more confident both in the house and outdoors. She helps me not only by guiding me and alerting me to sounds, but also by changing the way people at large respond to me.”
RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.
