5 minute read
PET TALK
Rotarian Paul Muhling, right, hands over the funds raised by his shave to Gaye French of the Leukaemia Foundation.
THE Rotary Club of Howrah’s involvement in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave generated a hairraising $5,453 for the Leukaemia Foundation to assist people living with blood cancer.
The majority of the total was the $2,363 raised by club member and shaver volunteer Paul Muhling who shaved off his beard that he’d had since 1999.
The club donated additional funds to bring the total to $5,453.
Gaye French, from the Leukaemia Foundation in Hobart, said the need for people living with blood cancer to travel interstate for specialist treatment meant that it was very important for at least one family or carer to also travel with the patient for emotional support.
Money raised from fundraising events such as World’s Greatest Shave assist these families that are forced to go interstate for treatment to access free accommodation provided by the Leukaemia Foundation, which dramatically decreases their out-ofpocket expenses.
Ms French said in 2020, the Leukaemia Foundation supported around 540 regional and rural families with a place to call home in their accommodation facilities near hospitals in major metropolitan cities across Australia.
“We’d like to sincerely thank the Rotary Club of Hobart for their support in this year’s World’s Greatest Shave,” she said.
“The generosity of big-hearted people like this goes a long way to help the Leukaemia Foundation continue its support of people diagnosed with blood cancer.”
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The Dog Grumbler
IDLE noses are the devil’s playground.
I obviously just made that up, but I think It works.
If your dog smells new things every day — if it does this in your company — it will sleep long and wake happy.
Regular readers will know that I rail against dogs being left at home alone.
This leaves them leaderless, forced into the role of sentry because it’s the only job left to them.
A dog in this position has only instinct for guidance and will try everything it can think of to get some attention.
Many times this attention comes in the form of discipline, provoked by ‘bad’ behaviour.
For many dogs this is better than no interaction at all.
Your dog wants you to make decisions, especially decisions as to where, when and how you travel together.
A short drive to the supermarket and back can make a dog’s day.
Being your companion all day will make its life.
When you travel with your dog, especially on foot, you are cementing your relationship by sharing the same olfactory tapestry — and you are enacting a very important ritual — telling the world that you are a team.
Once your dog learns to stay aware of your location and follow you, one of the most powerful influences you can exert on its behaviour is to walk away.
Of course, there are other factors at play.
Interesting smells and creatures that move the right way will snatch at your dog’s attention — and as with many situations, getting in early is important.
Whatever the attraction, once your dog gets up a head of steam, the recall becomes a bigger challenge.
So keep moving.
If you need your dog to ignore distractions, move faster – if necessary, run.
Your dog will never feel so comfortable as when it travels in your company — under your leadership, so use that to advantage.
If your dog is about to be distracted adversely, get in early, get its attention and walk away.
If this doesn’t work, speed up.
Worst case scenario, run.
I occasionally see an owner jogging through the city with their dog close behind.
In most cases, the human is not in a hurry — just smart.
This way the dog has no time to stop and consider any of the things going on around it.
Off leash and surrounded by tempting distractions, this is the smart course of action — provided your dog has some basic training.
In my experience, dogs who are trained on lead — where the leash is a training aid rather than a tow rope — are happier and more cooperative off lead and vice versa.
You start with travel.
My favourite mode is walking.
Have a route mapped out – one you can shorten if necessary.
Let your dog stop to smell things, then say “Let’s go” or click your tongue or fingers a couple of times, give two short tugs on the lead, pause a second and gently drag your dog in the direction you have in mind.
As soon as your dog finds something new to sniff, give it a few moments to enjoy the new distraction, then do it all again.
Pretty soon tugging is easier.
Pretty soon your dog sees the pattern – you are driving, it’s sticking with you and there’s more olfactory candy ahead.
Go to a dog park or similar and walk around.
Stop and wait for your dog to find you.
Praise it and move on.
After it has come to you and touched base a few times, apply the leash and leave.
Be quick leaving — walk fast.
Do it again, today, next week, ten minutes later — it doesn’t matter.
Keep thinking, “stick with me and smell new things.”
It’s dog training, it’s about repetition and being leader.
There will be times for just kicking back on the grass and breathing the air but don’t let the moss grow.
You have to keep moving or your dog will find its own distractions.
