Pets Corner

Early Days With A Rescue Dog

Pets Corner with Leonie St Clair | www.londondogstraining.co.uk

Many of you are rehoming dogs from abroad. All with the best of intentions but the temptation to go full swing helping your rescue dog live his ‘best life’, packing on PDA with lots of ‘fun’ experiences, is often the exact opposite of what he needs. Many foreign rescues will have lived on the streets or in kennels, a different experience from co-habiting with humans. Many will already have decided which humans are okay and which are not; men in particular may be viewed with intense suspicion. Undoing these strong associations can be challenging. For any rescue, the experience of being

‘airlifted’, sometimes literally, into a totally new environment with different types of human, new animals, objects, sounds and smells they have never encountered before, is traumatic. Some will have undergone this process of forced ‘dog rendition’ a number of times. On landing in its latest home, the rescue dog will be confused, anxious and insecure, others frustrated and angry, and wanting only to seek the safety of familiarity and to escape. The new owner wants to make the dog feel better, they try to soothe them with trips out to meet other dogs and friends. They give the dog lots of toys, delicious food, a padded bed. Many, with the best of intentions, try to get the dog into training classes right away. The dog may reject all of these and try to hide, eating only when the owners are well out of sight. The harder the owners try to make the dog feel better the worse things seem to get until after just a few weeks the dog and owner are in crisis.

Here is a guide to the first weeks and months with your rescue:

• The process of rescue renders many dogs crate aversive but create a den area in a quiet place in the home, where your dog can rest undisturbed. • Sleep and plenty of it is the key to recovery. Leave your dog alone to rest. • Scatter food near his den and let him forage. Put food into Kongs or other toys and let him discover these near his den. • We want to encourage a bond with the new dog but not neediness, so letting him slowly relax and ‘discover’ how the immediate home works will help. • Let him come to you in his own time and slowly start to build interactions with him but don’t crowd him with affection. Many dogs will not value touch at first. • Give your dog access to a garden or an outside space so he knows where to toilet. • Give him time to get used to all the noises and routines in your home (your dog may never have been exposed to a range of household devices and noises, they may never have trodden on or smelt a carpet before). • Postpone visits to the park, other dogs and wider family, until you can see your dog has started to relax. A decent knowledge of canine body language is a must as signs of stress and anxiety can be quite subtle. • Speak to your vet about calming supplements. • Take time to get your dog used to a lead, collar and harness in the home before trying to go out on walks. Many dogs may never have encountered any of these before. • When you do eventually go out for a first walk remember your dog will be learning all the time. Go slowly and be patient. I am indebted to my colleagues Denise Nuttall and Alton Matherne for this article.

Wednesdays 7, 14, 21 & 28 July: Zoom Portraiture @ Dulwich Art Group & School

2pm - 5pm. This is now a hybrid session with 15 artists allowed into the studio and also cameras for artists attending through Zoom. Paint a clothed model with a focus on the portrait over two three hour sessions. We give you a wide view and a closer portrait view so you can work out the framing for yourself. The model will at times be engaged in conversation in order to bring some animation to the face.

www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk

Wednesdays 7, 14, 21 & 28 July: After school art class for children aged 5-12 years old

3.45pm-5pm. &ART Clubs offer children aged 5-12 years a creative space in which to explore their world. The Scout Hut, 212 Bellenden Road, Peckham. SE15 4BY. (Other days are available).

www.andart.london.

Wednesday 7 July: Swifts in the City

6:30pm - 7:30pm. Swifts are supremely aerial birds. They travel from Africa to breed during the summer months, and have been sharing our buildings with us since Roman times. But swifts, like many migrating birds, are disappearing. From 1995, British swifts have declined by more than half. Find more about the national campaign to save the swifts: www.swiftconservation.org Steven also helped Bell House with building swift boxes in the garden! We have seven boxes which we hope will attract swifts to Bell House. For full details on tickets go to

www.bellhouse.co.uk.

Wednesday 7 July: Goose Green Coffee Morning

Outdoors 11:30am - 1pm. Coffee Morning Talk by John Birkett RSPB Croydon Local Group. What is happening to our birds? Email office@stjohnseastdulwich.org for more details Come and join us in St John’s churchyard for coffee, cake and chat. A great opportunity to connect with your local community and meet others. All welcome! St John’s East Dulwich, 62A

East Dulwich Road, East Dulwich SE22 9AT.

Weather permitting (on Zoom if raining).

Thursday 8 July: Art Down Under from the Convict Years to the Modern Era

8pm - 9pm. World War I was a watershed in Australian history - no longer subservient to Europe, artists found their own language to depict their unique landscape and culture.

www.theartssocietydulwich.org.uk.

Monday 12 July: Dulwich WI Monthly Meeting

7:30pm - 9:30pm. We meet on the second Monday of each month - currently on Zoom - but usually at Dulwich Hamlet FC Clubhouse Bar.

https://dulwichwi.com.

Wednesday 14 July: Goose Green Coffee Morning

Outdoors 11:30am - 1pm - Come and join us in St John’s churchyard for coffee, cake and chat. A great opportunity to connect with your local community and meet others.

All welcome! St John’s East Dulwich, 62A East Dulwich Road, East Dulwich SE22 9AT.

Weather permitting (on Zoom if raining)

Thursday 15 July: Filmmaking 101: Producing with Sarah Beardsall

7pm - 9pm. What does a producer actually do?

What makes a good script? Why is editing so important? Over the course of this year, Bell House Films will answer these questions and many more with its series of ‘Filmmaking 101’ events. Every month, an industry professional will host an online tutorial, where they will delve into the fundamentals of a specific filmmaking discipline. Fifth tutorial: Producing Sarah Beardsall will be looking at what it takes to produce a short film, from fund-raising and script development to post production and festivals, while also sharing her vast experience as a TV producer and casting director. Sarah is a volunteer at Bell House and a founder member of the Bell House Film Committee. Who is this for? For anyone and everyone with an interest in film, ‘Filmmaking 101’ is for you. You don’t need experience, you don’t need kit, you just need to bring your creativity and your curiosity.

About Sarah Beardsall

With Dominic Minghella, Sarah founded Island Pictures, whose productions include ‘Knightfall’ Series One for A&E Studios/History and ‘The Scapegoat’, directed by Charles Sturridge, starring Matthew Rhys, Andrew Scott and Sheridan Smith, which was commissioned for ITV and selected for Dinard and Chicago Film Festivals. She is a freelance producer on the long-running Saturday night drama ‘Casualty’ for the BBC., a volunteer at Bell House and a founder member of the Bell House Film Committee. For full details including a great offer which ends on the 15th July go to:

www.bellhouse.co.uk.