| No real surprise there then. But it’s true, my occupation although not specifically named Dog Listeners but people who deal with dog behaviour problems; was listed as one of the ten most interesting or unusual jobs. My occupation came in at number four. Just below embalmers but above kosher certification consultants and vibration consultants. I’ve no idea what the latter do…….or do I? I would imagine that they get a buzz out of their job. Also on the list are court jesters, feng shui consultants and Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. So when considering a career it doesn’t have to be banking, sales or a service industry. You could get out there and rattle those ravens. I am pleased to announce the founding of Every Chance Rescue. Not another charity you might say and you’d be right. Every Chance aims to do what it says in it’s title, give every dog, every chance. Countless dogs are needlessly put down because events out of their control have led them to bite or even just show verbal aggression. Many of these deaths could be prevented and in an effort to make this happen Every Chance was founded. You will be hearing a lot more about this venture but in the meantime have a look at our ‘Mission Statement’ Every Chance Rescue Mission Statement Every Chance Rescue, a non-profit making organisation was formed in October 2008 to bridge the gap that traditional rescue organisations cannot fill. The organisation is run entirely by Jan Fennell qualified and monitored Dog Listeners and sits alongside Jan Fennell International Dog Listeners Ltd. Using international best selling author, Jan Fennell’s method of Amichien® Bonding, Every Chance Rescue work with dogs that other organisations find impossible to re home and is dedicated to the rehabilitation and re homing of such dogs. Every dog that comes into care is given appropriate veterinary treatment and is re homed fully vaccinated, neutered and micro chipped. We work diligently to save dogs from mistreatment and unnecessary death, provide them with a safe, secure environment and foster homes where they receive the highest quality of care and treatment. Ultimately we place them with owners that are fully supported by Dog Listeners to provide Amichien Bonding® in a safe and loving home. And then make something out of nothing. You may have already seen this on the news but I was amazed at this reporters stupidity. He starts off apparantly teasing Barney, George Bush’s dog who is on a lead, and then, without any consultation with the person holding the lead, he lunges straight into Barney’s personal space with right hand outstretched and a large sheaf of papers in the left. Barney checks out his options. He tries flight, no good, on a lead. Freeze is not an option, he can’t ignore this big lump looming over him so it’s fight. No other option, but even as he is using that option Barney is moving backwards and obviously telling the reporter ‘backoff’. I found it really hard to see any contact. Any that did occur was richly deserved. What did the reporter do? He saw the White House Physician and had the wound? dressed. The reporter says it will have to be rebandaged daily and he’ll be on a course of anti-biotics. Oh please!!! In one report it said that ‘Following the attack (no overdramatisation there then) the reporter was treated by the Presidents Personal Surgeon.”What would have happened if the dog had belonged to a member of the public, was bigger, or if the incident had not been filmed to show that the bite was justified? Probably a dead dog, just because once again a human had done the wrong thing and the dog would be the loser. How many times on a daily basis do incidents like this occur that result in dogs being killed? Many more than you’d like to think. But hey that’s ok how dare a dog act like a dog? We’re humans, top of the food chain. Cross us and die. To see the incident such as it is go to:-http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yZom8iqPu6Y As you know my blog and website are centred on and around dogs. However sometimes I like to take a quick wander to other things that come into my life. As can see I have not posted for a while. this has been due in some part to pressure of work but mainly due to huge amounts of family stuff from weddings, illness through to funerals so a bit of everything really. The best bit was the wedding of Richard, my youngest son which was a super wedding and meant that we stayed for a couple of nights at a very nice hotel near Winchester. As a result of this I was forced to have two of the biggest cooked breakfast imaginable but hey, if they’ve gone to the trouble of cooking it it would be churlish to refuse. As we’d had a fairly manic time my wife and I paid a visit to the theatre for a bit of light relief. We quite often go to live theatre. Sometimes locally but more often in London’s West End. I thought I’d just give you a quick personal view of what’s on now and recently that we’ve seen. It might save you some money. Our latest visit was to see ‘The 39 Steps’ at the Criterion at Picadilly Circus. It had a cast of four all playing a variety of roles and an arm (playing an arm) it was fast moving and brilliantly funny, just what we needed to lighten our spirits. If you ever see anything advertised by The Reduced Shakespeare Company go and see it. I defy you not to come out of the theatre with a smile on your face. They perform such things as ‘The Complete Works of Shakespeare in 90 minutes’ or ‘The Bible (Old and New Testaments) in 90 minutes.’ The Mousetrap. London’s, and probably the world’s longest running play now in it’s 56th year. A good old fashioned who dunnit played tongue in cheek. You musn’t be the only person who hasn’t seen it. Stomp. Very clever, talented percussionists but more worthy of a ten minute slot in a variety show than a theatre all to itself. There are only so many ways you can hit something. Save your money While I’m on the subject of Stomp it brings something else to mind. Theatre bars. Now I know that they’re going to be over priced. they’ve got you. Either you pay their price or go thirsty, but why, when they know how many people they are going to be serving and at what time they will arrive, do they only put the bottles in the fridges as they open to the public? When we saw Stomp we arrived in time to get a drink and also order our interval drinks. On walking into the bar (on a very hot day) we found that we were the only customers and there were two members of staff. One was a very slim petulant looking oriental male who would have made the Pet Shop Boys look like Royal Marine Commandoes. the other staff member was a female whose previous job had obviously been as Morale Officer on the Titanic. I approached the male member of staff, banknote in hand. He ignored me. “Excuse me.” I said apologetically. He turned and walked away without a word, it must have been pressure of work that caused him not to notice us. I approached the female member of staff and after speaking to her twice she glanced in my direction. I believe she was French with all the Gallic charm and love of the English that this brings. Being French she knew how to deal with wine to bring the best out so when I ordered a glass of white wine for my wife she knew it was best served in a less than sparkling clean glass at slightly over twice blood temperature. Well it does stop people drinking too much. As it was such a hot day I decided to have a lager. When I first asked she just looked at me, no response. I tried again “A lager please.” Sullen silence. one more time then. “What lagers do you have?” At this point she slammed two bottles down in front of me, one of Guinness the other Strongbow Cider. At this point I decided on that famous brand of lager, Diet Coke. We Will Rock You. This got a kicking from the critics but everybody I know who has seen it agrees with me that it’s brilliant and it’s funny. It’s not Shakespeare, it’s not meant to be. If you like the music of Queen you must see this, if you like the writing of Ben Elton then you must see it. The Woman in Black. Not bad, not a lot of laughs The Woman in White although not currently on in West End as above Buddy. Great live rock n roll a fun show (and about the only theatre with cold drinks) Spamalot. Another fun show although you need to be well up on your Monty Python to get all the jokes. Heavy merchandising before during and after the show. The Producers. Not currently on, my wife enjoyed I found it OK but wouldn’t rush to see it again. One play which had a very short West End run was Telstar. The story of Joe Meek. This was particularly interesting to me as when Joe Meek was alive I was playing in a group. Friends of mine in another group (and much better than us) were targeted by Meek with promises of stardom. It probably had nothing to do with the fact that they had a very good looking bass player. It’s probably only coincidence that when Roger, an unfortunate name in the circumstances, made it very clear that he was a devout hetrosexual that their potential chart topping status finished. I digress. It was an enormously enjoyable play and has just been made into a feature film of the same name due to be released soon. I will be seeing it without fail. There are some laughs but it’s in essence the story of one talented mans rush to self destruction but hey the music’s good. We are now approaching the time of year that puts dogs (and other family pets) under more stress that at any other. Halloween, Bonfire night and then the run up to Christmas. For Bonfire night and the period of firework displays around it. You will hopefully already have a system in place to keep your dog safe and as relaxed as possible while all the noise is going on. If not, perhaps you’d better arrange a consultation with a dog listener before next year. Of course that is not going to help your dog now. If your dog is not concerned with the noise then that’s fine, just carry on as normal. If your dog sees you unconcerned he’ll be relaxed. Under no circumstances comfort your dog. you will give him the signal that you are terrified too and he is right to be frightened. If he does show signs of fright or stress just take him by the collar and hold him at your side with no speech or eye contact. He will at first continue to shake or bark. Ignore it until he relaxes. How long will this take? Who knows? Every dog is different but relax he will. You can then silently release him. It may be that shortly after there is another loud bang and your dog gets stressed again. Repeat as above. Each time you hold him by your side the time it takes for him to relax will decrease. The upside of this, probably as a result of the credit crunch, is that here we are in late October and I’ve yet to hear my first firework. It won’t last of course so stay calm. Halloween, that wondrous time of the year when gangs of small, and not so small children travel from house to house demanding protection money. “OK old woman! What’s it going to be, the sweets or your front window?” The temptation is to go to the door with your dog. Bad move and potentially very dangerous for the dog. He doesn’t know it’s Halloween and when he goes to the door with you and is confronted by loud, squealing, strangely dressed creatures, he may well fall back into defence drive. All your dog, any dog knows, is how to be a dog. When a dog is threatened, angry, frightened or just hacked off; they don’t call their lawyers they bite. It’s called survival. If your dog bites, or even has a near miss with a child on your doorstep, even if the callers are at fault. You will be looking at a lot of grief and potential fatal consequences for your dog who after all only did what he thought was right. When you answer the door at anytime, but particularly at times like this. It’s a good idea to put your dog in another room first. After all it’s not your dogs job to decide who can or can’t come into the house is it? Play safe and nothing can go wrong for you, your visitors or your best friend. Which only leaves Christmas, another stressful time. So much to do, so little time and it’s started already. Money is in short supply, tempers get frayed. By the time the big day arrives in some homes it’s a war zone. Rowing parents, unwanted relatives, spoilt children and burnt turkey. it can be bad for the humans and we know what’s going on. The poor old dog just wants to be left alone. Give him a bit of peace if you can, somewhere he can just go and chill out. So you’ve decided to get a dog. That’s one decision out of the way. The next is what type of dog? Should it be a pedigree or cross breed or ‘multi pedigree’ as I like to think of them? Puppy or older rescue dog? Dog or bitch? All these questions need to be considered before you go and look at any live dogs. the decision is not yours alone, the rest of the family must have some input too. Really think this through, your family structure, lifestyle, working hours, house size and garden size are all relevant to your final decision as to whether you can look after a dog and if so what size you can comfortably introduce into your household. There have been several good tv documentaries lately about breeders and show dogs which have been horrific but were well worth watching because knowledge is power. I have been making my living with dogs for 30+ years and yet did not know until seeing one of these programmes that the distinctive ridge on the Rhodesian Ridgeback is an indicator of Spina Bifida. The dogs born without the ridge are the healthy ones. Knowing that you would think that the sensible and caring breeder would go for the ridgeless variety wouldn’t you? In fact the policy of the breeders is to ‘cull’ all ridgeless puppies. ‘Cull’ is a term used to make the killing of perfectly healthy puppies sound a little less brutal and let’s face it, stupid. Eugenics it’s called. It went down very big with Nazi Germany in the 1930s in their quest to build a master race. They at least, were logical about it and placed fit young men with fit young women with the idea of producing strong babies. Even in prewar Germany they wouldn’t have thought it a good idea to kill all the strong healthy children and nurture those who would be a burden on the state for the rest of their probably short and painful lives. If you are going to get a thoroughbred dog make sure you attend the kennels or breeders home and see the litter on their home turf together with the parents. Don’t be confused or dazzled by pedigree papers they’re often not worth the paper they’re printed on. If you’re going for a breed that is classified as ‘working’ such as Labrador, German Shepherd or Spaniels then I strongly advise that you go to a breeder that breeds working stock. In many breeds, the German Shepherd is a good example, the working and show dogs are almost separate breeds with the show variety having an exaggerated sloping back end and, in many cases, is almost unable to walk. Have a look at a Police Dog or Guide Dog for the Blind, they have a good straight back and stand there looking comfortable because they are as nature intended. I’m not really sure what show dogs are about, would you make Jordan Prime Minister on the grounds that she’s got a big chest? Another type of dog to steer clear of is fashionable ‘must have’ breeds which come and go out of fashion as quickly as skirt lengths change. I’ve read recently that the ‘must have’ in a certain social circle of women is the Pug. This is a breed that comes ready equipped with a whole range of health problems as a matter of course. When you add a sudden demand then unscrupulous dealers will churn them out regardless of quality. Another area of risk is when a dog appears in a film or on tv. Remember 102 Dalmatians? Ask any rescue centre how they were inundated 6 – 12 months after the films release when all those cute puppies grew up. How long before the R.S.P.C.A are swamped with Pugs because they’re ‘so last year’. Earlier this year I was in Yellowstone Park with Jan Fennell and other Dog Listeners, watching wolves. Thanks to the tremendous knowledge and skill of our guides Nathan and Linda we saw things that people who have been long term watchers have never seen. One of these rare moments was to observe a mating ritual complete with ‘tie’. If that wasn’t special enough the pack involved were the ‘Druids Peak Pack’. This particular pack have a very special place in the hearts of those involved in the regeneration of the wolf in the wild. This morning we had a message from Linda Thurston that the Druids had been sighted with twelve, yes twelve puppies. What tremendous news and a huge boost for the survivability of the pack. We must remember that for a short time earlier this year that wolves were taken off the list of protected species and hunting was to be allowed. Happily common sense prevailed but they are always moves afoot to allow the killing of wolves to be made legal again. we will remain vigilant. It must be ‘Silly Season’ looking at the press this week. We of course had the one serious story covered in a separate blog about Shock Collars in Wales. Silly story number one was the introduction of a new non emergency phone number by Dundee Police to take pressure off of the 999 system which was being overloaded by trivial enquiries. It was decided that a bright eye catching poster was needed to draw the public’s attention to the change. After much discussion it was decided to use a picture of an eight week old German Shepherd puppy, a potential Police Dog. Sitting in his handler’s upturned cap doing what pups do best, looking cute. Next to the picture were details of the new phone number. A simple idea, people see the cute picture, look at the poster and get the information. No problem? Wrong, of course there is a problem. What if it upsets one of the few Muslims who live in the force area? They think dogs are unclean so everyone in the Police Service must make a grovelling public apology for the ‘insensitivity’ of the Police and of course withdraw the poster. Has anyone complained? One local politician out to make a name for himself. I know that there are people of all persuasions who trawl the media looking for some way, anyway, to be outraged or offended but come on, hasn’t some senior Police Officer or Government member got the guts to stand up and point out to the troublemakers that it’s a picture of a small dog advertising a phone number? That’s all it is, furthermore, the number is to help ‘the community’ a word beloved of these easily offended people who are usually self styled ‘Community Leaders’. In many cases of course the last thing these ‘leaders’ want is a happy and contented community because then their power base would be gone and they would have to revert to their true selves, sad inadequates with a strong dose of bitterness. It is also of interest that it is now not uncommon to see Muslims with dogs, if only to guard their premises and that a number of Muslim clerics have stated that, even those who do consider dogs unclean make an exception in the case of hunting and ‘Service’ dogs because they are assisting mankind. A storm in a teacup, or should I say a Police Cap? Silly story two. Once again political correctness interferes for no reason, and of course, doesn’t ask the people who have to do the job. This time it’s worry in case a explosive detection dog had to search a Muslim household and as a result offended the occupants. As previously mentioned the dog would be a service dog and therefore if not OK at least acceptable. The only thing that would be offensive would be dog saliva. So what have the brains come up with to prevent potential terror suspects being made ‘unclean’ by saliva? Yes you’re right, got it in one. Fit them with little lace up bootees, that’ll solve it??? I have a suspicion that anyone having their property searched with a terrorist connection is probably going to be less than pleased anyway and the arrival of a dog is going to be the least of their worries, unless of course the dog finds ‘the hide’. Once again people who don’t live in the real world are just looking for conflict. they are following their own agenda. We did try boots on police dogs back in the 80s when inner city riots were sweeping the UK but found that the dogs were a little less than impressed with their new kit. Some ripped them straight off, others refused to move and those that did tended to stagger as if drunk before picking one of the other options to deal with them. Silly story three, the top three breeds in a list of the most aggressive dogs are, 1) Dachshund. 2) Chihuahua 3) Jack Russell. We Dog listeners have a saying that to blame a dogs behaviour solely on its breed is like saying all Frenchmen wear berets. Of course breeds have certain pre-dispositions that we’ve bred into them but almost without fail their behaviour is down to the way that they interact with their owners and the signals they get from them. Owners of bigger dogs are probably more aware of the potential of trouble if their dogs bite. Many owners of smaller breeds either don’t believe that their dog would bite anyone or if they do don’t think it either hurts or matters. Owners like this often get a rude awakening when they injured party turns up at the Police Station demanding action. Don’t worry what breed or mix of breeds you’ve got, big or small. If you give them the right information so they can rely on you (that doesn’t mean nagging them with sit, down and stay ad nauseum), they will be happy and safe dogs. the best way to achieve this is by contacting me or one of my colleagues and arranging a consultation. You can find a list of qualified Dog Listeners by visiting Jan Fennell’s website www. janfennellthedoglistener.com To read the full ‘Ankle Biter’ story click on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2254479/Sausage-dogs-are-the-most-aggressive-dogs.html The good news is that the Welsh Assembly have banned Electric ShockCollars. The bad news is that it remains legal to buy sell and use them for the forseeable future until further legislation is enacted.The very bad news is that the UK Government is not following suit. I remember a certain Anthony (call me Tony. I’m just a regular guy) Blair promising ‘joined up government’ when he came to power. That obviously doesn’t cover things that probably 99% of the public think is wrong like cruelty. How about this for a response to the ruling? A statement from the UK government says: “While we are aware of a number of scientific studies on electric shock collars DEFRA considers that to date those studies published in this area are not sufficiently robust and that the evidence base needs to be built on before consideration can be given to either banning or regulating their use.”The government is not prepared to do this unless there is clear evidence that these devices in themselves are harmful to welfare. “DEFRA,now there’s a name to conjure with. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. would that be the same DEFRA whose incompetence at their own laboratories allowed the Foot and Mouth virus to escape thus decimating the UK cattle population, forcing many farmers into bankruptcy and some to suicide? The same DEFRA who have systematically made a complete hash out of dealing with, Bird Flu, Blue Tongue, the Bovine TB issue to name but a few? I’d go to Lucretia Borgia for cooking lessons before seeking DEFRAs opinion on animal welfare. The fight goes on against both shock and spiked collars, we’re not going away. How a supposedly intelligent person can put out a press release like the one above I just don’t know. Did they not read what they had written before sending it out for release? Perhaps they should have said ‘They’re only a little bit cruel. Ok, so they hurt the dogs and place them under stress because the dog doesn’t know what’s going on but hey! We need to be robust and really put the animals under pressure so that we can see them really traumatised. Only then can we have discussion and focus groups talking at public expense for several years at least before coming up with some wishy washy non decision.” I favour the attitude of Sir Winston Churchill. When he was presented with a situation in which it was obvious what had to be done, what was the right thing to do, would write across the papers in big letters so that there could be no doubt about his wishes. “ACTION THIS DAY!”. just let some civil servant or politician try and say they misunderstood the Prime Ministers intentions. Surely any right minded person must know that this equipment is cruel and therefore should not be available to anyone to use at anytime? Click on the link below to read the whole story http://www.dogworld.co.uk/News/27-welsh-ban-for-shock-collars We now have a new tool to help us spread the word about Amichien Bonding – the kind natural way to communicate with your dogs. Our own Newsletter. The first edition has just been published and you will be able to access it by clicking on the link below. It carries a number of articles and I’m involved in three of them. Yellowstone Experience (I’m far right in the picture wearing a fetching little hat). Featured Dog Listeners about our involvement with rescue dogs from Afghanistan and their appearance at Crufts and finally, under the heading Health News is an article I wrote about Electric Shock Collars. I don’t yet know how often this Newsletter will be published but hope to keep getting involved in its content. Read and enjoy. As always, any feedback welcome. http://www.listeningtoday.co.uk/ | ContactPhone me on 01252 650323 or use this form to send me an email. |
