The Dog Listener
Page 19
At the time I must admit the whole thing was nothing more than a blur. Apart, that is, from one image. As I passed the microphone back to Kelly I heard the sound of the applause rippling around the arena. I turned around to see that it was being led by Monty himself. The journey I have travelled in the last nine years has been inspired by his work. His belief in man and animal working together in harmony underpins everything I have done. Now here he was accepting – and very publicly endorsing – my work. It was a hugely humbling moment in my life: one that I will never ever forget.
Picture Section
My dad, with his dog Gyp.
Making friends – me, at the age of four, at a family picnic in Norman Park, Fulham.
First love: me and Shane, the Border collie that inspired my passion for dogs.
Horsing around at the age of ten.
Show-stopper – me with my prize-winning springer spaniel, Khan.
Family. My son Tony (right) and daughter Ellie, with our gun dog, Kelpie.
Dan Broughton riding Ginger Rogers, the horse Monty Roberts transformed in twenty-three memorable minutes.
© Peter Orr
Donna, ‘The Duchess’.
Barmie by name … me with the rescued Jack Russell that taught me so much.
© Daily Mail
A young Sasha, my black shepherd, tries and fails to get Sandy’s attention.
Sasha teaching Barmie how to play a game of tug.
An Alpha wolf shows its superiority by arching its neck over the vulnerable head and shoulders of another.
© Bill Forbes
Just as wolves circle their prey, so my spaniels demonstrate exactly the same instinct.
The similarity between wolves and dogs can be astounding. Here, a wolf pup asks for food while, below, Molly’s puppy does the same.
© Tracey Anne Brooks, Mission Wolf.
Both wolves and dogs play at pinning down their prey.
© Tracey Anne Brooks, Mission Wolf.
The pack. All my dogs walk without leads, looking to their leader.
© Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
Greeting the Alpha. My dogs respect my body space while their cocked-back ears show how contented they are.
© Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
Ear positions display a dog’s moods
Sasha is relaxed, with her ears pricked, showing she is alert and happy.
Her soft expression and cocked-back ears indicate that Sasha is showing respect.
Sasha’s body is low, her ears down and her eyes anxious, as she demonstrates worry and anxiety.
The classic play pose; Sasha offers to play with Spike Milligan.
Telly addicts: two of my German shepherds being entertained.
Surplus to requirements: Derek with the rubber gloves his owner no longer needs.
Inseparable: Ernest with Gypsy and Kerry.
A reformed character: Dylan, the once delinquent Akita.
Returning to the Alpha: my dogs demonstrating the most vital command of all.
On air: participating in a BBC radio phone-in.
On camera: filming for Yorkshire Television with cameraman Charlie Flynn.
Another satisfied customer – me with Rachel Keys, whose two rescue dogs, Keeny and Peggy, were transformed by my method in a demonstration for the Daily Mail.
© Daily Mail.
My mentor: Monty Roberts and I share a moment after I spoke at his demonstration in September 1998.
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Acknowledgments
It has taken me the best part of twenty-five years to develop and then translate my ideas into the form in which they appear here. It has, I can tell you, been a long, slow and sometimes painful process, one that I would not have completed without the help and support of a very special group of people. One of the true pleasures of finally completing this book is being able to say a heartfelt thank you to those individuals.
Firstly I want to pay tribute to one of the most persecuted species on this planet: the wolf. This noble creature has taught me a great deal, not only regarding the behaviour of the dog, but also about the failings of my own species. It seems paradoxical that mankind has almost wiped out this animal whilst taking its descendant, the dog, to its heart. And here I would like to acknowledge the dogs with whom I have shared my life and learnt so much.
As for my fellow humans, I would like to thank initially the first people to show an interest in my ideas, those at BBC Radio Humberside. My thanks go to Maureen Snee, Blair Jacobs, Judi Murdon and Paul Teage, each of whom has encouraged and helped me hugely. It was my work there that led to my appearances on Yorkshire Television’s Tonight programme. I would like to thank all the team on the show but in particular my cameraman Charlie Flynn, who provided a professionalism that has blossomed into a friendship I value very much. In producing this book I have been fortunate indeed in being published by HarperCollins, where Val Hudson’s guidance and good taste have been priceless. The job of editing this book must have been an unenviable one. I would like to thank Monica Chakraverty for the wonderful way she has undertaken this task. I must also say thanks to Andrea Henry and Fiona McIntosh for their vital contributions.
It was my agent Mary Pachnos who brought me to HarperCollins. Her knowledge and expertise have been complemented by Tora Fost, Sally Riley and the rest of the team at Gillon Aitken Associates in London. Without Mary, this book would never have come into existence. Without her initial interest, and the wisdom and wicked sense of humour that lightened the difficult days that followed, I would never have finished the task.
Aside from Mary, my greatest debt is to three men. The first is my partner, Glenn Miller, who has shown great patience and support in seeing me through the completion of this book. No one has played a more important role than Monty Roberts, the inspirational figure who changed my life. If I had not seen him at work a decade or so ago, none of the breakthroughs I have made would have happened. In the time that has passed since then, Monty, his estimable agent Jane Turnbull and his dear wife Pat have extended me courtesies and kindnesses that I could never have expected. Thank you all, very much.
Finally I must pay tribute to my son Tony. Through often trying times, he has remained more than a son, he has been my most trusted friend and most reliable ally. Tony was the first person who made me believe I could achieve something worthwhile. ‘You can do it, Mum,’ became a mantra I repeated more often than I care to admit when times were tough. More recently he has become my colleague in carrying my work to a wider audience. He provided an invaluable guiding hand as this book was being written. I can’t imagine a life without Tony. I dedicate this book to him.
Jan Fennell, Lincolnshire, April 2000.
About the Author
Jan Fennell’s lifelong love affair with dogs began during her childhood in London and blossomed when she became a successful breeder, winning prizes at major shows including Cruft’s. In recent years, her remarkable work dealing with delinquent dogs and her frequent contributions to television and BBC radio programmes, have won her a wide and admiring audience. Jan, her partner, Glenn Miller, and their pack of show-winning Graftonbury English Springer Spaniels live in rural North Lincolnshire, England.
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