Spirit of the Dog - Personal Reflection

My Youngest Dog

A Personal Reflection

By Claudine Tisbury

I am the proud owner of three Border Collies, two of which are rescue dogs. My middle dog was rescued from a farm. He was the smallest of the litter and he was very shy and nervous about everything. He was twelve weeks old and was going to be shot. Since I rescued him, due to my knowledge and training as a canine behaviourist, he is now an energetic working sheep dog.

My youngest dog was nine months old when I decided to give him a home. The first eight months of his life was spent in a very small confined space, he hardly ever saw daylight. During this time he received regular physical attacks by his owner. He was very nervous and aggressive towards everything and everybody. The attacks were reported to a well known animal charity. He was rescued by them and taken to a rescue centre.

He was in kennels a week when he was spotted by a very kind lady. She was aware of his background but decided a couple of days later to give him a home. This lady had an adult son living at home and this dog took a sudden dislike to him and over a short period of time had bitten him a couple of times. Towards the end of two weeks this dog was proving to be more of a challenge than the lady could cope with. She could not take him out for a walk as he would chase traffic, show aggression towards people and other dogs. He showed aggression towards people who visited the home and he continued to be aggressive towards the son.

As a canine behaviourist working for the animal charity I was asked to attend the home to see if I could help her. What I found was a scared, frightened little dog. It took me a good part of an hour for him to get used to me. If I even moved a finger he would shy away barking. At the end of three hours the dog managed to gain some trust in me. I gave the lady advice on how to handle this dog. However, before the end of the visit I told her I would give the dog a home if she could not manage him.

The following day I received that call and immediately went to collect him. From the moment I collected him, using my knowledge and training methods, he started to change. By interacting with him, using the methods we use at Karma Dog Training School, he went from strength to strength. He is now a normal happy dog; he enjoys people and other dogs. He has lots of friends both human and canine. He loves to run free with my other dogs, chasing rabbits and squirrels. He has begun partaking in Sheep Dog Trials training and is doing well. However, lovely for him, but not so good for us mere humans he adores rolling in cow dung!

Our training school name Karma actually means movement and change. However in todays world, the word can have many interpretations. It is possible to consider it as a connotation of our English word calmer, which ties in with the calm and gentle methods used at our training school. It is also possible to look at the meaning as taught by Hindus and Buddhists, who believe Karma is subject to the law of cause and effect. Therefore our actions all produce a result.

My dog was lucky. I had the space to give him a home and the knowledge to be able to rehabilitate him. There are many more dogs out there that need the expertise that we at Karma Dog Training School can provide. We are lacking homes, new owners and most of all facilities to enable these dogs to be rehabilitated.

With specialist facilities that will enable us to use our methods and calming techniques, these dogs and potential new owners can learn how to live together safely and happily.

This is what drives us on with The Spirit of the Dog Rehabilitation Fund, the fact that we know we can make a difference, given the funds to fulfil this much neglected need.