WHEN GINA MET MAZEY & MINA

OUR ASSISTANT EDITOR COULDN’T WAIT TO SEE MAZEY IN ACTION AND WASN’T DISAPPOINTED!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would meet a Rottweiler in a supermarket, let alone one that can sniff out gluten in food packages. When we found out Nicola lived close by, I suggested we meet up so I could see her clever girl in action.

My first thought was not to pet or fuss Mazey as she is a working dog. I needn’t have worried. The minute I said hello, she gave me the most fabulous welcome. She leaned into me and wanted to be stroked and fussed. Nicola explained just how friendly she was and that it didn’t distract Mazey from the incredible work she does.

After just a couple of minutes in the supermarket, it was evident she felt the same about everyone, proudly accepting love and petting from all who ventured close. She truly is wonderful, a well behaved, highly trained pooch who became super focused when Nicola required her to do a task.

Labelling in supermarkets makes our lives easier, especially if you are wheat intolerant or have Coeliac disease, like our editor Diane, however, this doesn’t detract from the amazing work Mazey does. She was able to alert Nicola to gluten when she was asked to sniff a packet of porridge oats through its plastic covering. Although oats do not contain gluten themselves, they can become contaminated in a factory which also processes cereals such as wheat, which does contain gluten.

Plastic is porous, so Mazey had no problem picking up the sent, immediately laying down and staring up at Nicola to indicate the item she chose was unsuitable. She is then awarded a treat for her good work. If there is no gluten in the oats and it is safe to eat, she simply sits.

Mazey also performs cortisol alert, which is a slightly different indication from her gluten alert. Here, she nudges Nicola with her nose and lays her head flat against her leg. However, if Nicola doesn’t respond to her alert, she gives her a single bark just to make sure she is aware that a panic attack is imminent.

I was so impressed to see Mazey in action, especially knowing that Nicola had trained her! Mazey knows all the aisles in the supermarket, whether it is one she has visited before or a strange one, using a combination of her incredible sense of smell and her eyesight. Nicola demonstrated by asking her to take us to the pet food. She immediately led us there without hesitation. Again, I couldn’t hide just how impressed I was with this incredible pooch and her trainer.

I also got to meet Mina, who, although has been trained to sniff out gluten and cortisol, is rather more excitable than Mazey, so she isn’t able to fully concentrate on the job in hand when out in public. She is, however equally as gorgeous and intelligent and is currently in training for the sport of IGP due to her larger size and muscular frame. We hope one day to be able to tell you all about her.