Happy Tails South Yorkshire

About us - My Animal CV

As a child I was bought up with animals, from hamsters to horses our household was always over flowing with different species; Horses, Dogs, Rabbits, Cats, Fish, Hamsters, Guinea pigs, and Giant African Land snails.  I would like to share some of my most interesting experiences.

Pack Experience: working with horses has meant I have worked with packs of dogs. At 5 years old, the yard on which my family kept horses had 15 Alsatians, even at this age I had the ability to gain respect from the pack and walk amongst them, controlling them when new people would come to the yard, feeding, putting in to kennels, and out across the fields. I feel that working with a large pack of dogs at such a young age has given me the foundation to respect dogs, but also gain that respect back.

Equine Behaviour Specialist Yard:  For two years from the age of 14, having owned a horse who possessed trust issues and spontaneous aggression I took him to a behaviour specialist yard in Buckinghamshire. I was offered the opportunity to work there to aid the cost of his rehabilitation. I worked there for two years, watching and learning the body language and how to understand and respond. This experience has aided my calm and collected attitude to difficult situations when dealing with animals.

Difficult Relatives Dog: At the age of 15 I was asked by a family member to help with a difficult Doberman male dog.  He was dog aggressive, difficult on the lead and had separation anxiety. I worked with him on his dog aggression which resulted in him being able to socialise with other dogs, he even came to play with another family dog. Many sessions and repetitive lead training resulted in a pleasant and enjoyable walk. The dog could now be left on his own for periods of time with out being destructive.  Great news for the sofa! 

Animal Sanctuary Northamptonshire: At the age of 19 I moved in to my own house in Northamptonshire and started my own equine online shop meaning I was working from home and in the local area. In my spare time I volunteered at a local animal sanctuary to help with the equine. canine and feline sections. Working with challenging behaviours in the dogs and horses, I was the specialist onsite for the equine section, and took on one of the horses as my own.

At this time in my life, I owned 2 dogs, a Labrador Bitch and a Boxer Cross. The Boxer, who was called Nibbler (I'm sure you can guess why), was a hyper active, immature male. After spending a considerable amount of time with him and his passive, over anxious hyperactive behaviour, I could take him to different situations with out the aid of a lead, he would stay by my side until released. What a wonderful dog he was after my work with him. Simple listening and persistence was the key.

Two Collies and No Rules: I received notification from a friend that one of her family members had two young Collies, a male and female who were difficult to deal with; running off when out walking, chasing rabbits, and general non obedient behaviour. I worked with the family to help them understand the breed they had decided to purchase and the challenges they faced with them. I gave the dogs a job, which involved fetching a ball and they became more relaxed and more focused when out on a walk. I also introduced swimming which helped to burn a large amount of energy to reduce the destruction at home. Just a few sessions paid off and the family are now extremely happy with the dogs and can walk out with out any issues.

Babbington Dog Rescue: Now living in Nottingham, my partner and I were looking to get involved in working with dogs again. Therefore we volunteered to walk dogs at Babbington Dog rescue which is where after 3 months we decided to re-home our dog Diesel; a staffy cross Terrier. We still visit regularly to participate in fates, walk dogs and support Babbington Rescue Centre. 

My current animal family consists of our rescue dog Diesel, our young cat Petrol and our Colt Nitro. As you can see we carried on with the fuel theme, after all, inviting an animal in to your life should bring fun, exercise and love.

I am currently working towards my BSY Dog obedience Trainer qualification which will allow me to work professionally with difficult and problematic dogs.  This is a service Happy Tails South Yorkshire will be proud to provide soon!