Last night I had the great pleasure of joining the BBC London’s ‘Barking at the Moon’ radio show. Hosted by the energetic duo of Jo Good and Anna Webb, I was one of a number of guests there to talk about all things ‘dog’ including my Rescue Review project (http://www.rescuereview.co.uk). Jo and Anna are very supportive of Rescue Review and described it as “a much needed and useful website” and Jo proved how easy it is to use by searching for and reading out some excellent reviews written about London based rescues.

We were joined in the studio by Jo and Anna’s dogs (Molly and Matilda) who behaved exceptionally well during my interview but unfortunately for those who followed – apparently became a little ‘windy’. It may have been the nerves knowing that canine behavioural specialist Jez Rose (http://blog.jezrose.co.uk) was about to be on next or perhaps it was the thought of sampling delicious and nutritious supplements and treats described by nutritionist Dr John Howie of Lintbells. Anna mentioned that she actually takes the (dogs) joint supplement herself which I’m sure resulted in hoots of laughter by all those listening!

I also had the pleasure in meeting two lovely authors – Nadine Hanwell and Maureen Melvin. Nadines book is about her life in West London with her beautiful Doberman – Shoe. Maureen who is also an opera singer and poet had also recently written a book “Paws for Shakespeare” – a humorous rhyming journal covering the first two years in the lives of Annabel and Alice, Maureen’s two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Thank you very much to the Barking at the Moon team for kindly inviting me to the show. I hope to visit again! Woof woof!

Such a busy time with work and a four-week trial period of ‘Rescue Review’ throughout August. The good news – it was a real success and despite a problem with the format, a technical hitch and some poorly phrased questions, even the small sample number has been of use to the few shelters I was able to provide reports to.

And I was given a lot of really good ideas and suggestions to make the reviews more useful to both those using them as a potential adopter and those responsible for the effective management of their shelters or rescue organisations.
Due to the positive feedback and large number of reviews submitted I feel Rescue Review deserves its very own website! The site will include numerous improvements making it both easier to use and read.

I will also be able to highlight best practices so that those working in rescue or adoption can pick up some great ideas to introduce into their own organisations or shelters. The site development should be completed in the next four weeks so keep a look out for any updates here or notification by Twitter.

Dog Bite Prevention Week runs from May 16^th to 22^nd and appears to be getting greater media attention due to the reported 60% increase in dog-related injuries in the last 10 years. The statistics break down to a startling 4.7 million people being bitten by dogs in the UK every year.

Related articles in the media are providing sensible measures and advice to prevent dog related injuries, but there is little mention as to why there should be such an increase.

Is it just co-incidence that no-win no-fee deals (Conditional Fee Agreements) were introduced in England and Wales in 1995 (to replace legal aid) and really developed teeth (apologies for the pun!) in 2000 with the added attractiveness of making the losing side responsible for the extra costs associated with conditional fees?

You’re lucky if you haven’t seen or heard the adverts featuring people slipping or falling at work, a mechanical mishap at the local garage or whiplash from a car accident causing ‘personal injury’.

Don’t get me wrong … I’m sure there are many genuine claims and I am glad there is a system for compensation, but having recently become a victim of the ‘compensation culture’ I have developed a suspicion of the figures.

In my case, a courier who was greeted by my dogs in the garden has made a claim for a ‘dog bite’. As there were no witnesses, this claim is going through via a no-win no-fee solicitor. The courier will be awarded a large sum of money, my insurance premiums will go up and the dog bite incident will be added to the growing statistics.

I’ve since spoken to 3 insurance companies and the police in regard to this matter and they have each independently confirmed my suspicions that there is a growing occurrence of such claims.

One insurance company told me they were aware there was an actual ‘dog bite’ scam as even having a notice on your gate informing visitors that there are dogs on the premises (as I do), is no protection and can actually encourage a fraudulent claim.

How to prevent it from happening again? With great difficulty! As a homeowner, the insurance companies and the police inform me that I have a ‘duty of care’ to anyone entering my property.  This includes burglars!

My only defense is to monitor my dogs at all times whilst they are outdoors.  Lets hope the weather stays warm and I can maintain Internet connection from the garden!!

I’ve been thinking long and hard about Cesar Millan. There have been so many conflicting news reports regarding his techniques; I decided to meet the man himself to make my own decision.   I attended the first of his 12-date sell out tour of the UK and accepted the opportunity to meet him after the show.

I had initially discovered Cesar in his first TV series when visiting the US in 2003 and was immediately hooked.  I’ve watched his growing global success with interest.

I should mention, it’s not so much his techniques with the dogs that I found so engrossing.  Much of Cesars advice and handling is based on commonsense and the recurrent theme of ‘Rules, Boundaries and Limitations’.  None of this is new.

What he does so well is engage with the humans.  Just as our dear old Barbara Woodhouse frequently stated “ there is no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad dog owner”, Cesar is actually saying the same with his own version: “I rehabilitate dogs, I train people”.

The difference is – he can do it brilliantly whereas Barbara (and so many others) fail so badly leaving their students confused, intimidated and their dogs out of control and ending up in rescue centres.

Having attended his seminar last night, I can confirm he is just as entertaining on stage as he is on the TV with a visible passion for dogs. The audience (who were no doubt already Cesar converts) was completely adsorbed in his 2-hour presentation, which covered the basics such as how to approach, walk and feed a dog presented in a captivating way without being patronizing.

Cesar makes no claims to having gained animal behavior qualifications but explains how he learnt his trade from his grandfather, observing and working with animals as a young boy on a farm in Mexico.

There were no demonstrations by the ‘anti-Cesar’ lobby although I did see a few faces from the ‘Dog Welfare Campaign’.  This is a coalition of animal welfare organizations who are warning of the possible dangers of using some of Cesars techniques for training dogs that can cause pain and fear.

In response to these claims, Cesar argues that he would only use these techniques in rare situations where otherwise the dog would be put down.  He also advises people not to attempt these techniques at home (a statement that is frequently included in his TV show and reiterated during his live performance) and always seek the advice of a dog behaviourists to address problems.

Two strong points, which came across during the show were the huge importance of exercising your dogs and the fact that Cesar personally only owns and endorses the adoption of rescue dogs.  His non-profit organisation (the Cesar and Ilusión Millan Foundation ‘07) was designed to aid and support the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of abused and abandoned dogs. This was then followed by ‘Shelter Stars’ a program to provide education materials to new dog adopters.

Whilst the media furore continues, what cannot be argued is that Cesar has the ears of the masses.  The Wall Street Journal reported last year that half of American consumers recognise him.

If only adopting rescue animals and exercising them is heeded by his millions of fans (and he keeps sending those big donations to animal welfare organisations) then that’s vindication enough for me to support Cesar.

Having lost our beautiful soppy Neopolitan Mastiff Herman to old age earlier this year, our household still finds itself bereft of canine leadership, giant cuddles and of course – slobber. Although we could probably do without the slaver and drool, it would appear none of us (human or canine) feel complete without that formidable presence in our home.

After several weeks of looking on the various rescue websites, the hunt began in earnest this week with visits to animal shelters – RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Battersea and a breed rescue to find our new ‘big dog’.

As readers may know, my previous career was as a animal shelter manager so the obvious difference in the adoption process this time, would be visiting and viewing dogs as a ‘normal’ member of the public.

The experience was interesting! The good news is all the dogs I viewed were happy and healthy and the facilities were generally bright and clean.

My main concern was with the lack of engagement. My search was on a weekday and none of the establishments visited could be described as busy, yet I would have been able to walk in and out of two of the shelters without any staff contact at all and minimal conversations with the rest.

Having made the effort to visit, some recognition for my trouble would have been appreciated and given my passion for animal rescue, may have ended up in a membership or at least a donation on my part. Well done Battersea for asking for a donation and rewarding me with a sticker!

Other niggles included identifying potentially suitable dogs only to find out they were no longer available, yet still in kennels with ‘please home me’ signs.  Rows of empty kennels (with no explanation), having to wait over a month for a home visit and returning from my shelter search with two flea bites!!

Given the current financial situation and the reported increase in unwanted animals being handed into rescue, it is imperative that any experience with a rescue home is positive.

It’s very easy to become complacent or so familiar with your own shelter processes that you believe visitors will understand without explanation.   Don’t make this assumption! Do consider engaging a ‘mystery shopper/adopter’ (via miranda luck and associates) to highlight any problems or identify areas for improvement.

I’m off now to the USA to continue research in this area and of course will share any good ideas or tips on my return.

In the meantime – my search for a dog continues. Please feel free to contact me if you have a big ol’ slobber chops wanting a loving home!

I’ve been speaking to those involved in veterinary care and animal welfare about the financial situation and the effect on the number of animals entering private or charity veterinary practices for treatment.

Not surprisingly, the welfare cases are increasing.  This puts a financial strain on both sectors.  The charities are using more resources, yet only recouping a small amount in return and the private practices are losing clients and therefore income.

For those feeling the pinch, as with other all other industries, it’s time to look at your core business and utilise all activity and also think about other options available to you.

A team brain storming session may throw up some workable ideas. I’ve done a few of these recently and even if the suggestions are not viable, your will certainly get some interesting proposals!

The following however, are tried and tested and may be of use…

• Do you have the facilities to offer private boarding? Clients with pets on regular medication may be happier to have their pet stay with you whilst they are on holiday then at a regular boarding establishment.  Could you offer specialist boarding for exotics?
• What about a crèche for dogs?  No overnight accommodation is required and again, clients with pets on medication may be relieved for you to look after their pet, rather than leaving it at home whilst out at work.
• Is your practice or shelter in a particularly picturesque location?  Wood Green Animal Shelter offers their site as a wedding venue.
• Maybe your environment is less spectacular but has a space that could be let as a function or meeting room for local organisations.  Do you have an exercise area or enclosure, which could be of use to a dog-training group?
• Is there any added value you can include in your services?  Speak to your suppliers and negotiate a discount to pass onto your clients.
• And remind everyone in your team about the importance of recycling or use again where possible, lights and power off machinery and use water etc carefully.  It all adds up!

Here are my top tips for clinics and hospitals:

• Don’t chuck out things that aren’t clinical waste  - in the clinical waste bin. You pay per kilo for collection so make sure it is just clinical waste and not half a sack of un-used cat litter! 
• Stock take and rotate products to prevent drugs or food becoming out of date.
• Bulk buy commonly used drugs or equipment and dispense into labelled containers for use in consulting rooms, wards, prep room etc.
• Cotton wool in the big roll is half the price of the pre made ‘balls’.  A keen work experience placement will be happy to turn them into balls if you so wish! 
• Bad micro-chipping! Make sure everyone chipping, knows how to do it correctly to prevent loss of expensive chips.
• Don’t put films put in x-rays cassettes the wrong way up and make sure you know your left from your right!  
• Measure disinfectants.  Don’t free pour.  Just like booze, you’ll end up with more than you need!
• Review generic brands and negotiate a good deal with your supplier.
• Good staff is a valuable asset. Look after them and remember to thank them for their cost saving efforts!

I hope some of this may be of help to you. Thank you for reading and keep in touch! 

Thank you to the many people who have taken the time to write to me with encouragement and interest in response to my last posting.  I have been delighted to hear from individuals and groups from Australasia, South Africa, USA, Armenia, Romania, Ireland and the UK.

I know a lot of people are interested in my recent trip to Costa Rica to visit the McKee team. I feel it is such a worthwhile project, I will be shortly be dedicating a whole page to explain the programme.  The ‘speedy’ neutering technique (with cable ties!) is interesting, but quite honestly, probably not for the whole of my readership. I won’t put any surgical pictures or highly technical information on that page, so it will be safe to take a look!  Those of you who are intrigued by surgery, please feel free to contact me direct for explanations and photos.

I’m very excited to have been sent more details of a whole host of animal welfare organisations to research further – some trying systems that are diametrically opposed to the considered norm.

I’ve also been given some very useful information and ideas to improve animal welfare, save funds or raise money.

Aussie philanthropist Philip Wollen OAM, a venture capitalist for good causes and founder of the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust kindly sent me his Guide to Grant Seekers.

Phils Guide has some excellent advice given the current financial situation and with his permission, I will soon be sharing that with you also. Please keep your thoughts and comments coming in! Continue reading »

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I like to keep a look out for all things ‘animal’, especially historical items, and recently an article from the Illustrated London News dated January 2^nd 1886 caught my eye. It included the following excerpt:-

“Ownerless dogs are usually sent to an excellent institution, the Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs on Battersea Road. This is the only place in London where lost dogs are received and properly cared for. Figures show that last year 14,772 dogs were received. Those wearing collars are kept for five days, those without collars – three days for their owners to come and claim them after which time, if in good condition they may be sold and delivered to respectable purchasers.”

I wonder if those who set up the shelter in 1860 thought the Home would, all these years later still be compassionately annually caring for over 12,000 animal (8,000 of which were unwanted and stray dogs). Now numerous other organisations have followed suit, including another of the early pioneers – The Dogs Trust (founded in 1891 as the National Canine Defence League) which now has seventeen fantastic rehoming centres and last year cared for over 15,000 dogs.

And it is not only the ‘big guys’. The internet is full of independent organisations attempting to accommodate the increasing habit of ‘handing-in’ unwanted, stray and ‘rescue’ animals.

I appreciate the effect of increased human population and pet ownership (over 15 million in the UK) and I believe those of us involved in welfare are doing excellent work. There is no doubt in my mind that our dedication to saving the lives of animals, preventing suffering, educating, implementing initiatives and awareness campaigns are beneficial – but is it enough?

Are we right to continue in this vein (the vast majority of which is funded through public donation) and are we actually resolving the problems or just learning to cope with them?

Over the coming months I will be examining alternative systems used around the world and asking if there IS a solution. I start in Costa Rica with the McKee No Kill/No shelter sterilization project.

I hope you will enjoy following me on my research and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

Sources: Dogs and Cats Home Battersea Annual Review 2007, Dogs Trust   Annual Review.  Pet Manufacturers Association