Can you tell us about your journey from owning a cleaning company to becoming a Canine Behaviourist Practitioner? What inspired you to pursue a career in canine psychology and behavior?
Jasper my own dog who I rescue in August 2012 was my inspiration to become a Canine Behaviourist Practitioner. I have lots of experience in dealing hands on with horses and rescued ponies and their behaviour, I had always been a dog owner but had never come across fear aggression, nervous aggression and severe behavioural issues that I was about to see in dogs. Jasper (Collie cross) arrived at the local rescue centre via an inspector. He had been badly abused and had two thirds of his tail missing, he was only 6 months old. Jasper chose me to be his owner. He had spent the first week lying at the back of his kennel in his own urine shaking like a leaf. I felt his boy really needed help. This is what inspired me to write Inside A Dog’s Mind Jacob’s Journal and also to pursue a career in canine psychology so I could many more dogs like Jasper. He taught me to look deeply at what was going on in his head and to see the world from his perspective.
How has your background in running a cleaning company influenced your approach to working with dogs and their owners?
I was brought up to be polite and professional at all times and to keep calm in stressful situations, so this helps!
What motivated you to start "Time For You Domestic Cleaning Brighton & Sussex," and how has it contributed to your overall professional development?
My twin boys were 13 years old when I bought my Franchise Time For You Domestic Cleaning Brighton & Sussex. I was looking for a business where the working hours could be flexible and work around my children and home life so this business opportunity was ideal.
Could you share some common behavioral problems you've encountered while working with dogs and their owners? How do you approach and address these issues?
The most common behavioural issues I see is fear aggression. Most owners do not know what this means and just assume it means that their dog is vicious and beyond help. There is always a reason as to what has triggered this, and it is my job to firstly unravel and then put the jigsaw back together, so to speak. The owners are the ones that need the most education and guidance, and my main job is to teach them to listen and understand their dog.
What are some effective strategies you employ to educate dog owners about understanding and managing their dogs' behavior?
It is a lot easier for owners to see me work with their dog in their own environment, this helps them to understand what I am doing and why. A nervous dog will avoid eye contact, and cases like these take time, patience, and commitment. A great game I love to play with rescue dogs is called the watch game. I have a magic tin, with high valued treats. I hold a treat between my eyes and get them focussed on mine saying one word’ WATCH.’ Once I have held their gaze for two seconds, whilst their body is still, they then get rewarded with the treat. This builds up a great trusting bond with owners and their dogs and can also come in very handy in emergencies when you need to get them focussed on you quickly. Calm guidance is the way forward. Owners must learn to, repeat, repeat, repeat!
As an author, have you published any books or articles related to canine psychology and behavior? If so, could you provide some details about your published works and their focus?
To date I have self-published three books to help educate owners. The stories are written through the eyes of the dogs, their voices telling the stories. Two of them are also true stories.
Book 1 AWARD WINNING INSIDE A DOG’S MIND JACOB’S JOURNAL
This story is written through the eyes of Jacob, a border collie. At only eight weeks old he was taken away from his Mum to start a whole new life, but sadly he fell into the hands of a bully. Jacob’s Journal will take you through the first year of his life. There will be laughter, tears, and heartbreak along the way. Will Jacob have a happy ending?
The motto of these stories is: NEVER GIVE UP ON A RESCUE DOG. 50% of all profits from this book will be donated to help other rescue dogs in need.
Just click on: https://amzn.to/2qpddWy
Book 2. INSIDE A DOG’S MIND PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
“Hey baby girl. How do you fancy coming home with me today?” smiles Jo. For a moment, I cannot believe what Jo has just said. Does she really mean it, or did I hear wrong? Am I dreaming? Do I need to pinch myself? I have a hundred different thoughts racing through my head. This is the story of Penny, a stunning border collie from Ireland with a broken past. Through absolutely no fault of her own, Penny is taken away from her Mum and pushed from pillar to post. Failed by those who were supposed to protect her, will she ever find her forever home? https://amzn.to/2SGZM2V
Join Penny in her journey of a lifetime.
BOOK 3. INSIDE A DOG’S MIND POPPY’S PURPOSE
From the darkness and terror of a Romanian rescue centre to the joy of the sunny south coast of England, join Poppy on her heart-rending journey. Become entranced with her story as the misery and despair she has endured is eventually replaced with fun, love and laughter as Poppy soon begins to discover how wonderful the world can really be. Brave, intelligent, and fiercely protective, might Poppy somehow now get the chance to repay her human Mum’s kindness and devotion? To find out more, read Inside A Dog’s Mind Poppy’s Purpose today, told by the dog herself. https://amzn.to/3IhYLGJ
50% of all profits from this book will go to help with the rehabilitation of other dogs who, just like Poppy, have sadly had a traumatic start in life.
Can you tell us more about your book series, "The Adventures of Bella & Emily"? What inspired you to write these stories?
In 1995 I opened my own sanctuary for New Forest ponies and saved and rehomed over 57 from slaughter over a 5-year period. This was so rewarding and totally voluntary and I had to raise over £80,000 a year to keep it going. I took on Chelsea who was 4 months old, she was riddled with lice and worms and would attack any man who came near her, after plenty of patience and tender loving care we formed a truly awesome and special relationship, and I decided I would keep her myself! I had a lot of difficult ponies, young foals that I rescued who had been taken away from their homes too early. Wild mares, and many sick foals who needed calm and understanding and ongoing veterinary care. Body language played a very important part and I had over 30 volunteers helping on a rota. Chelsea even got to compete at Burghley, against other ponies costing 1000’s of pounds. This was one of my proudest moments. I received an award from the Mayor of Eastbourne for my hard work within the community. One of my rescues DHAC (Didn’t Have a Chance) who I rescued from the meat man in 1995, found himself needing a retirement home due to suffering from arthritis and Cushings Disease, so in November 2019, I decided to give him the loving home he deserved and he lived in comfort three miles from my home at a friend’s retirement livery farm until we sadly lost him in May 2021. I have Chelsea who is now 25 years young, the star of my books and the inspiration behind them. My books are full of adventures and rescue stories that will warm the hearts of my readers.
You mentioned that you have donated all profits from the first book in the series to your chosen rescue organizations. Why did you decide to support these particular rescues, and how did you select them?
I emailed various rescues when I initially came up with the idea. To be honest it was the first five who got back to me, saying what a fabulous idea this was! (Even though none of us were sure that any of my books would sell)! To date £3787.47 has been donated from the sales of The adventures of Bella & Emily to help the rescue animals in need, and I want to donate more.
How has your personal experience with rescuing and rehabilitating neglected ponies influenced the themes and messages in your books?
Many of the rescue stories I endured are featured in my books and like with dogs, I want my readers to consider adopting a rescue horse or pony as sanctuaries are full to bursting.
You mentioned that you also work full time as the owner of a cleaning company. How do you balance your professional commitments with your passion for writing and animal rescue?
To be honest, I find this very challenging some days! I would love to spend every single day writing, as I have so many stories floating around in my head, eagerly waiting to be written, but I also need to earn money to pay the bills and look after my four rescues! I have owned my cleaning company for twenty-three years and manage to juggle work around my other passions! Once I sell 1 million books then I can set up a rescue sanctuary!
As a fully qualified Canine Behaviourist Practitioner, how does your expertise in canine psychology and behavior influence your writing, particularly in relation to the interactions between Bella, Emily, and their animal companions?
This is very simple, once you have the gift to communicate with an animal, whether it is horses or dogs, the world is your oyster! Every rescue animal I work with inspires my writing.
Your goal is to sell 1 million copies of your books. What strategies do you have in place to achieve this ambitious target?
To be honest I have many ideas, but unfortunately not enough time to market them like I need to. My dream would be for a book publisher to offer a huge amount of money to buy the rights to my books and then make them all into movies!
Have you encountered any particularly challenging cases during your career as a Canine Behaviourist Practitioner? How did you handle those situations, and what lessons did you learn from them?
I have encountered many challenging cases. One that springs to mind is an eighteen-month-old rescue dog who had been surrendered into kennels. The rescue organisation involved called me, as the dog, lets call her Poppy, had been in there for three weeks and no-one could get near her, due to her severe aggression. To cut a long story short, I had no choice but to jump into the kennel with her, taking a huge risk, but I knew if I was patient and took my time, carefully listening to and watching her body language, we would get there and we did, and I was elated when she finally allowed me to put a harness on. During this time, I had learned that the rescue only had two choices for this girl, Poppy would either have to go back to Romania where she wouldn’t survive (She had come over from a terrible kill shelter, that was so bad it had been shut down by the Romanian authorities) or to a fosterer who I knew abused the dogs in his care. I was having none of this, so kind of kidnapped her! I put her in my car and appealed for help, threatening on social media that I would sleep in the car with her if no-one came forward to give her a chance. Thankfully, a good friend of mine who always liked a challenge took Poppy on and the fabulous thing is I get to see her every single week! Result! Poppy and I have a deep connection that can never be broken. Trust me, things weren’t easy to start with, but I gave 100 per cent support and commitment whilst we tried to rehabilitate and work with Poppy’s behavioural issue. This was over two years ago! Result!
What are your plans for the future? Apart from selling books, how do you envision expanding your support for rescue organizations and setting up your own rescue center?
My goal would be set up my own emergency behaviourist centre. I would obviously need quite a bit of land to so this properly. My centre would be unique. I would take in the ‘last chance,’ dogs, the ones who are destined to be euthanised through no fault of their own and, slowly rehabilitate them, giving them all the time, love and care they need. They would not be in a kennel environment; I have another super idea that I cannot reveal at present!
How did you first come across the AllAuthor website? What do you like or dislike about the site?
I am blessed to have found AllAuthor on the internet. I loved the whole concept of what they do and just everything about them, especially the support they offer to self-published Authors. The site has taught me so much, helping me to create fabulous banners and posts for social media. The book cover competitions are superb fun and have given my books so much exposure. Mady, and his team are professional, supportive, efficient, helpful, and simply the best and I will continue to recommend them to everyone I know.
