Rango the Lurcher

We contacted Sally out of sheer desperation.  Our rescued lurcher was killing us.  His behaviour ranged from a wound-up lunatic who paced the house constantly, to a snarling (potential) killing machine as he protected the bones he’d buried deep inside the sofa - to a sweet (seemingly docile) dog who whined and whimpered constantly (or as hubby described it - squeaked) when he wasn’t getting enough attention. He peed and pooed in the house on a daily basis, escaped from the garden several times at night to chase after foxes, fought his way out of his collar (again at night to chase a bloody fox) - only to be found an hour later by a passer-by 0.5 miles away from home.  He frequently launched himself into people’s gardens when out on a walk - completely ignoring our calls; and worse still, he began to get increasingly aggressive towards other dogs, to the point we thought we’d end up paying someone else’s vet’s bills!  Although fellow dog walkers were sympathetic to our plight, it’s safe to say we couldn’t take much more - we were both exhausted, exasperated and completely lost with what to do (hubby was spending more and more time growling at the dog, but getting nowhere...)

Sally spent the afternoon with us.  It isn’t an exaggeration to say that what she taught us blew our minds completely - although it’s all completely common sense!  We’re dog owner newbies and so we’d spent hundreds on dog treats, fluffy dog beds and toys - thinking all along that we were doing the right thing - and had it nailed.  After all, we’d spent hours researching this stuff on the net and thought we knew what we were doing….Those dogo luxuries are now gone, and our house is no longer ‘dog central.’   We’ve taken back control, and boy, the relief is palpable!

Our dog needs complete rehab (and it's fair to say that hubby was pretty sceptical and a bit defensive when Sally arrived)...but in just one evening we’ve got a different dog!  Hubby got to work as soon as Sally had left (the key is to just get on with it).  Our dog was calmly worked that evening until he learned what was expected of him. 

Us humans have now taken on the responsibility of leading the 'pack' and as a result, we've gone from the manic dog described above; to a dog who's beginning to trust us to keep him safe.  He's done exactly as we’ve asked (looking up at us, focussed, as if waiting for his next command - even when our loud and bouncy 7-year-old daughter arrived home!); and as I write this he’s sleeping peacefully on his bed with an accomplished look on his face - as if he’s had a hard day at work. 

It’s clear that we’ve got a long journey ahead of us with our dog, but with Sally’s help, we’ve gone from regretting our decision to take on our boy, to really enjoying his company.  And I really cannot explain in words, how wonderful that feeling is...

Jo