Babs is Raworth resident Fay Downing's hearing dog who has made a huge difference to her life, making everyday tasks not only easier but safer.

She tells Ms Downing when the oven timer or an alarm is going off, or when there's someone at the door, and would tell Ms Downing if a fire alarm was ringing, or if she was being followed on her way home.

The clever little helper even taught herself to alert Ms Downing's husband when his blood sugar was low.

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Ms Downing said without her cochlear implants, she wouldn't be able to hear a thing.

"Babs does everything," she said.

"When we go walking she lets me know if someone is behind me and makes me feel a lot safer. It's very hard not to have her with you."

Ms Downing said having Babs is like having a little two year old who never grows up, but she's very well behaved.

Babs knows to sit on a mat when they go for coffee at Green Hills, and she sits down patiently when they go to the movies.

"She's a good girl like that," Ms Downing said.

Wilma Lilley, president and hearing dogs chair at West Maitland Centennial Lions Club said Hearing Dogs Australia is a Lions Club project.

National Hearing Dog Day will be held for the first time on Tuesday 19th April, 2022, celebrating 40 years since the first Hearing Assistance Dog in Australia was delivered to someone suffering from profound hearing loss.

Ms Lilley said Hearing Dogs provides and trains dogs for people with hearing loss for free.

"This provides them with a bit more freedom because they're able to rest easy at home and know that their dog will warn them of things like the doorbell, telephone and fire alarm," she said.

Lions raise the money primarily through businesses and organisations sponsoring a dog or providing annual donations.

This year to mark Hearing Dog Day, Ms Lilley is fundraising by selling shoe laces for $5 per pair.

The organisation has now provided over 650 Hearing Assistance Dogs to people across Australia, and now they are taking the next step, training up Medical Alert Dogs to help people living with diabetes and epilepsy.

The dogs will be able to pick up signs and go fetch a medical pack or call for assistance.

To purchase the fundraising shoe laces or find out more about Hearing Dogs, call Ms Lilly on 4934 1848.

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