Ben and Sarah |
We met when we were working as canine attendants at the SPCA in Auckland. It quickly became clear that we had very similar outlooks on life, and that our philosophies on taking care of animals were also aligned. So we owe our romance and the life we have built together in Greytown to dogs – we have a lot to be thankful to them for!
Our work at the SPCA has given us unique dog handling experience. We have dealt with dogs large and small, fearful, confident, stressed, curious, unsocialised and everything in between. Our jobs involved working with the dogs from the moment they entered the SPCA Village until they found their new home.
Working with dogs every day that had been abandoned, neglected and abused taught us a great deal about how to help them overcome these issues and to build trust and confidence in their world. Sometimes animals were surrendered to us that had come from loving homes but their owners could no longer care for them. These dogs were often the most difficult to settle and to build rapport with and, again, they taught us a lot about how to help them and the importance of the human/dog bond.
We also worked closely with the vets and hospital staff – administering medications and vaccinations, handling dogs during vet checks and procedures, taking care of the dogs prior to and after surgery and generally keeping an eye on their everyday health. Sarah has also completed a first aid course for companion animals so that she is able to assist in an emergency until the animal can be taken to a vet.
We have both completed a dangerous dog-handling course and Sarah has a certificate in canine massage. We are committed to staying in touch with the amazing new research that is being done on dog training, behaviour and psychology. Our training and handling philosophy is one of positive reinforcement – we simply don’t believe that pain, fear or punishment have any place in our relationships with dogs. Sarah is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers of New Zealand.
We met when we were working as canine attendants at the SPCA in Auckland. It quickly became clear that we had very similar outlooks on life, and that our philosophies on taking care of animals were also aligned. So we owe our romance and the life we have built together in Greytown to dogs – we have a lot to be thankful to them for!
Our work at the SPCA has given us unique dog handling experience. We have dealt with dogs large and small, fearful, confident, stressed, curious, unsocialised and everything in between. Our jobs involved working with the dogs from the moment they entered the SPCA Village until they found their new home.
Working with dogs every day that had been abandoned, neglected and abused taught us a great deal about how to help them overcome these issues and to build trust and confidence in their world. Sometimes animals were surrendered to us that had come from loving homes but their owners could no longer care for them. These dogs were often the most difficult to settle and to build rapport with and, again, they taught us a lot about how to help them and the importance of the human/dog bond.
We also worked closely with the vets and hospital staff – administering medications and vaccinations, handling dogs during vet checks and procedures, taking care of the dogs prior to and after surgery and generally keeping an eye on their everyday health. Sarah has also completed a first aid course for companion animals so that she is able to assist in an emergency until the animal can be taken to a vet.
We have both completed a dangerous dog-handling course and Sarah has a certificate in canine massage. We are committed to staying in touch with the amazing new research that is being done on dog training, behaviour and psychology. Our training and handling philosophy is one of positive reinforcement – we simply don’t believe that pain, fear or punishment have any place in our relationships with dogs. Sarah is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers of New Zealand.
