Kay McKeown from Marcham, Oxfordshire, lived for several decades with an undiagnosed hearing condition after becoming deaf as a child due to measles.
During her school years, people wrongly assumed she was ignorant, rude and lazy because of her hearing difficulties.
At age 29, a hearing test organised at her workplace led to her finally receiving a proper diagnosis.
McKeown described how the company arranged a hearing screening booth and asked her to press a button whenever she detected a sound. When several minutes passed without any response from her, the technician opened the door and suggested she was not taking the test seriously. This prompted her referral and accurate diagnosis.
She began using a hearing aid, which had an immediate effect on her ability to hear.
McKeown said the change was so dramatic that she returned to her job whispering, as she had never previously heard her own voice properly.
Despite improvements at work, everyday situations continued to cause problems.
She experienced anxiety when alone and would go to bed early to avoid unsettling sounds whose origin she could not identify.
She also faced unkind responses in public when she did not hear individuals approaching from behind.
A major turning point came when she attended an open day hosted by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People in Buckinghamshire.
McKeown observed that she discovered an organisation that truly understood the consequences of hearing loss and offered meaningful help. Acknowledging the extent of her hearing impairment proved highly emotional. For the first time, she realised just how cut off she had been.
In August 2025, the charity matched her with a black miniature poodle named Dotty.
Dotty has been taught to alert her to important noises such as smoke and fire alarms, kitchen timers and people at the front door.
McKeown says the dog’s impact goes far beyond practical help.
She noted that she was unaware of a constant feeling of tension in her existence until it disappeared. The poodle has reduced this worry along with her feelings of isolation. She brings joy and laughter into her life every single day. The improvement to her overall wellbeing has been enormous.
Her sleep, which had previously suffered because she could not predict what noises might occur during the night, has also improved.
McKeown said her smartwatch recorded that before Dotty, her sleep score never went above 30 percent. Since the dog arrived, it climbed to 60 percent. She had not realised how poor her rest had been.
Dotty has also made a difference at McKeown’s office in Reading, where she works for the international accounting firm BDO LLP.
McKeown said from the moment she asked about bringing Dotty to work, the company made every effort to welcome her and learn more about how her deafness affects her.