My pet’s my reason to live ...so I learnt doggy first aid
HE WAS the TV Rottweiler the BBC would let loose to bark at wayward MPS.
But getting a dog has calmed Jeremy Paxman down so much, that his pet is now his “reason to live”, not politics.
Rescue dog Derek has been by his side for the past three years – and in a bid to keep his canine companion around for as long as possible, Paxman recently signed up for a dog first aid course.the 69-yearold told Saga Magazine: “I was persuaded the other day that Derek was so important to my wellbeing that I really ought to attend a dog first aid training session.
“In addition to finding a dog’s pulse, we were taught what to do if one of our dogs’ eyes fell out [keep it moist and on no account try to put it back]; how to take their temperature [as if we didn’t know]; how to improvise a muzzle [very easy as long as you have a stuffed toy rather than a snarling mutt] and how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on dogs from Great Danes to Pekinese.”
Paxman, who describes Derek as a “sort of spaniel”, admitted struggling when it came to carrying out mouth-to-mouth – or “mouth-to-snout”, as he described it.
He said: “I can’t recall whether we were supposed to give first five puffs and then two – or vice versa – of mouth-to-snout when trying to revive a drowned dog [to be performed through a barrier in recognition of the fact that dogs’ noses visit some pretty unpleasant places].
“And I intend no criticism of our instructor by saying that finding Derek’s pulse [in the groin of the hind leg joints] turned out to be harder than expected.
“I suspect he doesn’t have one – and he has started to shoot me rather wary glances when I tell him we’re going to do first aid practice.”
The presenter firmly believes that having a dog can help beat loneliness, especially among the elderly.
He said: “You’re never alone with a pet – most of my conversation each day is with Derek. He doesn’t argue back.a home isn’t really a home without a dog or some other pet. Pets are a bit like politicians, but nicer.”
Paxman also recalled one fellow dog owner’s concerns when dealing with a pet that had suffered a stroke and did little but “stare at the wall”.
He said: “I pointed out that this seemed a crisp encapsulation of the lives of a lot of human beings. If it weren’t for Derek I’d be doing it myself.”
● Read the full article in the December issue of Saga Magazine
PET owners around the country will all agree with Jeremy Paxman’s sentiment when he says his dog Derek is “his reason to live”.
The man who for so many years was the TV Rottweiler grilling politicians on Newsnight, is now so fond of his Battersea Dogs’ Home rescue pooch that he has even trained to give Derek first aid.
Paxman once wrote a book giving a portrait of the English. He now knows one of those qualities is that we are a nation of dog lovers.