History of Rescue Bens story
Posted: 23 Jul 2013, 20:56
Ok another one from the memory banks....
Many years ago My friend Janice who used to also help with rescue and I set off to collect Ben a black Labrador from Cheshire the gist of it was they had had an old lab and she passed away and they bought a puppy,by now Ben was at the juvenile delinquent age he had got beyond the retired couple and was ruling the roost.
He was so naughty jumping up he scratched all my arm so I said to Janice you sign the forms I will put him in the car.
My cars were never posh just cheap from the auctions but this was a Volvo estate and I liked it, cages were not common then.
I fastened him up in the car and Janice got in and she had a small sack of food on her knee.
AS soon as we hit the motorway he started he managed to get loose and started pulling the panels out of the side of the car Janice discovered if she threw him a biscuit he stopped I said how long can you make the biscuits last?.
I was driving and I am sorry swearing and he was wrecking my car !.
We eventually got to the kennels and Ben went in.
My car was trashed all the panels out.
I rang a Lady I know in guide dogs and fell off my chair when she said she would come and asses him for guide dogs strangely we met up in Chorley ( I didn't live here then) she said would you like to watch me asses him? I though oh yes this I must see.
Within a matter of minutes gobsmacked he was walking to heel everytime he pulled she stopped made him sit she walked him all round the town centre past people ( he didn't jump up ) at the end she said we will take him for six weeks but I think he will fail on scavenging picking up stuff off the floor.
About a week later his handler at guide dogs rang me he is perfect she said he sleeps in my room
Ben and sleeping in her room and perfect in the same sentence
At the end of his training he failed and yes it was scavenging but the dog I got back from guide dogs bore no resemblance to the dog they took he was so well trained and he went to a lovely home where he lived to a ripe old age .
It just goes to show that with the right training dogs can do well and now twenty years on I would not even think of picking a dog such as Ben up without a travel crate nor would I think him un trainable .
I have learned so much about dog behaviour from the early days to now and am lucky as well that we have the two Sams especially kennels Sam who can read dogs like a book.
Many years ago My friend Janice who used to also help with rescue and I set off to collect Ben a black Labrador from Cheshire the gist of it was they had had an old lab and she passed away and they bought a puppy,by now Ben was at the juvenile delinquent age he had got beyond the retired couple and was ruling the roost.
He was so naughty jumping up he scratched all my arm so I said to Janice you sign the forms I will put him in the car.
My cars were never posh just cheap from the auctions but this was a Volvo estate and I liked it, cages were not common then.
I fastened him up in the car and Janice got in and she had a small sack of food on her knee.
AS soon as we hit the motorway he started he managed to get loose and started pulling the panels out of the side of the car Janice discovered if she threw him a biscuit he stopped I said how long can you make the biscuits last?.
I was driving and I am sorry swearing and he was wrecking my car !.
We eventually got to the kennels and Ben went in.
My car was trashed all the panels out.
I rang a Lady I know in guide dogs and fell off my chair when she said she would come and asses him for guide dogs strangely we met up in Chorley ( I didn't live here then) she said would you like to watch me asses him? I though oh yes this I must see.
Within a matter of minutes gobsmacked he was walking to heel everytime he pulled she stopped made him sit she walked him all round the town centre past people ( he didn't jump up ) at the end she said we will take him for six weeks but I think he will fail on scavenging picking up stuff off the floor.
About a week later his handler at guide dogs rang me he is perfect she said he sleeps in my room
Ben and sleeping in her room and perfect in the same sentence
At the end of his training he failed and yes it was scavenging but the dog I got back from guide dogs bore no resemblance to the dog they took he was so well trained and he went to a lovely home where he lived to a ripe old age .
It just goes to show that with the right training dogs can do well and now twenty years on I would not even think of picking a dog such as Ben up without a travel crate nor would I think him un trainable .
I have learned so much about dog behaviour from the early days to now and am lucky as well that we have the two Sams especially kennels Sam who can read dogs like a book.