05/09/2024
R.I.P. Christopher Paul Garden.
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform everyone of the passing of one of our senior trainers, Chris, who passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at 1.25am on the 5th of September 2024 after a short battle with cancer. He was 54.
Chris was an incredible husband, father, brother, friend and a truly gifted dog trainer. He will be sorely missed. All who knew him knew his affectionate, loving nature, loyalty, kindness and sense of humour.
For those wishing to attend his memorial we will update in the next few days. The last few weeks have been very difficult and we ask for some privacy as we process this loss. This is a very large loss to us both personally and professionally.
The world of dogs has lost a true Dog Man today. As you will see in the photos Chris's journey with dogs started very young and continued right till the end. Even in the last few weeks he was still trying to assist past customers over the phone. For those not in dogs it can be hard to understand why anyone would dedicate the time dog people do to their animals. For true dog people being skilled with handling and training these animals brings real joy. Chris truly loved doing just that. Chris developed his training skills over 30 years of working with dogs. There are many dog trainers out there however what for me separates the true dog man or women from the rest is the ability to handle the dogs others would never consider. Chris definitely did this. He handled time and again dogs that other trainers had refused to go near. He prided himself on helping the helpless. Chris was a very caring person who took time to care for all those around him. Self sacrifice caused Chris no concern. This was the same characteristics that enabled him to win over even the most difficult dog. Never in a rush to push the dog to where it did not want to go, instead he would take his time and win it over with patience and kindness allowing the dog to truly trust him. Never did I see Chris loose patience with a dog. It would be impossible to know a number of dogs and owners Chris assisted with over the years but it would be well into the thousands.
His loss will be truly felt in the world of dogs.
R.I.P. our beloved Chris.
P.S. The office will be closed till Monday the 9th of September.
