RUFF AND READY
LEON TOWERS IS HERE TO HELP SORT OUT YOUR PROBLEMATIC POOCHES…
Has your parakeet got you squawking with rage? A misbehaving bunny left you hopping mad? Salvation is at hand in this new daily series where a group of animal behavioural experts help owners who are reaching the end of their tethers. Inside TV spoke to dog behaviourist Leon Towers to find out what sort of challenges he faced…
Hi, Leon! What can we expect from the series?
There are lots of laughs, first of all. There are some really funny stories and lots of heartfelt ones, so you can go from crying with laughter to crying with emotion in a split second – it’s that kind of vibe. And what you see is what you get. It can’t be rehearsed, because I can’t fix a dog then unfix it again to do another take. The first time I get to see the client or the dog is the minute the camera starts rolling.
Can you tell us a little more about some of the dogs you’ll be dealing with?
One springs to mind that’s quite funny – there’s a shih-tzu called Casper, and his owners Nick and Angela had come in to see me because Casper had been barking at the telly for five years and they’ve never been able to sort it.
The dog literally headbutts the television and even tries to bite the screen – he goes absolutely crazy any time there’s an animal or a cartoon on TV. You’ll just have to tune in to find out what happens!
It sounds as though you have some rather big problems to sort out…
Yeah, there were challenges that came into my centre at the clinic that I’d never dealt with before, so you just have to think on your toes. But there’s some kind of bond with me and any dog that comes in. I’m not saying I’m Dr Dolittle, but I can sense what’s wrong with them, and how it started. It just comes straight into my head.
You’re helping people to get peace with their pets – does that make it quite a satisfying job?
Do you know what? It’s absolutely lovely. I haven’t done my job properly if they leave and the problem hasn’t been fixed. I love seeing the owners leaving my clinic, with a big smile on their faces and lots of kisses and cuddles, going back to a new life for them and their dogs.