HEARING DOG PIN-UP No. 13: SHYLA

SHYLA is a nine-year-old yellow Labrador. She was born in September 2015 and has four brothers and one sister. Shyla successfully qualified as a full hearing dog in 2023.

© Paul Wilkinson 2025

ABOUT SHYLA (FROM HER VOLUNTEER PUPPY TRAINER BARBARA)

“I’ll always treasure the time we shared. Shyla was truly one of a kind.”

© Paul Wilkinson 2025

“Shyla was the most beautiful puppy – a soft, creamy pale colour that turned heads wherever she went. As soon as she was old enough to go out in public, people would stop just to stroke her. She was irresistible.

She picked up her basic commands quickly – ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘down’ – and her recall was impressive from the start. I can’t ever remember a time she didn’t come running to the sound of the whistle.

But Shyla also had a mischievous streak. I used to keep toilet rolls in a big basket on the bathroom floor. One day, I walked in to find she had dropped each roll from the top of the stairs. The staircase was festooned with streamers, and the dining room was filled with chewed-up paper. She had clearly had the time of her life – and honestly, I couldn’t be cross with her.

My granddaughter adored her and told all her friends at primary school about Shyla. Eventually, they were invited to meet her – and she was on her very best behaviour.”

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ABOUT SHYLA’S PARTNERSHIP WITH JEFF

Shyla and Jeff have an understanding that helps the latter to notice what he doesn’t hear. © Paul Wilkinson 2025

Jeff suffered from chronic ear infections into his late teens, which severely damaged his hearing, leaving him profoundly deaf without his hearing aids.

Jeff and his wife Angela became Breeding Team Volunteers with Hearing Dogs in 2012, caring for several puppies, including Shyla, a hearing dog mum. After Shyla developed elbow dysplasia and retired from breeding, Jeff’s hearing declined further, prompting him to apply for a hearing dog.

While Jeff and Angela continued to train Shyla to alert to sounds, their instructor noticed the strong bond between her and Jeff. In 2023, Shyla was officially partnered with Jeff – and the pair haven’t looked back since.

“At home, Shyla’s magic!”, says Jeff. “Before I got her, if I was in the house and a member of my family called me, I’d have no idea where the noise was coming from. Now, if someone wants me, they ask Shyla to ‘find Daddy’, and she’ll lead me to whoever’s calling.

© Paul Wilkinson 2025

We have a cabin at the bottom of the garden, where I do my painting. It’s connected to our front doorbell. Shyla always follows me in there and waits patiently while I’m painting. She’ll nudge me to let me know if the doorbell rings.

We practise her alerting to sounds every day, but we make a game of it. Of an evening, we’ll hide some kibble around the house and she’ll go off and find them, her tail wagging the whole time. We also do Hide and Squeak! I hide, then I’ll squeak her squeaker and she has to find me. She loves it and it really helps strengthen our bond.

Before I had Shyla, I had all but withdrawn from social situations because it was impossible to have a conversation with anyone unless they were sat right next to me.

I rarely went shopping because it meant interacting with other people. If there wasn’t a price for something on the shelf, I would just walk out. I didn’t want to be in a position where I’d have to ask someone and then try and decipher their reply.

Now, when we’re out and about, people see her burgundy Hearing Dogs jacket and they come up and talk to us. She’s a real ambassador for hearing dogs because she’s so beautifully behaved and approachable.”

Angela has also noticed the impact that Shyla has had on Jeff’s life: “She’s supported him to realise his place in the world and that he has a voice which deserves to be heard. She’s made Jeff feel valued.”

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Hearing Dogs for Deaf PeopleSource: Audiology News UK issue 16 September-October 2025