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Blue
Cross rescue dog gets fired up for a new role
Charlie, a rescue Dog from The Blue Cross adoption Centre in
Tiverton, has overcome a difficult start in life by becoming
the newest recruit of Cornwall County’s Council’s
Fire Brigade’s Fire Investigation Unit.
Proving that rescue dogs need not be held back by their pasts,
the one-year- old bearded collie cross gave a practical demonstration
of his role within the brigade during a special display at Truro
Fire Station on Monday 28 April.
Charlie’s new duties with the investigation unit include
accelerant detection by ‘sniffing out’ ignitable liquids.
Despite his young age, Charlie had already had two previous
owners when he was handed over to The Blue Cross by his distressed
owners who felt they could no longer cope with the pressure
his behaviour was putting on the family.
Blue Cross animal behaviour advisor Claire Luscombe, said: “When
I was first introduced to Charlie he was like a coiled spring
with no idea how to channel his energy, but it soon became clear
that he was an extremely quick learner. As many of Charlie’s
problems seemed to be caused by boredom, the best way to deal
with his behaviour was to direct this energy by giving him the
mental stimulation he needed”.
Seeing Charlie’s increasing unhappiness in kennels, Claire
arranged a visit with Cornwall County Council Fire Brigade dog
handler and trainer Sub-Officer Richard Gibbons. As Richard’s
current dog, Nelson, is nearing retirement he felt it an ideal
time to employ another dog.
Convictions
Nelson has been working for the brigade since June 1997 and
has worked on more than 150 incidents, resulting in five convictions,
with the Fire Investigation Team.
Sub-Officer Richard Gibbons said “Charlie has undergone
a strict training regime. This started with basic retrieval
training, using plastic pipes and cotton wool soaked in petrol
hidden in various places outside. We then took the process indoors.
The dogs learn not to get excited when they find an indication,
but to sit next to the area. This stops any evidence being destroyed.
The final stage is direct dropping of partially burnt liquid”.
The training takes two months to complete and Charlie passed
his certification this month. Charlie will now have to pass
competence training annually.
Richard Gibbons added: “I plan to work Nelson and Charlie
together for a couple of months, slowly reducing Nelson’s
work load. When Nelson eventually retires, Charlie will be ready
to continue his good work”.
Pet Bereavement Deeply Affects Children, Says Animal Charity
Britains pet charity, The Blue Cross, is urging parents, teachers
and caregivers to be aware of the emotional impact the death
of a pet can have on children.
With national statistics indicating that people are now living
longer(1), when a loved family pet dies it is increasingly a
child’s first experience of the death of something close
to them.
The Pet Bereavement Support Services (PBSS), a telephone helpline
and email service run by The Blue Cross and Society for Companion
Animal Welfare (SCAS), receives a growing number of phone calls
and emails every year from distressed children who have lost
a pet.
The trained volunteers provide reassurance and comfort to younger
callers who, in many cases, feel unable to communicate with
school friends and family about their feelings of loss.
The Blue Cross warns that the extent of childrens feelings can
sometimes be overlooked and that the way in which a child copes
with the loss of the animal may lay the foundations for how
they manage other losses later in life.
In response to these concerns, the charity has produced a support
leaflet entitled Children & Pet Bereavement. Designed to
be a useful guide for anyone supporting a child who has lost
a pet, the leaflet highlights children’s reactions to pet
loss, provides useful tips on how to support a child and also
offers practical advice about getting another pet.
Resentful
Fourteen-year-old James* was feeling confused and angry when
he first coontacted The Blue Cross’s Pet Bereavement Support
Service. James’s dog Tilly had recently been diagnosed
with cancer and his parents had taken the decision to have her
euthanased. He was feeling resentful towards a new puppy his
parents had bought home in an attempt to replace Tilly and guilty
about not being able to show affection to his new puppy.
Jo-Ann Dono, Head of PBSS said “Children often form very
strong bonds with their pets and, for James, losing Tilly was
like losing a best friend or a member of his family. Overwhelming
feelings of sadness, anger, resentment and guilt are common
grief reactions not to dismiss or trivialise them. Speaking
to a trained befriender helped James to talk through his feelings
and to realise that what he was experiencing was completely
normal”.
BUPA psychiatrist, Dr Sally Cubbin MRCPsych, MSc, DCH said;
“It is important not to hold back information. Let your
child know if a pet is seriously ill and faced with possible
death. It is important that adults recognise that the death
can be a learning experience for your child - a time to learn
that death is real, final and natural and most important of
all, a time to say goodbye. Some adults have the mistaken belief
that we can protect children from these painful experiences”.
Copies of The Blue Cross’s Children & Pet Bereavement
leaflet are available by calling 01993 825539 or by visiting
www.bluecross.org.uk
* Names have been changed |
