Ref. 28035/1A TALENTED pooch called Budgie was the star attraction at Westbury Infants School on Monday as youngsters looked on with interest.

Budgie is a hearing dog for the deaf and was brought in for assembly by his owner Tracy Lewis, who lives in the town.

Pupils heard Ann Whittaker from charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People explain the vital role dogs like Budgie play. She told the youngsters how hearing dogs attract their owners' attention by adopting various poses and physical contact to warn them of possible danger.

It costs £5,000 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to train each dog and there are less than 2,000 serving deaf owners in the UK. The school plans to use funds from tomorrow's bazaar to help the charity train more.

Mrs Whittaker said: "I usually give a slide presentation about our work to raise awareness. But I condensed it down to make it more understandable for the children.

"They were very good and there were lots of hands up when I asked if there were any questions so they must have listened well."

Enrichment group teacher Trish Meneheneott said: "We have done quite a lot of work on animals that help people and last term we had a visit from Canine Partners. It also fitted in well with the work they have been doing on the senses."