Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column
SHARING an office with someone can be irritating. There’s the noisy eater (who’s always eating crisps), the nosy parker and the sniffer. There’s the person who’s negative and the know-it-all. Not forgetting, of course, the untidy, the unsociable and the lazy (who are always first to look busy when the manager arrives).
So when I went to Dogs Trust recently and found Sizzles sharing an office with staff, I knew she must be good company or they wouldn’t have invited her in.
Comparing her to the above check list, she is certainly not untidy. All her toys were stacked neatly in the office, except the ones she was playing with and Sizzles, a lurcher, was perfectly groomed, not a hair out of place. She’s also not negative. Sizzles greeted me happily when I arrived and it was easy to see why one of her canine carers said, she’s fun and makes you laugh.
Lurchers are usually a cross between a sighthound breed (such as a greyhound) and a collie or terrier. As such, Sizzles is likely to have many sighthound traits both in speed and brains. I could see she might be a bit of a nosy parker watching to know what’s going on. She might also be a bit of a sniffer, she quickly sniffed out my bag of treats but politely waited to be given some.
With regards to being sociable, Sizzles loves human company but can be reactive to other dogs and will need experienced owners who understand this. She’s also not lazy, she’s a strong girl who would enjoy some training to keep her stimulated. She already knows several commands. If you would like to meet Sizzles, she’s waiting at the Dogs Trust rehoming centre, Harvil Road, Uxbridge.
Sharing an office with Sizzles was Dogs Trust’s Education and Community Officer, Rosie. Education is an important part of Dogs Trust’s work. Since 2003, they have been delivering free educational workshops and lessons encouraging positive attitudes to dog welfare. Underpinning themes of the lessons are staying safe around dogs and responsible dog ownership.
Benefits for teachers include that the Dogs Trust officer comes to you and the workshops cater for a wide variety of learning styles.
Benefits for the pupils include the teaching aims to develop compassion for all living beings and workshops are delivered in imaginative ways which create memorable and positive learning experiences. For more information email rosie.allen@dogstrust.org.uk or call 07551 805 406.