JULY / AUG Adriana - Pet Pals will be talking about specific Dog Training and Health
issues - Coming Soon...
APRIL / MAY INTERVIEW
Adriana from PET PALS interviews Vickie Davy - Director & founder of PetRescue
www.petrescue.com.au
QUESTIONS:
1) How did the idea to create PetRescue come about?
Vickie - PetRescue began in 2003, when three friends got together over a quiet pint to discuss their day.
We were all working in 'real' jobs but were volunteering at various local shelters. We were struck by how
many happy, healthy 'normal' dogs were being euthanased because there weren't enough adopters.
And conversely how many people didn't adopt because the idea of going to a shelter was too sad, or
they believed all the dogs came with issues.
When people think of rescue pets, they will most often think of the RSPCA or AWL, but there are hundreds
of rescue groups who operate foster care networks, saving pets by placing them in temporary homes until
a new home can be found. These groups had very few ways to promote their pets for adoption, and many
missed out on homes because adopters didn't know they were there.
The idea was simple, we'd provide a website, free to all rescue groups, to list their pets for adoption, to
help break down some of these barriers.
What started as a website, has now grown into an organisation that provides rehoming programs and
resources to over 600 rescue groups and has helped find new homes for over 50,000 pets.
2) Were you previously involved with animal rescue via any other organisation?
Vickie- I had initially come from a background in adverting and marketing, but retrained in Dog Behaviour.
I've worked as a behavioural trainer in RSPCA shelters in VIC, SA and QLD.
3) Do you think in regards to dogs - that people spend any time researching the best dog breed or which
pet would be suitable for their family situation? And if not, how could that be changed?
Vickie- We find that breed is not necessarily the problem. Often families may choose a breed they think
suits their family, but do so with the idea that this is a guarantee to personality or behaviour. For example
we see hundreds of adolescent Labradors in rescue. The breed may have matched well to the family on
paper, but a 2 year old Labrador, with limited training no longer matches the families expectation of their
perfect pet.
We actually encourage people to use breed only as a guideline but to focus on an individual dog's personality
and needs to find a perfect match for their lifestyle. This is the advantage of adopting a adult rescue dog
through a foster care group. Contrary to popular belief that a puppy is a clean slate and an adult an unknown
quantity; an adult dog's personality is fully formed, and the foster carers can tell you exactly how that dog
gets on with kids, how much exercise he needs, and what type of lifestyle he'll fit into.
We'd like to see more people using the services of a good rescue group to help them find their perfect match.
4) What's your personal opinion about puppy farms and pets been sold at pet shops.
Vickie- Every year over 250,000 pets are euthansed because homes can't be found, yet puppy farms churn
out hundreds of thousands of pups for the market.
(500,000 puppies are sold in Pet Shops each year according to the Pet Industry Association).
And so many of these pups suffer behaviour and health issues.
PetRescue runs an anti-puppy farming campaign called:
- 'Where do Puppies Come From' (www.wheredopuppiescomefrom.com.au) but sadly as puppy farming is legal
in Australia, we'll continue to see these poor dogs suffer. I would like to see puppy farms become illegal.
5) In England there's a proposal to introduce a certain test to check if potential pet owner has the skills and
knowledge to look after a pet properly, a type of licence to be granted to potential pet owner.
Do you think something like that if created here could help reducing large number of animals been surrendered
to shelters on an annual basis?
Vickie- Although the idea is almost irresistible to people like myself who see poor dog owners all the time,
legislation to create responsible pet owners just doesn't work. What does work is providing free or low cost
desexing and providing free (compulsory) basic pet dog training for all new owners.
Putting government money into positive, fun dog training programs for all would have an enormous impact on
reducing the number of dogs entering rescue.
6) Can any potential sponsor approach you for a much needed helping hand?
Are there different levels of sponsorship?
Vickie- PetRescue relies entirely on sponsorship and donations. We provide all our services free of charge to
rescue groups, so we rely on sponsorship to keep going. It costs $17.50 for us to help find a pet a home
through our website and rehoming programs, which doesn't sound like much, but with over 3000 pets listed for
adoption at any time, it's a huge amount!
We have both advertising on the website and tailored sponsorship packages available. This year we are looking
for sponsors to help us redevelop the PetRescue website. It's 5 years old now and has grown so quickly that
the old technology is just not holding up. We need a complete overhaul to keep up with demand but it's an
expensive business, so anyone out there that is interested in sponsorship - don't hesitate to contact me!
7) What are the main challenges PetRescue faces on a daily basis?
Vickie- The average day at PetRescue is hugely diverse. It's still just the three of us running the organisation,
so we have a lot on our plates. Today for example, I've organised a rabbit rescue group to go to a primary
school to help catch a stray bunny, I've spoken to a lady who needs help getting 12 semi-owned cats trapped
and desexed, I'm working with a group who are developing a new foster care program, I've organised to fly a
special needs dog to a new home and spoken to a group who are trying to put political pressure on a Melbourne
Shelter that has an appallingly high kill rate, and this afternoon I'll actually be doing some training.
Our main issues are time and fiance, there is so much more we could do, but with just a small team and limited
resources, we're never able to get everything done. In saying this, every year we keep building and improving,
so we do manage to keep a positive outlook.
8) How is PetRescue acceptance levels in the industry? Do you submit lists of pets for adoption to vet clinics,
media in general, updates on your website?
Vickie- We have really grown and become very accepted in past few years. Because the majority of our rescue
group members have very little ability to get media or publicity, we do a lot of promoting of rescue pet adoption.
We run in-store adoption events, where ethical pets stores (those that don't sell pets) team up with a rescue
group who brings pets for adoption instore for a meet and greet. We're running a campaign called Secret Cat,
which saw a poster being sent to every vet clinic in the country (you can check it out here www.communitycats.com.au), and we provide tools that can be accessed by any member of the public to help
'spread the word' eg: each pet profile has a printable poster, a icon to automatically list a pet on your Facebook
or Twitter profile and 'send to a friend'. We receive a lot of support from the media and have even appeared on
TV several times.
9) How can we dog trainers and pet industry workers help you?
Vickie- Anyone in the pet industry who is prepared to offer some help to rescue groups are greatly appreciated.
Trainers especially can make an enormous difference by getting involved in rescue. Some of the best ways to
help are to become involved with our foster care groups. Becoming an adviser, someone willing to answer simple
training and behaviour questions, or offering to take a once a month class for foster carers, covering the
basic's in recognising body language and how to teach some basic behaviours are great ways to help.
And of course becoming a foster carer themselves and offering to take on dogs with basic behaviour issues
(most often these are just bouncy untrained adolescence dogs!)
If anyone is interested in volunteering please feel fee to contact me.
10) Talk a bit about your pets. How many pets do you have and how did they come into your life?
Vickie- I have 3 dogs, 1 cat and 2 goldfish. Everyone always comment's how understanding my husband is
putting up with so many pets, but I love to point out that he was responsible for each one being brought
home!. We have Wiz Bang Wallop, our Koolie. My husband bought Wiz from an inner city pet shop at christmas!
This was before I had any knowledge or experience about dogs, let alone animal welfare. Wiz changed all that.
She had enormous behavioural issues and lead me down the path to trainer, working in rescue and and becoming
a vehemently anti-pet-shop campaigner.
Floyd is a Border Collie x Jack Russell mix adopted from a shelter when he was 12 weeks old, and has been the
perfect dog ever since.
Mikalla is a Ridgeback x Red heeler. I was working as a trainer in an RSPCA when Mikalla came in with a broken
pelvis and numerous other injuries. She was 4 months old and spent the next two years at the shelter while
we waited for her owners to be prosecuted. Mikalla is a fantastic example of role of genetics in behaviour.
She is the happiest most well adjusted dog you can imagine but because of her injuries she wasn't legally
allowed to be adopted out. Once my husband heard this he made it his mission to bring Mikalla home.
Cosmo our cat came from a crazy cat lady with kittens in ever draw, once again my Husband was on the scene
to bring him home. And even our goldfish are part of the family, when we moved interstate, Humans and Dogs
drove for 4 days, Cat and goldfish flew!
11) Are you involved in dog training? If yes, at which level?
Vickie- I love working with dogs and I still take on private clients, although only a few a month due to the
pressures of PetRescue. I'm also involved in advising on training and behaviour for rescue groups and PetRescue
itself.
12) About the future. Do you think if more responsible pet ownership programs were introduced to the general
public that would create a more responsible and educated owner and better living conditions for our pets?
And maybe put a stop to pet impulse buying? Any other suggestions?
Vickie- I believe there are a small amount of absolutely terrible pet owners out there and a small amount of
really great pet owners out there, but that there is a huge amount of 'good' pet owners and theses are the
ones that we can reach and turn into 'great' pet owners! Rather than the 'big stick' legislative approach, if
Councils and governments put money into things like free, fun basic training, free behaviour advice lines, help
and support to pet owners who were struggling, we would see a significant improvement in the welfare of pets.
Positive training for dog owners as well as dogs!
FEBRUARY INTERVIEW
Gypsy 6 yo Border Collie
My name is Gypsy and this is my story...
I ended up at the local shelter when I was 5 yo. I don't think my owner liked me. I was always in trouble
with him.
I spent most of my days tied up in the backyard. I hardly ever got walked. He never played with me and I
wasn't allowed to come inside the house. I lead a very sad and lonely life. On the rare occasions he walked
me I got so excited whenever I saw another dog but he'd scream at me to be quiet. I don't know why.
Whenever I saw other dogs while out, I started getting tense on lead and wanted to lunge at them.
Then 1 day he put me in the car and dropped me off at this strange place and I never saw him again.
This place had other very noisy dogs and I couldn't sleep at night. They barked too much. I was frightened
and I didn't know where I was. I didn't feel like eating neither. Would I ever see him again? Were was I?
Different people used to come by to take me walkies up the road, to the vet next door. Others used to come
by my yard and stare at me. Was I in trouble again?
1 of the girls there was nice. I saw her everyday for a while...She used to pat me before feeding me and talk
nicely to me. I hadn't had a cuddle for so long... Then one day this lady came by and spent a long time looking
at me. She was saying things I couldn't understand but she seemed nice. My girl came to take me walkies, I
thought, but instead I went to a separate area where the other lady was waiting for me.
I stayed with her for a while.
I must have charmed my way into her heart because the very next day the lady came back and took me home
with her.
I was very quiet in the beginning. I didn't know if I could trust someone ever again. She started letting me
inside the living room while she was watching TV. She fed me yummy things and the occasional dog bone.
I even got toys to play with and a comfy bed to lay around the room. She talked lots to me and gave me
lovely cuddles. I was starting to relax a little.
But when I went walkies with her, I remembered the times I was walked by my previous owner and I wanted
to lunge at any dog I saw and to bark hard at them. The lady didn't scream at me tough. She was patient.
The following week another lady came to see me and the 3 of us went out. The second lady was a dog trainer
and this was my introduction to Dog School. After few more of these visits other dogs of different sizes came
to walk with us, 1 at the time.
Initially they were well further apart but little by little on the following weeks they slowly got closer to me.
My owner started to give me cookies whenever I saw a dog and I was calm around them. So in the end I was
starting to enjoy these dog meetings. Even the big friendly Greyhound I wasn't scared of anymore.
I was having friends for the first time in my life...
And then I started attending local Chelsea Dog School. There were another 3 dogs in class. I got a bit excited
and barked a little but we did some fun activity things and exercises that distracted and relaxed me.
I graduated with good marks. I cannot go off leash but I am not afraid anymore. I am still with my lady owner
and she and I have a lot more confidence now. Dog training made a lot of difference to us.
It changed everything for the better.
I haven't seen my other owner anymore. But this is home now. And I am very happy...
WOOF ! WOOF !
Gypsy
JANUARY INTERVIEW
Photo: Adriana & Hudson
Melanie, Pet Pals customer interviews Adriana Milne – owner/ manager and Pet Pals dog trainer.
Mel has her dog Bondi walked by Pet Pals 3 times a week.
Bondi is a 7 month old Labradoodle and they did the Level 1 Basic Manners & Socialisation course with
Pet Pals recently.
MEL – Do you have a favourite dog breed or a favourite pet?
ADRIANA – Not a favourite dog breed. I relate to all breeds and I interact with them on equal terms.
Because I come into contact with so many different dog breeds through my work I learnt to respect and admire them for their special characteristics and to love them all. You can bring the best out of them the more you understand them. Dogs can really be your best friend for life. Now, favourite Pets.
I’ve had more contact with dogs, horses and rabbits in my life. I’ve been around the first 2 species for over
20 years. Rabbits for about 15. But I pet care animals in general.
MEL – Why did you decide to become a dog trainer?
ADRIANA – I have run the business as a pet sitting, horse care and dog walking service for over 8 years.
I observed some dogs I walked needed training and that many people weren’t handling them properly or
having access to the right information of knew where to find it.
And that some dog trainers my customers had contacted before charged far too much for a visit and few
dogs needed a set training program established for them and that a one off visit wouldn’t be able to fix the
problem so they couldn’t afford more visits.
More positive reinforcement training methods needed to be used instead of aversive ones.
And the desire to help people and their dogs to succeed as partners in life.
MEL – How was the Delta Society dog training course you
did?
ADRIANA – Fantastic but very demanding. The Cert IV Companion Animal Services – CGC Canine Good Citizen –
Dog Training took 2 years to complete. Lots of research at on site venues, the internet, dog trainers books to
read, assignments, observing other Delta instructors running classes, running and videotaping my own and
private consultations for assignments but it was all worth it in the end.
I really think that’s how it should be. Delta Society sets very high standards for its trainers. It’s the only Cert IV
in dog training in the country. Delta has an Association now and we’ll have Quality Assurance programs every
2 years starting next March 2010.
MEL – Which are the most common dog training issues out there?
ADRIANA – Pulling on the lead, jumping up on people, excessive barking, under exercised and under stimulated
dogs that can become nuisance behaviour to neighbours, too much digging in the backyard, dogs that don’t come
back to owner on recall. And for puppies you try to guide owner asap once they have a new puppy in the home
and very important – safety around children.
For puppies: play biting, toilet training, jumping up, some resource guarding issues.
MEL – What about aggressive dogs?
ADRIANA – Aggressive dog behaviour cases are referred to a Delta Vet Behaviourist professional.
MEL – Is it the only way? Don’t you see them personally?
ADRIANA – No, I don’t. But I do explain it at length to the person that seeks my advice that it’s actually the best
available choice at hand and the most effective. But that it does take time and commitment.
MEL – Have you ever been bitten by a dog?
ADRIANA – Not really bitten. Few warning hand grabs while trying to fit a walking harness on different dogs.
Ah, I forgot. As a child I did get bitten in the hand by a Pekinese dog. It was hiding under the owner’s chair and I
went to pat it.
MEL - Tell me the 2 most exciting animal close encounters you have ever had in your life.
ADRIANA – I was raised in Brazil. My grandmother used to know few very wealthy people and to be well
connected.
At a farm the lady host had 2 young leopards as pets. I mean, inside her house, on top of the couch-a la
Cleopatra style. It was allowed there back in those days. I went to pat them and one of them did a play scratch.
A bit of blood came out of my hand and they sniffed it and 1 of them kept a serious eye on me from then on.
It became a bit obsessed and both have to be locked away after it. At a Brazilian circus I hold a baby lion for a
while. It was gorgeous and playful. And I spent many hours with a baby koala when I visited the house of a
wildlife carer here in Australia. I got to hold it and feed it. Unforgettable experience! Sorry that is 3.
MEL – Gee, you’ve been around animals a bit. Do you ever get scared?
ADRIANA – Of what? Not really…Ok, I did once. I used to rug and feed horses at a nearby agistment and the
17 hds. warmblood mare got scared with a nearby storm that was approaching at a distance. I was feeding her
inside the shed. I obviously know not to stand in front of a horse but this time as I was going around her front
to adjust the rug straps and buckles she spooked at something from behind the shed and ran me down to the
ground. I remember trying to calm her and to move her out of my way but the massive weight of her body in
full forward motion was simply impossible to do it.
I went right under her, in between her front legs and I fell flat in the ground face up. She luckily jumped over
my whole body from toe to head, like I was a water jump. If her hooves had landed on my head I’d be gone.
I just prayed for God and had time to cover my face with my arms. I didn’t get a single scratch. After it I still
have to think of HER safety. She was a very expensive horse so I removed her neck rug and put her in safety
and I went to look for someone. She bucked a bit but let me approach her. I was a bit in shock.
MEL – Would you ever train other animal species apart from dogs?
ADRIANA – I will always be a dog trainer. It’s something I am meant to be. But I will be training 2 other species
as well. You will have to wait and see updates on this website.
MEL – Which animal species would you really want to have the opportunity to train?
ADRIANA – In regards to dogs I would like to have opportunity to train an Alaskan Malamute. I have walked a
few but I have never had 1 in my classes before. And a baby piglet. Studies have shown they are even more
intelligent than dogs.The closest one to me it’s at my horse agistment. She’s an adult size and one day she
scared me while I was preparing the horse feed inside the stable. She came inside and wanted food. She is
huge and the blowing through the nostril sound a bit spooky if you are not used to it. But now I know she’s a
real sweetheart so she doesn’t scare me anymore.
MEL – Which is the most intelligent animal you have ever met?
ADRIANA – Honestly I’d like to think that most animals would show you how much more they can do if given
half the chance. If mentally stimulated enough. But I have to say for dogs - it’s been a border collie named
Pepe that I met at a Gippsland farm. Sheep working herder and other animal - my horse Bounty. He was trained
in Pat Parelli Natural Horsemanship since a foal. So it means his brain has been intensively stimulated since a
very young age. He’s a real character but quite arrogant as well. Sorry to say this but he is.
He manipulates the environment to suit him as much as I allow it to happen. What it means, whenever I am not
there LOL! Poor James - my old horse that lives with him.
MEL – If you could ask dog owners 5 special requests what would it be?
ADRIANA – 1) Not to buy pets on impulse. Dogs – for future owners to research few dog breeds, to see which
one would be more suitable for their lifestyle, family environment, backyard size. Few Delta trainers provide
this as service as well. They can guide you towards the right selection. Not to buy only based on looks.
2) Puppies – to buy from a reputable breeder.
Registered with the VCA – Victoria Canine Association.
And to meet puppy’s parents to check for temperament.
To have a vet health checking the puppy before purchase if possible.
3)Dog Adoption – to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter, the Lost Dogs Home or the RSPCA.
You can find their websites on my ‘Links page’.
Some of them may be there for various reasons and not a fault of their own – deceased person, person moved
interstate or overseas and couldn’t take dog with them, person can’t afford to keep it anymore, dog have been
found unregistered and with no microchip wandering the streets and has been surrendered and it’s in for
adoption now. They do deserve a second chance in life. Try to spend as much time with dog as possible to see
how he/she behaves around you, checking for temperament.
4) DOG AND OWNER EDUCATION - Ideally all owners would take their puppies to puppy pre-school with a Delta
trainer and all dogs should do a Delta Level 1 Basic Manners course. This would set up dog and owner for a much
better chance of success in life.
Dogs can last up to 10 – 12 years of age and few breeds even longer so why not to invest in some precious
training from the start? People should think that the time to call a dog trainer is as soon you get the dog.
To have a dog practice a bad behavior for years and then to call a dog trainer when the person can’t stand the
dog bad habit anymore isn’t the best way. We obviously can still help in these occasions but it may take longer to
fix it if dog has practiced for eg. digging the backyard for 5 long years.
5) Owners to treat their dogs with respect and dignity.
To use positive reinforcement training methods only with their dogs, no punishment or aversive methods -shock
collars, choke chains, yelling. So dog can have trust and a strong animal- human bond with its owner.
They should look up to you for the things they want in life, not to fear you.
They need a good, fair leader around them.