15/09/2025
Figgy Diggy Dog. You super girl!
Another one of mum and dad’s puppies out there making a difference.
When Eleanor was 18, her world changed.
Sitting in a school assembly, a microphone gave off an ear-piercing squeal – and she didn’t react. “Everyone winced and covered their ears, and I just sat there, completely unaware,” she recalls. A hearing test followed, and two hearing aids soon after.
“It knocked my confidence straight away,” she says. “Social situations became hard work. My hearing aids would whistle, and I couldn’t even hear it. Friends teased me, and I felt like I stood out for all the wrong reasons.”
Eleanor’s hearing loss is genetic – her dad also lives with it. “Watching how he navigated it with quiet strength gave me a model to follow. I just kept going, but living with hearing loss quietly reshaped my life.”
Things came to a head during the pandemic. Isolating in her flat with COVID, Eleanor missed a neighbour knocking and only woke up when loud banging caused vibrations. “She was standing there with a paramedic, ready to break down the door. It really shook me. I realised how vulnerable I was.”
Work also brought challenges. Eleanor spent years in fast-paced TV production, working on shows like 24 Hours in Police Custody and Ambulance. “It was rewarding but exhausting. Listening with hearing loss takes so much energy. You’re always trying to keep up.”
One moment still stings. “I was filming a surgery for the BBC. A nurse was updating me while wearing a mask – I asked three times, but I just couldn’t hear. I walked away in tears. I felt so capable, yet so dependent. Even though people were kind, I hated feeling like a burden.”
Eventually, Eleanor knew something had to change. “That incident with my neighbour really stayed with me. I realised I needed something – or someone – to help me feel safe and less alone.”
Eleanor applied for a hearing dog and in December 2022, while on holiday with her sister she got the news, she’d been matched with a hearing dog. “Seeing Fig’s photo... I just burst into happy tears. Everything felt lighter.”
Eleanor was nervous about meeting her new partner, but it was love at first sight. “There was an instant connection. She brought this calm with her.”
Fig now transforms Eleanor’s daily life. “She wakes me every morning, so I no longer worry about oversleeping. I can nap or take my hearing aids out, knowing she’ll alert me to important sounds – like the doorbell. She’s given me freedom and control.”
Her emotional world has changed too. “Fig brings this deep sense of reassurance. And she connects me to people – when we’re out, people stop to talk. I’m naturally reserved, but Fig bridges that gap.”
Work is different now too. Eleanor supports start-up founders, often working from home or co-working spaces. “Fig brings calm, companionship, and connection wherever we go.”
And the biggest surprise? “The companionship. I’ve lived alone for years, and now I’m never really alone. She knows what I need before I do.”
Fig’s personality matches her impact. “She’s cheeky, affectionate and sociable – a total little monkey. Honestly, she’s taken over my personality, and I love it!”
Today, Eleanor feels more confident, secure and happy than ever. And it’s thanks not just to Fig, but the people who helped shape her.
“To the amazing volunteers who helped raise and train Fig – thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’ve given me safety, confidence and joy. Just pure joy. I honestly can’t imagine life without her.”
