Helen Howell Dog Behaviour Expert

02/08/2024

Beautiful Eva!❤️ This gorgeous girl was abandoned in South Wales. She had been rehomed in good faith and the new keeper then gave her up. Eva was found as a stray and as a result of her breed was taken into the possession of South Wales Police who tracked down her original owner. They were heartbroken to hear of her being in police kennels and said they would take her back into their care and take her through the exemption process.
I was asked to carry out a behaviour assessment and Eva was a bit worried during the assessment but was very gentle, the kennel staff were clearly very fond of this sweet girl. Thanks to a fantastic DLO and the support of Save our Seized Dogs Eva has now gone back to her original home. She has settled right back in. Good girl Eva.

13/07/2024

This week I have been in Spain and managed to find some time to pop in and see the guys at Galgos del Sol. Working with the beautiful dogs at this rescue is a dream. If you haven’t heard of Galgos del Sol check out their socials to see some of the incredible work they do. The staff and volunteers are so dedicated to the dogs. Here are a few of the woofers I spent some time with, Jess, Chance and Buttercup.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064388930918

01/07/2024

Ray is such a gorgeous boy! He was lots of fun in his assessment. Great work by the legal team advocating for Ray.

This is Ray. Ray was seized by the police after a person was injured who fell face-first on top of him whilst fussing him. It was unclear whether the injury was caused by the person hitting the floor or by Ray. Expert evidence demonstrated that this was not an aggressive attack by Ray. Instead, the injury was most likely caused by an accidental impact with a canine tooth or a snap reactive bite due to being fallen on.

Helen Howell Dog Behaviour Expert assessed Ray and found him to be an excitable and friendly dog who reacted normally to the incident. The police agreed that Ray was not a danger to the public and returned him home last month with muzzle and lead conditions, pending the conclusion of the case.

During a successful Newton hearing, Oliver Norman of St Pauls Chambers Criminal Law argued that Ray should not be subject to any conditions, as he had acted just like any dog would in the circumstances. Consequently, Ray is now free from any restrictions.

23/05/2024

This is gorgeous Tiggie! Last year Tiggie, who was a young dog at the time, jumped up in an excited way at a neighbour, who had previously interacted with Tiggie in a friendly way. The neighbour stated that during this incident they received a minor injury to the hand. This injury did not appear to be typical of a dog bite. There had previously been some conflict between Tiggie’s owner and the neighbour and three months after Tiggie had jumped up, the incident was reported to the police. Despite never even meeting Tiggie the police instigated civil proceedings against Tiggie’s owner. They applied for a control under with a string of conditions including keeping her contained in a pen in the rear garden and muzzling her when on a walk and when visitors come to the home. I was instructed to assess Tiggie and I found her to be a gentle, obedient girl. She has never used aggressive behaviour in any context. In my report I explained that I did not believe that Tiggie’s was a dangerous dog and my recommendation would be that Tiggie should be kept under control in the same way as any other pet dog. I expressed my view that the measures suggested by the police were disproportionate and would be unnecessarily detrimental to Tiggie’s welfare. This week the matter went to court and the court felt that the matter appeared to be more of a neighbour dispute, they agreed that Tiggie should just be kept under control with no further conditions. These proceedings will have cost thousands of pounds, had the matter been investigated and dealt with sensibly by the police, this money would have been saved, court time would have also been saved and Tiggie’s elderly owner would have been spared the unnecessary stress and expense.

03/05/2024

This week I am in the USA speaking at my first international conference with Jim Crosby. The IAABC Foundation once again have created an incredible event and I have learnt so much and made some wonderful friends along the way. As professionals it is essential to continue to learn and develop and an international perspective helps deepen our knowledge.

24/04/2024

https://news.sky.com/story/campaigners-against-governments-xl-bully-dogs-ban-given-green-light-to-bring-high-court-challenge-13122130

Since February, it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without an exemption certificate - the law came into power after a string of attacks by the breed.

19/04/2024

Yossah is going home!!! This week I attended a High Court hearing that was funded by Save Our Seized Dogs after Yossah , a dog I had assessed, was ordered to be destroyed by a Crown Court last year. I did not attend the crown court hearing as in my report I suggested some measures which would ensure Yossah would not pose a danger to public safety which were agreed by the police and the CPS. However, the judge in that court disagreed with my undisputed opinion and stated that as I had not assessed Yossah in a public place the court were not satisfied that he did not pose a danger to public safety. Of course, I was unable to assess Yossah in a public place as he was a seized dog and I am only able to use a secure assessment area provided by the police. I was not given the opportunity to address this and a destruction order was made.
The High Court this week have ruled that the court acted wrongly on a number of points but perhaps most importantly because they gave no valid reason for departing from my undisputed evidence. The court passed judgement and have made a contingent destruction order as per the conditions in my report which means that Yossah can be released from police kennels after being held for two years. This application to the High Court was made to try and save Yossah’s life, a dog who did not deserve to be put to sleep. Four Legs Law Solicitors and the barrister Sam March worked so hard and were amazing in this case and as a team with Save Our Seized Dogs, secured Yossah’s freedom. Alongside that some new caselaw now exists that will help expert witnesses going forward when their uncontested evidence is disregarded by a court. I have been involved in a number of cases where this has happened so this is such a valuable piece of caselaw going forward. Welcome home Yossah!! ❤️🎉

09/04/2024

This is Taz. Last year Taz injured a delivery driver who had entered the garden of the home and a few days later nipped a police officer who went into the house, not breaking the skin but causing bruising. At the time there was some tension in the home as one of Taz’s caregivers was in hospital. The incidents were out of character and it is likely that Taz, who is a nervous dog, was experiencing some increased stress at the time given the circumstances, which may have influenced his behaviour. Taz was seized and I was instructed to assess him. He was a worried boy and took some time to warm up but by the end of the assessment he was snuggled up next to me on a blanket. I visited Taz’s owners and they were very keen to ensure nothing similar could happen again. I made some recommendations to increase the security in the home and they implemented these straight away. Today at court the judge agreed that Taz could go home with some conditions. The dog legislation officer has been supportive throughout and agreed with the contents of my report which most definitely helped Taz in court. Welcome home Taz!

09/03/2024

Puzzle games are a great way of providing enrichment for our dogs, my new addition to the family, Tinkerbell , really enjoyed this toy from www.wobblydog.com, I hid some treats in the carrots and she spent ages finding them! Wobbly Dog only supports kind, ethical science based training methods. They have a great range of toys and treats online.

01/03/2024

Please help with this interesting study if you can.

I am currently in the final stages of a Masters Degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Training and am looking at the link between gastrointestinal and skin conditions on behaviour in dogs. I would be so appreciative if anyone with a dog (they don't need to have any behavioural or health issues, it's for any dog at all) could fill in my questionnaire. If you have multiple dogs you can either pick one dog or do a separate one for each dog. Thank you very much!🥰

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JV2C5QS

05/02/2024

Nala is coming home! In July 2022 Nala was out on a walk with her owner and another dog who was under the control of another person at the time. There was an incident involving the other dog where a child was injured. Nala did not use any aggressive behaviour during this incident. The police attended Nala’s owners home and seized Nala following the incident, the other dog was also seized from a different address. Nala was assessed by a dog legislation officer and was deemed to be of pit bull type and Nala’s owner was charged with an offence of having a prohibited breed dog. Unfortunately Nala does possess a substantial number of characteristics of a pit bull type dog but Nala has never been aggressive to people or other animals and on assessment she was a beautiful friendly girl. Eventually after several court hearings the court agreed that Nala does not pose a danger to public safety and she can be placed on the register of exempted dogs and return home to her owner. It is fantastic news but incredibly upsetting that yet again a dog who has done nothing wrong has had to spend 18 months in kennels.

01/01/2024

I am heading into 2024 with a heavy heart. The addition of the American Bully XL to the list of prohibited breeds is a tragedy.
For those of you who don’t know, my PhD research is focussed on human directed dog aggression and risk factors for aggression. Science tells us that breed is not an accurate predictor of aggression in dogs. Aggression is complex and there are numerous factors that can increase the risk of a dog biting. We know that breed specific legislation does not protect public safety, dog bites have continued to rise. I am astounded that the government have not listened to experts who have a thorough understanding of dog aggression and the societal issues that have resulted in the rise in dog bites in the UK. Research commissioned by the government reported that breed specific legislation does not protect public safety. The veterinary profession and animal welfare charities spoke at the EFRA committee and stated that breed specific legislation will not be effective in reducing dog bites. I have never spoken to a police dog legislation officer who believes that breed specific legislation protects public safety. Yet the government appear to have made their decisions based on inaccurate media reporting and the opinions of those who have little if any understanding of dog behaviour.
We are now in a position where members of the public, outraged by the addition of the XL bully to the legislation, are taking dogs that have been dumped on the overstretched rescue system into their homes with no knowledge of their history or behaviour because the government has placed unreasonable deadlines on owners to exempt their dogs. People are trying to save the lives of these dogs because they feel the legislation is unjust, and as a consequence, may be taking on dogs they have little understanding of. But now these dogs have little opportunity to exercise and socialise as a result of having to be muzzled and on a lead. This will in some cases increase frustration and increase the likelihood of dog bites occurring. It is a recipe for disaster. Those professionals working in rescue and the veterinary profession who have to deal with the euthanasia of healthy happy and sociable dogs because of how they look are on their knees. They are broken.
I predict that dog bites will rise and there will be more tragedies, exacerbated by the rapid introduction of inadequate legislation.
We absolutely need to take measures to reduce the number of dog bite incidents and fatalities, as someone who deals with serious dog bites on a daily basis I want the situation to change urgently. There are solutions that are much more likely to be effective than this. Unfortunately until the government address the cause of the problem and listen to those experts who understand these, nothing will change. In the meantime we try to pick up the pieces.

26/12/2023

We are trying to produce an estimate of how many XL Bully 'type' dogs there are in England and Wales to support the Judicial Review application. The government believe there are only around 15,000 dogs that meet 'type'. We believe this number to be far higher. No names will be shared, but we need to...

12/12/2023

This is Roger. Two years ago a visitor to the home bent down to greet Roger and unfortunately Roger caused an injury to the visitors face that required hospital treatment. It is unclear whether this was as a result of over excitement or an aggressive response from Roger. Roger has never shown any aggression outside of this incident and aggression would be out of character for him. Roger was seized by the police and has been in police kennels for the last two years. There have been no reports of Roger being aggressive while in kennels and Roger was a sociable dog during my assessment with no sign of aggression. Roger’s owners were devastated about the incident and very determined to make sure nothing similar could happen again. They pleaded guilty at court and the prosecution were not seeking a destruction order. I did not attend the magistrates court hearing as the prosecution agreed my report which suggested some measures that could protect public safety should Roger be returned home. The magistrates’ however ordered the destruction of Roger. Roger’s owners appealed this decision and today in the Crown Court I gave evidence about Roger’s behaviour and the fantastic KC Cathryn McGahey presented the case for Roger to be allowed home with a contingent destruction order. Thankfully the court agreed and Roger is going home. Roger’s family are delighted and said it is the best Christmas present ever!

11/12/2023

28/11/2023

Kiana is coming home!!!
This gorgeous girl has been in police kennels for 16 months after an incident where she jumped up and bit a child’s arm, we aren’t sure whether she was trying to grab a ball the child was holding or whether she was scared and reacted through fear as there was lots of shouting screaming and arms waving at the time. On seizure she was assessed as being of pit bull type and unfortunately,even though she is a staffie cross, she did meet the criteria of being pit bull type.
Kiana was a very worried girl in kennels and she took some time to settle but was easily handled by her familiar carers after settling in. The police were of the view that because of her behaviour in kennels she would pose a danger to the public and they were seeking destruction. I assessed Kiana on two occasions and she was an affectionate sociable girl with no sign of aggression. I told the court that I believed the incident was out of character and I felt that with the conditions of exemption in place Kiana could safely go home. Despite the police objecting the court agreed she can go home. Her family are delighted!

12/11/2023

Had a great day learning today at the Animal Behaviour Kent Conference. The focus of the conference was empathy in animal professional practice, I listened to some amazing speakers and was honoured to sit as a panellist for a discussion around legislation and animal welfare alongside the fantastic Dr Amber Batson and Hannah Molloy. Thank you so much Daniel Shaw for asking me to be part of this brilliant event.

09/11/2023

This adorable little guy is Star. He was seized by the police after an incident when a delivery driver entered the home of Star’s owner despite being told to wait outside. When he went into the home the driver was bitten on the foot by Star resulting in a minor injury. Police carried out an assessment of Star and were of the opinion he was of pit bull type. I was asked to assess Star. He was presented to me for assessment having been placed in a van on a pole which he clearly found traumatic and struggled against injuring himself. There was blood inside the vehicle from his mouth. I didn’t remove Star from the vehicle as it was apparent he was very anxious and it wasn’t appropriate to do so. I asked to assess him in his kennel and this was refused. Star’s welfare was being compromised, he was not being exercised and had minimal social interaction for a year while in kennels. Despite being offered a better kennel facility for Star where his needs would be met the police refused to move him. After some legal argument by the excellent legal team and the revelation that the victim had been trying to effectively blackmail Star’s owner the charges were both withdrawn. Star has been allowed home which is fantastic news but the state of Star’s teeth has brought me to tears. As a result of the stress and frustration he has experienced in kennels he has ground down all his teeth. He must be in so much pain. His owner is currently seeking veterinary help for Star. This could have been avoided. The welfare of dogs in kennels should be a priority for police, unfortunately for some police forces this does not appear to be the case. I will be raising this case with the RSPCA.

07/11/2023

Yesterday I gave evidence in court in a matter relating to the tragic death of a dog walker at the beginning of this year. Natasha Johnston was fatality injured as a result of dog bites during an incident that occurred when she was walking dogs in a park. Two of the dogs in her care at the time were Cookie and Shadow. There was no evidence to suggest Cookie and Shadow were involved in any aggressive incident or caused injury to Natasha, in fact they were seen to be running away. Despite the police expert maintaining that the incident had been a “pack attack” involving Cookie and Shadow I could see no evidence of that. The police had not carried out a behaviour assessment of the dogs concerned in the incident yet their expert recommended that control orders be issued for them, including Cookie or Shadow. The dog believed to have been responsible for the fatal injury has been euthanised. The legal team representing Cookie and Shadow’s owner presented the facts to the court and after listening to this and the evidence of the police expert and myself the judge agreed there was no evidence that Cookie and Shadow had behaved dangerously and that they were not dangerous dogs. The police application for control orders was refused. Poor Cookie and Shadow have been kept in police kennels for 10 months since the incident and Shadow was only 5 months old when seized. This will have undoubtedly had a negative impact on their welfare. They can now go home to their owner who has been terribly worried for them and fought hard on their behalf. This case highlighted serious failings in the investigation of this tragic incident in my opinion. I will be raising these with the police force concerned as I believe that all fatal and serious dog bite incidents should be investigated thoroughly and professionally. The victims and families of such devastating incidents deserve more.

04/11/2023

Great opportunity for someone looking to work with dogs.

https://www.facebook.com/100058185382794/posts/883243946958443/

Abbey boarding kennels have an exciting new opportunity to join our close knit team!
We are looking for someone to work weekends and a flexible week day. The job is initially for 4 hours a day, but has potential to increase for the right applicant. The duties are general kennel work, cleaning, feeding and walking the dogs or providing other enrichment.
Applicants need to be over 21, have high standards, be proactive, able to work alone or as part of a team and preferably have some experience working with dogs. You will need to be self employed or willing to self register.
The benefits are, seeing dogs flourish, sometimes to a new home, waggy tails, flexible working hours, wet noses, watching zoomies and generally having fun doing something you love.
There is potential for the right person to live on site in a provided touring caravan with a pet, but this would be assessed person by person.
Applications in writing to Ellie Barnes @gmail.com.
Closing date is Fri 17/11/23

12/08/2023

09/08/2023

This is Beauty. In June last year an allegation was made that Beauty’s owner was involved in an altercation with a male, during which the male was bitten by a dog. Beauty’s owner was arrested and Beauty was seized by the police. Beauty’s owner was not charged in respect of the altercation but he was charged with having a dog dangerously out of control. He maintained that he was not even in the location at the time and Beauty had not been present either. I was instructed to assess Beauty and she was a lovely sociable girl who had shown no sign of aggressive behaviour in kennels or during my assessment where it was clear that she loved being with people. It was clear that aggressive behaviour would be very out of character for her. Yesterday in court the excellent legal team established that nobody had actually identified Beauty as the dog concerned, and when witnesses were presented with a photograph of Beauty they categorically stated that she was not the dog at the scene. Beauty’s owner was found not guilty and Beauty can go home. I am delighted she is going home but also saddened that a poor investigation of the offence resulted in Beauty being held in kennels for over a year. Welcome home Beauty.