H&C

“As well as being a Puppy Socialiser, I am also a Temporary Boarder for the charity, which means that I offer a temporary home to a dog in training for those times when one of the other Socialisers goes away for a night or two. Usually we look after a dog that I may have seen once or twice at the Training Centre, but last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of providing temporary boarding for Winnie, the first dog I had ever socialised. Ruby and Winnie had not met before, and they got on like a house on fire! My own two Labradors barely got a look-in as the two females ran around in the garden - Winnie picking-up the old toys she always used to play with, and Ruby desperately trying to share other, newer toys with her. Needless to say, all the dogs slept very well that weekend! After returning Winnie to the Centre on the Monday, I carried on into town and walked around the precinct with Ruby. There is a large-scale pedestrianisation project taking place, so I thought it was a good opportunity for Ruby to experience the noises from diggers, drills and machinery. I was really pleased that nothing surprised or bothered her, and the only guidance that was needed was to ensure that she walked to heel alongside me. Every now and again she started to come around the front of me, so I gently and positively enticed her back to heel and then carried on walking. By the end of the walk she had stopped ‘wandering’ and was stepping along beautifully. Later in the week, Ruby clocked up another new experience – her first bath! Whilst out walking in a field near home, Ruby discovered something not so fragrant left by a fox and instinct immediately took over! She rolled to and fro, only stopping when she’d covered herself! So, home-time meant bath-time, and she was not overly impressed with my determination to remove her new-found essence! Duly cleaned and smelling of Labrador puppy again, Ruby attended the monthly Puppy Class at the Training Centre. The other attendees included two of her siblings, Raffles and Reuben, and they all performed admirably in demonstrating their recall and down-stays. In addition, simple retrieve and pull games were introduced as a fun way to start to develop the skills needed for their future partnerships, such as retrieving dropped keys or books, opening doors or pulling off socks.”

“This week began with a very entertaining trip to a local Pony Club, whose members were enjoying a three day camp, based in a farm barn. The schedule of events included lots of riding and horse grooming, plus a selection of short, educational discussions. Dogs for the Disabled were invited to take part, so I volunteered to attend with Ruby, and my husband was also able to bring along Toby, a nine-week-old, chocolate Labrador in the charity’s socialising programme. We were introduced to the children, whose ages ranged from five up to 15, and I talked about the charity, Ruby’s activities and future assistance role, and explained what tasks the dogs are trained to carry out. Both puppies were calm and alert throughout the 30 minutes we were there, although Ruby was definitely keen to seek out crumbs of cake that had been accidentally dropped between the hay bales! The children listened intently, asked some excellent questions, and each received a sticker and pen in exchange for a donation. They said hello to Ruby and Toby, and the puppies were also introduced to a couple of the ponies. I had to laugh when I was asked if the dogs could be trained to groom a pony as that always took a long time and the help would be very much appreciated! It brought an end to a very enjoyable (and social) visit. Later in the week, I took Ruby with me to town, making sure that we covered a number of shops, banks and through the outdoor market, where I worked with her to ensure she was not distracted by the piles of boxes and dropped veg. I was also asked to take Ruby to be part of a photo shoot at the Training Centre with a professional photographer. Some of the resulting pictures would then be used for future marketing material and fund-raising campaigns. Two of her brothers, Raffles and Reuben, also attended, and the three of them ran around and played together while the photographer tried to turn the black and golden blurs into perfect portraits. I am not sure yet how the photos turned-out, but do know that Ruby slept for the rest of the day!” Editor’s note: Don’t forget to leave your comments for Julie by clicking the ‘Comments’ tab below.

“What a week of celebrations! And how lucky I feel to have been asked to be involved in three very uplifting occasions – all of them accompanied by Ruby. Firstly, this week Dogs for the Disabled were celebrating 21 years of working to support disabled people through the provision of a trained assistance dog. This significant milestone was recognised by a variety of events held at the Frances Hay Training Centre in Banbury, including receptions to thank clients, supporters and staff. Ruby and I attended an evening reception for current and future sponsors, many of whom asked questions about the role as Socialiser. It was also a great chance for Ruby to practice her greetings, including meeting the Town Mayor of Banbury. One of the most frequent questions to me tends to be “How could you possibly part with the puppy after 12 months?” And it’s true that it is an emotional experience. But one that is easily outweighed by the reward of seeing the puppy pass through its training and go on to form a successful partnership with a disabled child or adult. The second celebratory event was held at Sainsbury’s in Banbury, where Dogs for the Disabled has just been chosen as the superstore’s ‘Charity of the Year’ as part of their own 140th birthday celebrations. To kick-off a year of fund-raising activities, ten of the charity’s dogs congregated at the store, mixing with customers and staff, as well as posing for local press. Ruby was the youngest of the dogs to attend, and I was delighted that she maintained her down-stay position brilliantly alongside her more mature colleagues! The charity will work closely with Sainsbury’s through the year, and I will be sure to regularly visit the store with Ruby to continue her training in a busy supermarket environment, where there are plenty of distractions including noise and movement. The third of the celebrations was the Patronal Service at our village church, where Ruby calmly lay-down with a chew throughout the 30 minutes of hymns and readings. She behaved impeccably, only making one loud vocal contribution to join in as the congregation collectively said “Amen!” So, it’s been quite a week, and I am delighted that Ruby has coped so well with all the events that we’ve attended. There has been lots of hustle and bustle, and she has still managed to maintain her focus on me. Although, for the record, there was one minor slip when my husband took Ruby to a breakfast for local businesses, and Ruby somehow managed to acquire a croissant! A bit more training is probably required... for my husband!”