Sometimes it doesn't feel that good

My line of work delivers a very mixed bag of emotions. I get enormous pleasure out of helping dogs and owners co-exist with each other.

I meet all sorts of people from the extremely wealthy to the OAPs who are living on the breadline. Most of them share the same problems and seek the same goals.

Unfortunately it is not always a bed of roses. Here’s an example of the dark side of my work.

I received a call from a woman asking for help with her newly adopted Collie. The wee dog was a perfect gentleman indoors. Unfortunately, he was getting very stressed when he ventured outside. He was getting so wound up that he was barking and snarling and performing crocodile death roles whenever he saw other dogs. This was deeply distressing for the owner.

I could tell by the owner's voice that she was not one to be crossed and would not suffer fools gladly. She told me that she had owned dogs for years and that she knew how to train a dog. I got the impression that she had trained dogs in the past with a heavy hand and a course voice. I used to frown on this type of treatment and stay clear of people who handled dogs in this way. I now look on it in a different light. My view is that I can make a difference by educating these owners how to achieve results using humane methods.Seeing is believing. Running away or turning your nose up at these people will solve nothing.

Anyway, I said that I would visit the owner and assess the dog. These situations are never easy because some owners do not like being told the truth.

I entered the house and performed some basic clicker training with the dog. He was very amicable and gentle. I then placed a gentle leader on him and clicked and treated him for remaining calm. After a few minutes, I attached a 6-foot lead and gave him time to settle before I walked him quietly outside.

I walked around the streets with the owner and attempted to settle the dog down whenever he got upset. I managed to keep him fairly calm but he was a handful and it took all my handling abilities to stop him from going over the edge.

We returned home and I had to give my assessment of the dog’s behaviour.

This was a handsome, intelligent little collie.The owner had attempted to amend his behaviour using the traditional methods that had worked with her previous dogs but this guy requires a different skillset. I was in no doubt that he required some extreme socialisation and expert handling if he was to overcome his hang-ups. The town where he lived was highly charged with criminal activity and drug abuse. There were dogs being kennelled in every other garden and the negative atmosphere was electric on the streets. The town is renowned for having packs of dogs running wild in the streets and it’s certainly not the environment for socialising a stressed out collie.
The owner was getting older and was not fit by any means. On top of that the birth of her grandchild was imminent. The dog had already attacked a few of the neighbour's dogs and had bitten the owner’s son twice in the last few weeks.

I always say I’m in this for the dogs and I stick by that statement. I took account of the overall situation and my recommendation was that it would be best if the wee dog was returned to the rescue centre and re-homed into a more suitable environment. This dog needs a home where he can be socialised and stimulated. This wee guy needs loads of free running and plenty of jobs to do to keep him occupied. In a perfect world I would have adopted him myself and brought him on but this is not a reality at the moment.

My decision broke the owner’s heart and I’m not proud of it. The owner had formed a bond with this wee guy and she doted on him even though he had put her through the mill. The woman stayed by herself and he was her only companion. I found this decision easy to make but very difficult to implement. I know in my heart it’s the best course of action. I would feel responsible if anything happened to the owner or the new baby because I had lacked the bottle to make an unpopular decision. I must stress that this was a recommendation not an ultimatum and I was not enforcing the separation. However, the owner agreed with me that it was the best course of action. The owner she said she just needed closure from another person.

Unfortunately, common sense and best practices don’t count for much when your losing your best friend. I feel deeply saddened at the pain and anguish that this poor old woman is going through. I would have preferred to make a more popular decision and guard her from this suffering but I had to act in the best interests of the dog.

I genuinely hope my decision pays off for both dog and owner.

I would like to offer the owner my sincere sympathy and wish her all the best for the future.

This situation “doesn’t make me feel that good”.