By Hayley Robinson

A disabled man from Sittingbourne is believed to be the first person in the UK, if not the world, to receive a hearing dog that is also trained to carry out everyday tasks.

Glen Tallett, who is deaf and has severe physical disabilities due to cerebral palsy, can now live an independent life thanks to his dual assistance dog Geri.

The chocolate brown labrador was trained jointly by Canine Partners and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf after Glen’s hearing dog Milly retired.

Geri can perform vital tasks such as helping him to get undressed, opening and closing doors and retrieving things from cupboards, supermarket shelves and the floor.

Vicky Martin, from Canine Partners, trained Geri. She said: "Fortunately Geri was a quick learner and loved it all. It was also important for me to adapt my training and stop using verbal commands as Glen doesn’t have speech."

At the Hearing Dogs training centre Nikki Hawkes trained Geri to respond to sounds.

Nikki said: "I had to learn how to train a dog for a wheelchair user, and keep using the Canine Partner commands so her training was consistent. Her favourite sound was the alarm clock, and she worked reliably for this all through her training.

"Glen worked very hard with Geri, and this shows in the close bond they now have."

For several months both Geri and Milly lived happily with Glen, until Milly died in July.

Glen, 41, of Peel Drive, said: "I am so glad I had Geri to help when I was so upset Milly passed away. Geri is very clever.

"She has started to take paper from my printer and give it to me. She did this herself; I did not teach her.

"She seems to understand my needs without me telling her.

"Geri and I are very close friends and partners."