|
The online diary
started life as a blog of my strange 'other life' with the dog. I
wanted to record some of the experiences that I had as a first-time dog
owner. To access the archive, click on the appropriate month.
The most recent articles are listed
separately.
You are most
welcome to send comments about any of the articles. Record your
comments via the Contact Me page.
BEATTIE GOES TO SCHOOL
Mon 05 Oct 2009
Last week,
Beattie and I were invited into
my old school (before I retired) to talk to Year 1 pupils about how to look
after a pet – in this case it was Beattie. The children are all five years
old and although I was looking forward to the visit, I hoped I would be able
to pitch my talk at the right level and, more importantly, I hoped that
Beattie would prove herself to be a model dog for about twenty minutes. I
didn’t want her barking at the little mites and frightening them. Screaming
children I could do without.
I packed up a
plastic box of everything I could lay my hands on: toys, food, worm pills,
Frontline flea killer, her vet record of inoculations, grooming brushes and
combs, treats and a clicker, her dumbbell and her various leads. Things to
look at and hold help to focus the attention. I decided that one or two
could practise their grooming skills. I was also going to try to persuade
her to work (or was I just being hopeful?)
I arrived at
the appointed hour and there they all were, all sitting in an expectant
circle with Beattie and I as the centre of attention! I began by asking who
had a dog and was pleased to see that quite few responded in the
affirmative. ‘Tell me something that a dog needs to be looked after
properly,’ I asked the raised hands. They mentioned food, a bath, walks and
a bed. Using their ideas, I expanded on them to show how to look after a
dog responsibly. I demonstrated grooming with Beattie nearly managing to
cooperate and one or two volunteered to try their hand using a gentle
brush. I told them all about the correct feeding, medical care and need for
regular exercise.
Then I
progressed to training and, rather more than in hope than expectation,
demonstrated the clicker and how I used it with treats to train the dog to
sit, stay, go down, recall and even retrieve. All right, she was not very
responsive, but she did manage all those exercises! I was amazed and
pleased that she had responded in a strange place with an audience in very
close proximity. I spoke to AT
afterwards about the session and her opinion was that it was very good for
Beattie to train in a strange setting.
The children,
and staff seemed very pleased with the visit and I was gratified that things
had gone so smoothly. Beattie was very patient (actually, I think she was
overawed) and bore the strokes and pats at the end of the session very
stoically.
It was a good
experience for children, owner and the dog! I think we might do that again
sometime. Back
To post a comment click
here
Comment from
sablonneuse
Five year
olds? Of course, everything's changed hasn't it? So glad you and
Beattie enjoyed the experience and it certainly sounds as though the
children got a lot out of it. Everyone enjoyed the
experience. derek
IN THE CLEAR
Sat 17 Oct 2009
By way of a
postscript to the story,
Healthy Pet, the
vet telephoned me last week with the results of
Beattie’s DNA swab. I was very
pleased to hear the news that she does not have the COMM D-1 gene and is
therefore in the clear! It means that Beattie is unlikely to develop
copper toxicosis, although there are no guarantees, of course.
The vet would
like to continue to monitor her abnormal liver function as highlighted on
the BAST test and has suggested a repeat test in late November, with further
tests, if necessary, every six months. I think that is a very sensible
precaution in the circumstances.
What a relief!
Back
To post a comment click
here
Comment from
Little Old Me
That's a
weight off your shoulders. Definitely! derek
Comment from
sablonneuse
What good
news! So pleased the result was just what you wanted to hear.
So was I, Sandy! derek
Return to top
Photographs taken with a Fuji MX-2900
Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D
Copyright © 2009 Derek Cockell All Rights
Reserved |
