Dogs saved me, now I save them
Laura’s experience with dogs has led to a lifetime of love Laura Vissaritis, 36, Melbourne, Vic
Running out into the bush, tears streamed down my face.
I was only 11 but already I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.
My gorgeous dad, Jim, was gone. At just 44 he’d had inoperable brain cancer, and over the last year, I’d watched him slowly fade.
Now my mum, Diane, was about to lose our rural home and everything was about to change.
As my body heaved with sobs I felt so alone.
Except, I wasn’t.
A moment later, I felt a slobbery lick on my face.
And then a nose forced its way under my arm!
Next, my pup was clambering onto my lap.
As I buried my head in his fur I felt myself relax.
‘You’re here for me boy,’ I smiled through my tears as he licked my salty cheeks.
Dogs had always been a huge part of our lives.
We seemed to attract all the waifs and strays and they’d wander up our driveway and never leave!
We used to have up to
10 at a time, and all the mutts we rescued became part of our family.
‘They have such different personalities,’ I’d tell Mum.
You have to develop trust and respect
But the one thing they had in common was listening when I needed them, like that day in the bush.
Grown-ups wanted to hug me and ask me awkward questions, but my dogs didn’t need anything from me.
They slept by my side and just loved me.
In the midst of that horribly uncertain time, the dogs were my constant.
We travelled from house to house over the next six months, sometimes sleeping in our car but always with our beloved pets.
‘I’d sooner be homeless than leave them,’ Mum would say, and I agreed. A dog was for life.
As things improved and Mum found work, I knew when I grew up I had to have a job around animals.
In my 20s I started working at Zoos Victoria and adopted a staffy called Chester.
‘I want to understand him the best I possibly can,’ I told Mum.
So, I completed a psychology degree because, as I came to realise, dog training is more about people and their behaviour than it is the dogs. I also did a course with the national dog training federation.
It meant I was qualified to not only understand Chester, but to help other people understand their pets.
‘You have to develop trust and respect to get the best out of your dog,’ I told my clients, explaining how they had to change their behaviour in order to alter their dog’s.
Becoming known by the local pounds, I’d get calls about aggressive dogs.
‘He’ll have to be put down unless you can do something,’ I was often told.
There was one particular dog who nobody could go near. Growling and shaking, she wouldn’t leave the corner of her enclosure.
When I learned she’d been mistreated for 10 years, I knew I had to save her.
Confidently walking into her pen, I sat in the corner, not making eye contact but just throwing her pieces of roast chicken.
By the end of our session she was on my lap wagging her tail – and within months she was rehomed with a
beautiful family.
‘Dogs are generally aggressive if they’ve had a pretty bad life,’ I explained.
‘They don’t bite because they’re bad. It’s just the only thing left in their toolbox. You have to show the dog there are other ways to demonstrate their feelings.’
Keen to get my advice out there, I wrote a book, Dognitive Therapy.
And now, I share other amazing dogs’ stories on a podcast.
Speaking with former soldier Mark Donaldson VC, I was so moved by his relationship with his dog.
A German Shepherd called Devil, he’d saved Mark’s life on numerous occasions.
Mark also told me about an amazing pooch called Kuga, who was the first Australian dog to be honoured with the Victoria Cross for animals.
‘Kuga swam across a river and indicated they were about to be ambushed,’ Mark explained.
Even after Kuga was shot five times by the Taliban he still swam back to his handler.
Sadly, he never recovered from his injuries and passed away nine months later after providing the ultimate sacrifice.
Closer to home, I spoke with people who took dogs into schools.
Kids who were too shy to read to adults would flourish reading to these furry friends.
And a specialist talked to me about dogs helping women and children who had escaped from domestic violence situations.
‘They are such a support for the kids and help them get through incredible trauma,’ she explained.
I knew dogs were pretty special but after hearing so many amazing stories I was even more blown away.
At home with Chester, and my new furpal, a staffy called Alma, I know I’ll be helping other dog owners for life.
My four-legged childhood friends saved me when I needed them, and for that
I’ll forever be paying it forward.