Off-lead dogs - by 'Her Indoors'

 If there is ever a day when I decide that dog ownership is no longer for me, it will likely be, in substantial part, due to other people's off-lead dogs.

 

First, a bit of background about our beloved Teddy. When we first rehomed him, he came with a range of issues, including reactivity to pretty much everything: horses, bicycles, children playing in the distance, and, worst of all, other dogs.  He would go ballistic at passing dogs, dangling off his lead in a frenzy of fury. When denied access to the canine target of his ire, he would displace his anger on whatever was nearest, and I got a few bites - not pleasant! The Cinnamon Trust, who own Teddy, were very helpful and got us a consultation with a highly qualified and knowledgeable dog trainer. She felt that what had happened to Teddy, prior to us owning him, had made him very anxious and his reactivity was, at least in part, an effort to self-medicate with adrenaline. I had bought Teddy a Halti headcollar which she approved of, but suggested I used it on a separate lead to his main lead, so that it only took effect if he lunged. Teddy didn't like it to begin with, but we persevered. It gave me control over his pointy end and I stopped getting bitten.

 

For those of you who've ever tried to improve reactivity in a dog, you'll know what a long and difficult path it is. You need to go right back to the beginning and work on your bond with your dog. You need to advocate for them, in situations with other dogs, so they gradually look to you to solve their problems rather than taking matters into their own paws. In Teddy's case we also worked very hard to make him less anxious. We tried to give him a loving, calm, consistent home. We had him neutered, we gave him lots of exercise, we gave him routine, we did some basic training, and we tried to ensure he wasn't left on his own for long.  Over the years he gradually improved and, when we felt he was ready, we got Bear. We actively sourced a confident, good-natured pup, and Bear, for all her mischievous ways, is just that. She loves every dog and everybody, so she does the meet and greet, and Teddy generally stays calmly next to me. Unless any dog picks on his apprentice, then the Teddy of old emerges! 

 

Throughout the long journey with Teddy, off-lead dogs have been the bane of our lives and, since COVID, when there seems to have been an increase in poorly socialised and inadequately trained dogs, the problem has got worse. In my increasingly lengthy 😳 😱 experience of owning dogs, it has always been the protocol between informed and well-mannered dog owners, that if your dog is off-lead and another dog approaches who is on the lead, you call yours back and leash them. 'My dog is friendly,' is not relevant for the following reasons:

• The on-lead dog might be recovering from illness or injury
• The on-lead dog might be a bitch on heat
• The on-lead dog might be recently rehomed and the new owner is unsure of their recall or their reaction to other dogs
• The on-lead dog might be fearful, anxious, or aggressive to other dogs
• The on-lead dog might be undergoing training.
  

It is just not acceptable for off-lead dogs to go charging up to an on-lead dog, and even worse if the off-lead dog is not friendly, or, when getting a less than friendly reception from the on-lead dog, goes into aggressive mode. These incidents can literally set a reactive dog back months if not years.

 

I will not bore you with the numerous negative encounters we have had. I try to remain polite - not always easy - but firm. I stand in front of Teddy and ask the owner to recall their dog. If they can manage to do this, I explain the reason for my request and thank them. If they cannot, as is often the case, I firmly tell their dog 'No, go back!' in a deep, growly voice. This works surprisingly often as it is clearly the first time the dog has heard any kind of reprimand! Sometimes the owners don't like it but again, I try to stay calm and polite, explaining why this has been necessary.

 

We, as dog owners, do not have a right to have our dogs off-lead. We do, however, have a legal obligation to have them under our close control. If you are so far away that I can barely see you, your dog is not under your close control. If your dog does not reliably come back when you call it, it is not under your close control. This recall needs to work when your dog sees another dog, when your dog sees its prey animal of choice, when a dog sees a ball it wants to play with, when a dog sees a child or a picnic. Now this is difficult. Your dog needs to feel such a strong bond with you that it will over-ride its natural inclination to do what it wants because it values you and your good opinion more. Breed type, prey drive and personality, can make this even more difficult and occasionally, impossible. I once interviewed a dog trainer for a magazine article, and she said the one thing that owners reliably over-estimate is their ability to recall their dog. Being able to recall your dog does not include the following:

• calling your dog repeatedly, having them ignore you until they've done what they want to do and then come sauntering back
• calling your dog repeatedly, having them ignore you and then you having to chase after them, grab them and put them on the lead.

 

Recall is when you call your dog, they respond straight away, leave whatever it is that is currently occupying them, and return to you for your fussing and treats! It takes a lot of persistent training, and it takes regular reinforcement. 

 

As dog owners, we all have times when it goes wrong. We think we've cracked it but then our dog ignores us and fails to return. I get that, I own Bear, an independent thinker if ever there was one, I truly do get it! But if this happens, accept you are in the wrong (as you are!) apologise (amazing what a good apology can do!) and then take your dog away and work on its recall, in a safe, limited environment, before letting them off-lead again.

 

Teddy is very rarely off-lead for obvious reasons. Bear has pretty good recall, but, like most dogs I suspect, is not entirely bomb-proof. I'm very careful about letting her off-lead but she will come back when she sees other dogs or when she's chasing a squirrel. We work on her recall regularly but do not take it for granted. Some of the worst off-lead incidents with other dogs I've had locally, are on a recreation ground with roads along three sides, one of them a busy A-road. The consequence if recall fails here, are potentially fatal, something many dog owners just don’t seem to have considered. 

 

So, please, for the love of all that's furry, let’s all try to make sure our off-lead dogs are not the one. Let's all be able to walk our dogs in safety, harmony and tranquillity. Dog walking should be a joy, not something to be nervous of due to people's out of control, off-lead dogs.

 

 
 

Magazine madness!

 Unbelievably, this January marks the tenth anniversary of our ‘It’s a dog’s life’ column for Sussex Living Magazine. The story of how this came about, is, like many things in life, a story of coincidences. Back in the day when Rolo, the Boss, was the sole BT reigning supreme in our household, he had his own blog as well as being an active fur on Twitter as part of the BT Posse. One day ‘Her Indoors’ was supposed to be working in London, traveling by train with a friend and colleague, from Uckfield. She parked at her friend’s house and they walked down to the station only to find that the trains weren’t running due to a lorry hitting a railway bridge. As they walked back, they passed a lovely shop called Saffron and Sycamore which sold lots of nice things, some with a significant dog theme. As they had time to spare they ventured in and ‘Her Indoors’ got chatting to the proprietor, a lovely lady called Adele, and the subject moved to dogs. ‘Her Indoors’ mentioned Rolo and his dog blog. It turned out that Adele was also the editor of what was then, Magnet magazine. Adele checked out Rolo’s blog and the idea was hatched for a magazine column. In January 2015 Rolo made his debut in a double length, celebratory style interview, and then proceeded to write a monthly column. This started as…well…a column, but soon became an entire page. ‘Him Indoors’ was tasked with the unenviable job of taking the accompanying photo and the column moved from strength to strength. It transitioned with the change of ownership from Magnet magazine to Sussex Living, with Adele still as editor, and from Rolo, to me. Fortunately me and the Boss have a very similar writing style! Anyway, we’d like to mark the anniversary with a big woof of thanks to Adele and the team at Sussex Living Magazine, together with all the folk who read it and have faith in a writing fur. We have had so much fun with this column and met lots of lovely folk. Here’s to the next ten years!

 

Teddy's Gotcha

Usually the story of Teddy's 'gotcha' is told by..well...Teddy, but on this, the sixth anniversary, I'm going to add a different perspective... mine!

One of the many reasons that I love owning dogs is because I enjoy walking them, so when Rolo, our first Border Terrier, got too old to go far, I applied to The Cinnammon Trust to become a volunteer dog walker for those owners too elderly or ill to take their dog out for walks themselves. I was assigned to a lovely, elderly lady in the next town, who owned four Shelties, so that was my walking quota fulfilled, or so I thought...

I had been out, and Brian had received a phone call from the Cinnammon Trust who were urgently in need of a dog walker for a lady who had just come out of hospital. He told them he thought it was unlikely I could help, as I had four Shelties to exercise, but that he would pass the message on, which he duly did. I agreed with his conclusion but casually asked what breed the dog was. It was a Border Terrier, Teddy, how could I possibly resist!

Teddy's owner, Sandra, had just come out of hospital after cancer surgery. It had not gone well. What should have been a short hospital stay became six weeks. Teddy had been placed, by the Cinnamon Trust, with foster carers, but he had cried continuously for a number of nights, so, reluctantly, Teddy had been placed in kennels. He had barked so much during his stay that when I first met him, he had lost his voice.

Teddy and Sandra were everything to each other. They lived in a rented, isolated, rural cottage. She was a housekeeper and took Teddy to work with her so Teddy was used to being with Sandra all the time. Sandra didn't have much money, but Teddy had the best of everythig. After the trauma of kennels, Sandra's on-going treatment meant that Teddy was left by himself at times. He barked when she was out and, due to stress, often had accidents which Sandra had to clear up when she got home.

I did my best to help. To begin with, Teddy was reluctant to leave Sandra for a walk, but I coxed him, and he eventually came. After a while, he got used to me and was pleased to see me when I arrived. When we got back, I used to have a cup of tea with Sandra, served in an Emma Bridgewater Border Terrier mug, and a chat. Her treatment wasn't going well and eventually it stopped because it wasn't working. They got her a hospital bed for her lounge, so she didn't have to manage the steep stairs. Sandra often commented on how much Teddy liked me, and I clearly reciprocated his affections, so one day she asked me, if anything happened to her, would I take him on.

The answer wasn't a simple yes. I had an elderly Rolo to consider and I also knew that Teddy had some significant issues. In addition to accute seperation anxiety, he didn't like children and his relations with other dogs outside the home were patchy. I thought about it, talked to Brian, and thought some more. No decison to get a dog should ever be made on impulse, in my view, no matter how pressing the circumstances. I went back to Sandra. The answer was a conditional yes, but I needed to know that Teddy would get on with Rolo. We introduced them to each other, walked them together, and eventually, when Sandra was taken into hospital for 48 hours, Teddy stayed over. Rolo was fine. Inspite of his age, he made it clear who was in charge, and Teddy accepted it happily - he was too anxious to want to be the boss anyway!

During the snow storm knicknamed 'The Beast from the East', I got a phone call to say that Sandra had gone back into hospital and could I please take Teddy. As I couldn't get to her house in my Mini, a friend of Sandra, with a 4x4, drove Teddy over. She couldn't get up our drive due to the snow, so I collected Teddy, on foot, from the village hall car park, with his belongings. I took him home and one of the first things he did was to cock his leg in the hall! He was a confused, unhappy dog. He cried during the nights, got really upset if I left the room let alone went out, and refused to eat. In desperation, I fed him out of my hand. 

Gradually, however, with routine, firm kindness and support from The Cinnamon Trust who did absolutely everything they could to help, things slowly improved for Teddy. Not so for Sandra. It gradually became clear that she would not be coming home. I offered to take Teddy to see her in hospital, but she refused, saying that she thought it would be too upsetting for both her and Teddy. Instead, I took photos and videos on my phone, sending them to her on a daily basis. I hadn't realised how important these were to her until one busy day, I forgot. She told me she lived for those little updates. I didn't forget again.

The weeks went by and Sandra was clearly deteriorating. One day I got a phone call from a friend to say that Sandra only had a few days left and was asking to see Teddy. I was due in London the next day, and although I was assured Sandra wasn't expected to die imminently, I decided to go straight away. I did get Sandra's friend to check with the hospital, as they were an hour's drive away. I didn't want to get there to find that they wouldn't let Teddy in. I was assured that they had checked with the other patients on the ward, and they were fine with it. A good friend of mine offered to come with me for moral support, so we drove over.

It felt rather odd, taking a dog into a hospital and we got some stange looks as Teddy pattered along the shiny corridors and went up in the lift. When we got to the ward, Sandra was barely conscious, but I placed Teddy on her bed, which is where he would have been at home, and she rallied. It took Teddy a split second before he realised it was her, but his greeting couldn't have been more enthusiastic, licking her arms and wagging furiously. Sandra was was equally pleased to see him and she asked me if I had got all Teddy's things, and if there was anything he needed. She started to tell me about Teddy's faults, obviously anxious that I hadn't discovered them yet and that when I did, I might change my mind, but I reassured her that we were managing fine, that we were used to Borders - after all, we had Rolo! - and that we had everything we needed. I promised her, firmly, that I would look after Teddy and that we would give him the best life. After our short conversation, she slipped back into semi-consciouness, so we left. The next morning I got the phone call to say she had passed. It felt like she had waited to say goodbye to Teddy.

So Teddy's gotcha day is always an emmotional one. We remember Sandra and her love for Teddy. We offer our gratitude to The Cinnammon Trust for their on-going support, and we reflect on everything that Teddy has brought to us. There are many ways dogs come into our lives, but Teddy's was particularly special, just as he is. Many dogs that end up needing rehoming, haven't done anything wrong, they are victims of circumstances, as are the owners, sometimes, who have to let them go. Every dog deserves a second chance at happiness and we are so pleased to have been able to give Teddy his. He deserves it.

Teddy when we first met

Teddy on one of our early walks

When Teddy met Rolo

Teddy and Rolo at our home together

Six years later, a different house and a different companion!

In Memoriam

 As most of you will know, myself and the apprentice belong to a Twitter group called the BT Posse. They are as fine a bunch of furs as you'll ever meet, and, through daily contact on Twitter, we become very fond of individual members, so fond, that we go out of our way to meet in real life. One such member was Hamish, a Glaswegian Border Terrier and stalwart of the BT Posse. Hamish and I met up for our own mini tweet-up a few years ago, a meeting memorable for Hamish's ‘take no nonsense’ attitude to swans, and the capacity of 'Her Indoors' and Hamish's lovely humum, Lynne, to talk for England and Scotland respectively. It was a memorable day.

Very sadly, our pal Hamish, went over the rainbow bridge a few days ago, and we were asked to compose a poem in his honour as part of a BT Posse tribute. We share it here, with thanks and admiration to Oscar's humum, Paula, for making the moving visual accompaniment to the poem, and to Flora's humum, Cara, for reading it out. We are not sure who had the hardist job. Anyway, Hamish Pal, I hope we've done you proud and much love to your humum. We know the emotional impact loosing a fur has, and we stand with you in your loss. We share the poem with love.

Ode to Hamish

Now every fur is special,

Our hupeeps know we’re best,

But occasionally a single dog

Stands out amongst the rest.

 

Not every fur can rock a cone,

Or start a stumping fashion,

Call out the truth on bourbons,

Add Irn Bru to the ration.

 

Can challenge Scotties on the tin,

Take Olympic sports by storm,

Throw the gauntlet down to fearsome swans,

And launch the Brunicorn.

 

It takes a fur of stature brave,

To measure public favour,

On topics controversial

Where a lesser dog would waver.

 

It needs a fashion icon

To strut a woolly sweater,

In hues and patterns dazzling,

No fur could do it better.

 

To show up for security

And see planes safely land,

Reassuring nervous passengers,

At patrolling he was grand.

 

But even reaching ripe old age,

Our tenure here is brief,

We leave a trove of memories,

But our hupeeps sharpest grief.

 

The rainbow bridge calls for all of us,

Its colours glowing bright,

And Marley gently beckons,

To sun puddle in the light.

 

No fur is ever left behind,

And no fur stands alone,

‘Cause every fur is running free,

To their forever home.

 

So we raise a glass of Irn Bru,

To Hamish, to a friend,

As finer fur, we’ll ever meet,

A BT Posse legend.

 

 

 

Bear barking!

 It’s taken a lot of bossy barking and tactical tooting, but Uncle Teds has reluctantly shifted over and let me blog a new year message. Now the main thing to avoid in 2024, in my opinion, is being boring snoring! If you see something and you are not sure if it’s edible, eat it anyway. Equally, if you see something and you are not sure if it’s a toy, play with it anyway. If your hupeeps are too busy to play, make your own entertainment. I play ball with myself by dropping it from the top of the stairs, chasing after it, and fetching it back for a repeat. It whiles away an idle moment. I also access the kindling bucket by the fire, choose a piece, and splinter it up on the rug. ‘Her Indoors’ grumbles because she has to vacuum up the bits, but a fur has to entertain herself. 

If they shut you in the kitchen because you are wet and muddy, or because they are going out, you don’t have to stay there, break out! It’s much more fun to have the whole house to explore and, if you can set the alarm system off at the same time, even better. It makes a great noise!

Ensuring life is entertaining is not just for your own benefit, you can spread the joy. When I went to stay with our holiday carers, Shirley had neat little labels in all her flower pots so that she knew which was which. I removed them all, and chewed most of them, so the contents of each pot will now be a nice surprise! No need to thank me, Shirley! Also, if you see toys, belonging to your hupeeps, liberate them, even if you have to jump up high to do it! They will thank you for dispelling the tedium of sitting still on a shelf. And, if your domestic interior design is a bit static, rearrange it. Rugs can be moved, cushions..erm…re-purposed and sofas re-designated as dog beds. Much more interesting!

Some other furs lead boring snoring lives and need to be educated. Uncle Teds is a case in point. He usually does as he is told and tries very hard to understand what ‘Them Indoors’ want so he can bask in the pleasure of being a ‘good boy’. Pfft to that Pals! I try to set a good example but he usually just sits as far away as possible so he won’t accidentally get the blame, looking worried. How dull is that!

There are occasional slight risks with my approach. There is the odd time when an experimental consumption will have adverse effects on my digestion but I have ‘Them Indoors’ to clean up after me. Better out than in is my motto! I also run the risk of ‘Them Indoors’ and, very occasionally, Uncle Teds, getting cross with me. With the value of hindsight, chewing the hand-knitted border terrier cushion that took ‘Her Indoors’ forever to knit, might have been a mistake, and eating the entire cover of ‘Him Indoors’ new book that he hadn’t read was probably a bit ambitious, but how was I to know? They use ‘No, Bear, NOOO!’ so often I am immune to it.

So face the New Year with a sense of adventure, have fun, and live every day to the full. After all, we will only ever get one 2024. I, for one, am going to have a great time!

                                             Perhaps a step too far - who knew?

                                               Just helping with the unwrapping…

                                     Dusting is boring snoring - doing ‘Her Indoors’ a favour!

                                             He needed some new ones anyway!

                                               It’s mine now!

                                            Extra fine kindling!

                                             Interior design the Bear way!

Wishing you kindness at Christmas

 Well it’s that time of year again! The Juniors will shortly be home, then the celebrations really begin. So before it all kicks off, we just wanted to paws for thought. It hasn’t been the worst, but it hasn’t been the best of years for ‘Them Indoors’, with the Seniors having some serious issues. It also hasn’t been the best of times in the UK and the world in general, and it is easy to get caught up in a downward spiral of gloom and doom. Yet there is still so much good in the world.

Take the apprentice for example, she might be a monkey moo who chews her way through things she really shouldn’t, uses her bossy bark and her tactical tooting to get me to relinquish my toys and bed, if she takes a fancy to them, but, at heart, she is a sweet natured fur, who likes to give little licky kisses, play, and curl up next to me if I give her half a chance. She also has an endearing knack, if she is feeling uncertain about anything, of looking round to see what I’m doing, and then, if you’ll excuse the pun, taking her lead from me!

And the wider world has some similar niceness. Most days, when we are out for a walk in all weathers, we meet a pleasant lady with her  Shih tzu dog. We normally exchange polite greetings and ‘Her Indoors’ has a quick chat. Anyway, one day ‘Her Indoors’ admired a little hand-knitted coat the fur was wearing and asked the lady if she had knitted it. It transpired that this little dog isn’t hers. It belongs to her elderly neighbour who has such poor health she was thinking she’d have to put her dog up for rehoming, which she was very sad about. So, in order to keep owner and pet together, this lady had stepped in and walks this little fur, unfailingly, whatever the weather, and has also undertaken to give them a home, should the worst happen to the owner. 

Then there is  another fur who was a stray, abroad, and formed a bond with some nice hupeeps on holiday from the UK. They managed to rescue the dog and get it shipped back, and it is now living its best life in our village.These acts aren’t barked from the rooftops - true kindness has a quiet voice - but if you look around you, they are there, and in a much greater quantity than you might think.

So this Christmas, we want to celebrate kindness - a little goes a long way - and to wish you all a contented and kind Christmas with those you hold dear. Happy Christmas!

Closing the book

 As many of you will know, my predecessor, Rolo, was a dog of literary talents. Not only did he have his own blog and magazine column, he also scribed two books, 'The Last Rolo', a year in his eventful life, and 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over', a manual, written for dogs, on how to train their hupeeps. Both books were beautifully illustrated by the talented Sally C Greenfield and published by 'Her Indoors' using her self-publishing imprint, Quill and Apple publishing. The illustrations were also put on cards and mugs. The books got wonderful support from so many people: the wider dog owning community; Border Terrier social media most noteably Twitter's BT Posse - Sir Clapton Terrier wrote a back cover review for 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over'; and many more besides. Rolo was invited to 'appear' on local radio, Uckfield FM, as it was then, and BBC Radio Sussex. He was also invited to Essex Borderfest and even launched his second book there. He had a great time! 

There are some lovely stories of people enjoying reading the book but two of our particular favourites are from someone who posted a picture of their child, taking it in his backpack as his school reading book, and another about a person who, on reading the book during a hospital stay, laughed so hard they woke the person in the next bed. Quite an accolade! Also, we have received so many photos over the years of dogs reading the books across the world, especially Border Terrier puppies, learning what it means to be a BT and our proud tradition of doing our own thing and subverting attempts to train.

When I joined the household, I quickly became part of the family literary tradition, and, in due course, inhereted responsibility for the Boss's books, taking over his magazine column when a very elderly Rolo finally went OTRB in February 2019. 'Her Indoors' is on the local speaker circuit, talking on a range of worthy subjects but by far the favourite talk is 'My Literary Dogs'. She has even delivered it for Border Terrier Welfare at their AGM! With the arrival of my own apprentice in 2021, I was able to ensure Bear was suitably indogtrinated from a young age, using the Boss's books. I think he would have approved.

However, time passes and Rolo has been gone for almost five years. Very sadly, this year, we lost our generous illustrator, with the death of Sally. The remaining books are now few in number, the cards and mugs almost sold out. So we've made the decision to withdraw the remainder from the market place at the end of this year. We have had so much fun with the books and they have been more successful than we could possibly have anticipated - we have sold a kennel load! We reckon practically every fur in the BT Posse owns a copy and some of you are repeat customers. We wanted to say a really heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us. We feel like Rolo's memory lives on and we are truly grateful. 

If anyone wants to buy a book, mug or card, before the end of the year, there are a few left and you can  order here.If anyone is local and is able to collect, or we can drop some in on our travels, we are happy to donate to raffles etc for good causes, just let us know. It's what Rolo would have wanted,

                                                            Rolo with his first book

                                                    At his book launch

                                                        At Essex Borderfest

                                                        BBC Radio Sussex

                                                    And another book, 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over'

                        I join a fine literary tradition - don't know how the bunny sneaked in!

                                                    The apprentice, paying close attention!