So Help Me Dog

30/06/2025

📸 IT'S THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH! LET'S SEE THE LAST PHOTO YOU TOOK OF YOUR DOG 🥰 I'LL START...

Keeping me company while I study (and snoring) 🥰😆😴💤

28/06/2025

THIS ⬇️❤️❤️

Not sure AI intended to create a tripaw dog in the image (🙄) but they did so I dedicate the image to all the tripaws out there ❤️😂

Walk with me; don’t just walk me. Slow down and see the world as I do. I know you’ve got things to do, places to be. But out here, with the ground beneath our feet and the sky above us, there’s a whole world worth noticing.
The autumn chill is in the air today, crisp and full of new smells. It’s different from yesterday, and different from the day before. Every day is new. The leaves crunch under my paws, and I stop to breathe in the rich, earthy scent of them. To you, it might just be a pile of leaves, but to me, it’s a story—one I can’t help but dive into, nose first.
There’s a squirrel somewhere nearby, I can sense it, darting up a tree, its tiny heart beating fast. And the wind carries whispers of things far away: a family cooking dinner, the trace of a cat that passed by early this morning, and the faint perfume of flowers holding on to their last bit of summer. It’s all here, swirling around us if you just take the time to notice.
You tug on the leash, eager to move on, and I can tell you’re thinking about something far away from here. But when we walk, truly walk, you and I can be in this moment together. Feel the cool air brush against your skin, let it wake you up. Notice how the sun filters through the branches, casting shadows that dance on the pavement. Hear the crunch of the leaves beneath our steps, like a secret rhythm just for us.
To you, it might be just another walk, a daily routine to tick off the list. But for me, every step is an adventure. Each scent is a clue, each sound a piece of a puzzle. When you walk with me, really walk with me, you’ll see it too. The world is bigger than what we’re rushing toward. It’s right here, in the small moments, in the quiet spaces between your thoughts.
So, slow down. Breathe. Let the chill fill your lungs and the colours fill your eyes. Walk with me, don’t just walk me. See the world as I do, if only for a little while. It’s all waiting for you, just beneath the surface.
Natalie P
2024
Picture created with AI

26/06/2025

FOREIGN RESCUES PART 5 - WHAT BREEDS MIGHT WE SEE AND WHAT DOES THIS ALL REALLY MEAN…?

🐕 🐕🐕 Ok, so as we established last time, true Free-Ranging dogs aren’t a breed as such. They are truly natural dogs. (Want to know what true dog behaviour looks like? Study free-ranging dogs… You won’t see them endlessly chasing a ball…😜). They are super-bright; excellent problem-solvers; highly, highly independent (to the point where they will take any opportunity to wander off or runaway away); alert to any and all novelty; super-alert to potential threat; impulsive and fast to act - whether that’s to chase your cat, attack the threat (the visitor in your home), or grab dinner (the chicken on your worktop). They may be highly predatory (that’s not just left to the Hunting dogs) and any small furries will be considered ‘game’. They can be very wary and defensive of strangers/visitors, intolerant to handling, and find any kind of restraint utterly enraging. They are very self-reliant and will solve any problems in their own, very special way 😂

🐕🐕🐕 We also learned that our Hunting dogs will likely have some sort of Hound or Hunting/Heeler in them and we often see the Galgos and Podencos from Spain. These dogs LIVE to chase, hunt, grab and kill. Their prey drive will likely be off the scale. Again, beware any other household pets, squirrels, rabbits etc etc Depending on their experience of humans and other dogs, they may be highly fearful and reactive, too.

🐕🐕🐕 As for the rest, there is usually a heavy proportion of Livestock Guardian and/or Herding breeds - Shepherds, Mastiffs etc.

🐑 🐑🐑 Shepherds/Herding types are workers. 24/7 workers and, frankly, micro-managers. They have learnt the rules of their environment and God forbid anyone who breaks them or tries to change the status quo. Managing large groups of animals demands attention to detail, fast reflexes, and a specialist talent at perceiving and responding to distinct changes in the environment. They want to control the movement of things – any things – cars, bikes, joggers, the kids, the cats – and the frustrating inability to do so can lead to what seems like aggressive behaviour – excessive barking, seemingly threatening displays, or nipping, for example. They can be hypersensitive to any movements, noises, or shadows and display a lot of hyperactive, restless, or agitated behaviour. They will also protect and defend their territory. Bear in mind, their genetics tell them they are designed to live outside. In wide open spaces….

🐕🐑🐕 Livestock Guardian types are, like our Natural types, very independent. They have to be – they are left alone to protect animals, homes, territories. They will only clock-off from doing their job, if they think you have it under control – although this requires extensive learning on their part that you can manage the environment - but this is not something our overseas dogs have so they will reliably continue to take matters into their own hands when it comes to protecting their turf. Like our Herders, they will be highly attuned to their environment and ready to pay attention to, and take action against, anything novel in the environment that is perceived as a threat. As a result, you can see aggression towards unfamiliar people or animals approaching either their ‘flock’ or home territory, wandering off and not coming back when called, and territorial barking.

❓🤷🏻‍♀️❓SO WHAT? We have hounds, Herders and Guardian breeds over here. Why are these dogs different?

➡️ Well, we have to come back to the lack of human involvement in reproduction and the dogs’ socialisation periods. Our Natural types, Herders, Hunters and Guardians will have strong genetic influences and these traits and behaviours will seem magnified in our domestic homes. They will have had infinite opportunities to rehearse these behaviours again, and again, and again, making it even more hardwired into their DNA.
If our Guardian or Herder was captured in his natural territory of the countryside, it is highly unlikely he will have had much, if any, human contact and certainly no experience of roads, cars, built-up areas, or the general ‘busy-ness’ of what we consider normal life. Our Street dog may be more comfortable in more urban environments and not worried about roads or traffic, or crowds of people but might be completely overstimulated by the open countryside.

⚠️ The bottom line is their genetics are wildly different from our home-grown domestic pet dogs. I’ll say it again but louder - THEY ARE NOT DOMESTIC PET DOGS. These dogs have not been socialised to live confined within the four walls of our domestic homes, in close proximity to humans day in, day out, and to be leashed when outside on a walk with no choice as to where they can go. They haven’t been habituated or socialised to normal household noises, strangers/visitors to the house, children, travelling in cars, sitting in pubs and cafes, visiting other people’s houses. These are dogs who are used to their own space and the freedom to choose who they spend time with, who they avoid, where they go and how long for. Surviving as a free-ranging dog is not conducive to feelings of safety. It is a potentially dangerous, ever-changing environment requiring constant monitoring, hyper-vigilance, reactivity, and fast, effective escape/conflict responses. As a result, these dogs are extremely sensitive to environmental stimuli/change and more reactive to it.

This can make for a very difficult transition into a domestic home. It doesn’t mean they can’t adjust but it is going to be a challenge and it’s going to take A LOT longer than you think.

🤓 Interestingly, a study on free-ranging dogs in Bali included a comparison with former free-ranging dogs now living as pets and noted these ‘pet’ dogs displayed higher levels of aggression and reactivity towards unfamiliar people, increased prey drive, hyper-vigilance, increased stress levels, and were less able to resolve conflict, compared with their free-ranging counterparts (Corrieri et al 2018). A further study by Murphy et al (2023) supported these findings with novelty (in particular new environments, objects, or strangers) and lack of autonomy, control, and an inability to make choices manifesting as behavioural problems experienced by guardians.


🙈😢 To add insult to injury, many (if not most) of these dogs are suffering from some level of stress by the time they arrive in your home. Stay tuned to find out how/why….

Remember to 👍 Like, ♥️ Love, ✍🏻 Comment and 🔁 Follow to keep me high in your feed 😊

📧 Need help with your foreign rescue? Get in touch at [email protected]

📸 Thank you for the photo Ali Greenwood from BeKind Rescue UK Reg. Charity 1184755 Page

22/06/2025

FOREIGN RESCUES PART 4 - WHAT TYPES OF DOGS ARE THEY?…

🐕 Dogs that come from abroad typically fall into the following categories:

🔴 Natural/Free-ranging - These are dogs who have evolved naturally without human intervention with hunting, scavenging and territorial protection at the very core of their beings. They could be feral, meaning they live out in the wild - outside of towns, cities or villages - in fields or woodland, completely independent and have minimal or no human contact. Feral free-ranging dogs will be more fearful of people, cars, roads, all aspects of human life, really. They may also view other dogs outside of their social group as threats.
Or they might be street dogs - living alongside humans in towns and cities. There are broad spectrums of independence with Streeties - some may be semi-dependent, or even friendly with specific humans/households, some may be more solitary and less dependent on humans, some may be near feral, some may have had appalling treatment at the hands of humans and fear and distrust them. They are likely to be more comfortable with roads, traffic, and the daily comings and goings of human life. They will be more accepting of other dogs.

These dogs aren’t typically one breed or another. They have widely differing genetic and environmental backgrounds with generation, after generation, after generation of development with little to no human input. They have control over their own lives, with the freedom and choice to make their own decisions. They have to act FAST - either to escape danger or get dinner. They have to be alert to novelty in the environment because novelty is likely to mean threat, so - hear/see something new - anticipate threat - act quickly. THIS is why your foreign rescue alerts to any and all sounds and sights going on outside your house…..

🔴 Hunting - A staggeringly high proportion (90%) of dogs coming from Cyprus are abandoned hunting dogs and a high percentage of those from Spain (somewhere between 50-70%) are also abandoned hunting dogs. These are dogs who have been kept in appalling conditions with little human contact. They are caged for the entire time they are not hunting in dark dungeons and purposely kept hungry so they are more prey driven when released. They are dumped at the end of the season and are typically diseased, injured and malnourished. Methods of abandonment are beyond cruel - they can be thrown down wells, dumped on busy roads, tied to railway tracks. These dogs will likely have some sort of hunting/hound in them. In Spain, they are often Galgos or Podencos.

🔴 Stray - These are ex-pet dogs who are either runaways or abandoned. They are neither feral, Streeties, or hunting dogs BUT if left to their own devices in the wild for long enough, they can develop more Street type or feral characteristics. And what their experiences are out in the wild will form part of their learning. For example, your once human-friendly pet dog may have awful experiences at the hands of humans and now fear them.

🔴 Abandoned litters of puppies - sometimes these are less ‘unwanted and abandoned’ puppies, and more puppies who have been picked up/collected off the streets purely to sell abroad. Where pups have been left in a box with food, water, blankets etc in places where they will easily be found (e.g. shop doorsteps), we can assume that those puppies have been born in some semblance of a domestic setting and therefore may be more naturally socialised to our way of life but, and it’s a BIG but… In the countries where these dogs are coming from, neutering isn’t a done thing AND dogs are often let out in the morning to go wander/roam around the community for the day. These means they can get up to ALL SORTS with ALL SORTS 😆😳. So your mostly ‘pet’ dog may have been cavorting with a ‘Street’ dog, making for a spicy mix of puppy.

❓But can’t we distinguish some breeds? Yes, we can. Stay tuned to find out….

Remember to 👍 Like, ♥️ Love, ✍🏻 Comment and 🔁 Follow to keep me high in your feed 😊

📧 Need help with your foreign rescue? Get in touch at [email protected]




Thanks to Ali Greenwood BeKind Rescue UK Reg. Charity 1184755 Page for the photo.

17/06/2025

We are delighted to open bookings for our next Introduction to Scent Detection course for pet dogs.

If you are curious to learn just how amazing your dog's nose is (it REALLY is) then come along to learn about all things canine and olfactory.

This course is run over 5 consecutive weeks.
Class sizes are kept small.
Dogs work one at a time and rest in their own car between turns.
(This does mean we can include dogs who prefer to have space from other dogs.)
This will tire out busy brains far more than you can out exercise them.
You will learn simple games and skills that you can use at home.
Once you graduate this course, you will be able to join our regular mixed ability workshops and join us as we take the teams exploring exciting venues.

Booking link https://bluelemondog.training/services

17/06/2025

‼️ FOREIGN RESCUES PART 3 - WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PROBLEMS I SEE?

I mentioned in my last post that there is a common thread of new adopters feeling that they have ‘saved’ a dog and this can bring its own set of problems…

There is an expectation that the new dog will be grateful for being saved, happy to find himself in this new, cosy, safe home, and will slot into family life easily. New guardians are bewildered, to say the least, that this just isn’t the case.

😩 In my experience, the guardians do not just find one or two niggling issues but multiple. They are often not mild but severe. It is not just indoors but outdoors, too. They can have behaviour problems on steroids – they do not just chase a bit; they chase a lot. They do not chew the lead a bit, they tear through it and run away (for long periods – hours, if not days). They do not just grumble a bit, they snarl, nip or bite. It is not just a bit of alert barking, it is excessive. The number of issues can seem overwhelming. It makes for a dog who is inconvenient to live with at best and seriously challenging, if not impossible, at worst. The fact is these dogs are struggling to cope with their new environment and lifestyle, and their guardians have no idea how to help them.

⚠️ Common issues include (but are absolutely not limited to):

- Fear of new people/visitors - often manifesting as defensive aggression with lunging and biting.
- Fear of other dogs
- Extreme scavenging/counter-surfing
- High prey drive
- Resource guarding
- House soiling
- Stress behaviours (chewing/shredding/destruction)
- Not liking a harness or lead going on
- Extreme pulling on lead or freezing when the lead is on
- Digging
- Running away or escaping
- Extreme territorial behaviour
- Extreme fear/frustration at restraint (e.g crates, pens or baby gates, collars and leads)
- Excessive alert barking at any/all environmental noises
- Fear of the car
- Fear of the outside environment as a whole - cars, lorries, bikes, joggers, cyclists, roads etc etc

🌅 These dogs can also be more active at dawn and dusk which can cause conflict in a domestic setting as they are more active at the times of the day when their humans are looking to be less active and more restful.

🏡 Some dogs (especially the guardian breeds) may prefer to spend more time outside. This can be problematic for two reasons - firstly, in our more inclement British climate, we don’t often want the dogs outside all the time, in all weathers. It might be fine when the weather’s nice and we're happy to have the back door open all the time but then we want it shut when it’s cooler/wetter. The dog then gets frustrated and whines/barks/paces/scratches the door until you let them out. Or, of course, the dog may start alert barking to any/all noise outside and p*** off the neighbours…

➡️ Many of these issues can be purely stress-related and are just temporary as the dog recovers from the stresses of the previous days/weeks/months. Other problems are more long term either because they are as a result of previous trauma, learning, or because of genetics - we will look at this in more detail next time…

Remember to 👍 Like, ♥️ Love, ✍🏻 Comment and 🔁 Follow to keep me high in your feed 😊

📧 Need help with your foreign rescue? Get in touch at [email protected]

12/06/2025

FOREIGN RESCUES - PART 2… WHY ARE THEY SO POPULAR?

😯 So, my previous intro post kicked up a bit of a storm - half the comments were somewhat anti foreign rescues - people should rescue from the UK first etc; and the other half were from foreign rescue guardians who had tried multiple times to rescue from the UK and had been repeatedly turned down. It’s clearly an emotive topic and highlights even more that these conversations need to be had, awareness needs to be raised, and more education freely available.

✋ But let me be clear, this isn’t about me taking sides. These posts are based on facts, either from research or my personal experience. They are about raising awareness rather than telling people what they should/shouldn’t be doing 😊

SO… Back to the point…… Why are they so popular?

💻 Well, first off…social media seems to have a lot to answer for here:

- 53% of adopters found out about the charity organisation through social media
- 45% found the actual dog him/herself through social media.

Rather worryingly, the NUMBER ONE reason for adopting was:

1️⃣ “I came across this particular dog and wanted it”. 😬

The SECOND & THIRD reasons for adopting from abroad were:

2️⃣ The perception of increased suffering in foreign dogs and
3️⃣ The risk of the dog being killed

Almost all my adopters felt they were truly saving a dog when adopting from abroad - this is often because the dogs are marketed as being in a ‘kill shelter’. While this is typically true, sadly there are now many rescues being set up abroad purely for the purposes of capturing free-ranging dogs and flogging them to the UK. In some areas, it is nothing but a financial transaction and a corrupt one at that.

Other reasons cited include:

- Difficulty in adopting from a UK organisation due to their strict criteria
- Been turned down by UK rescues
- It was easier and cheaper to rescue from abroad

(Norman, Stavisky & Westgarth, 2020; PDSA, 2022)

➡️ In my personal experience, guardians have said:

- they were refused by UK charities as their children were too young, or because of their working hours , or their garden wasn’t suitable.
- the waiting lists (for puppies or dogs in UK rescues) were too long – they wanted a dog sooner rather than later.

❌ What I’m not going to go into here is why UK rescues set the rules they do, what’s wrong with the rules, what’s right. This is a HUGE subject and it is an emotive one - there will be objectivity and subjectivity. There is such a wide-ranging of factors to consider in rescue and every single rescue centre in this country will have its own unique set-up and different problems that they face. Their criteria for adoption will be defined according to what works for them and the dogs in their care. All any rescue in this country is trying to do is the best for their dogs, and ensure they don’t end up back in rescue. I wish more people would adopt in the UK but I completely understand why they don’t. The seemingly blanket rules aren’t working - potential adopters aren’t being given a fair chance. Something needs to change. But I digress…

❓Ok, so now we have our foreign rescues but what are the problems with them? Stay tuned to find out….

Remember to 👍 Like, ♥️ Love, ✍🏻 Comment and 🔁 Follow to keep me high in your feed 😊

📧 Need help with your foreign rescue? Get in touch at [email protected]

📸 Photo courtesy of Ali Greenwood of BeKind Rescue UK Reg. Charity 1184755 Page

09/06/2025

Following on with the foreign rescue theme…

These are really interesting results from a recent study. Foreign rescues would come under “Pre-Modern”, although arguably, they are “Pre-Pre-Pre-Modern” (😆) as there is no selective breeding there at all…

07/06/2025

‼️ DEEP DIVE ON FOREIGN RESCUES… PART ONE

🐕 Over the next 3 months, I’m going to do a bit of a deep dive on foreign rescues. It’s a subject close to my heart - two of my case studies for my qualifications were foreign rescues, and I wrote my dissertation on foreign rescues so I’ve spent a lot of time researching them. I have also helped many, many guardians with foreign rescues who have reached out to me because they are struggling to cope with these dogs’ behaviours and needs. Often, the dogs are highly stressed but so are the guardians. More often than not, one or both guardians will be in tears when I meet them - their dreams, hopes and expectations of life with these dogs have been ripped apart and they are unable to cope. The welfare of both the dog and guardian are in a critical state.

⚠️ Dogs from overseas are not straightforward and I believe that a greater awareness is needed of the potential complexities of these dogs - their genetics, developmental periods, experiences and learning - and how this can influence their behaviour in their new home so that prospective adopters can be fully prepared. Knowledge is power and having a greater understanding of these dogs means that guardians can support their new arrival more effectively on their journey together, ensuring welfare and wellbeing for all concerned.

❓Why does this matter? I mean, how many foreign dogs do we actually have in the UK?

➡️ Quite a lot as it turns out…. It is estimated that 640,000 dogs living in the UK were acquired from abroad. 82,000 dogs were acquired from abroad in the last 12 months alone. While this only accounts for about 6% of the total UK dog population, it’s still a lot of dogs. Especially when we consider that many of those dogs have problematic behaviours and when the guardians are unable to cope, they can often end up back in rescue. In the UK. And our UK rescues are already full to bursting - it is thought there is around 100,000 dogs in rescue in the UK at any one time.

‼️ But, actually, the figure for imported dogs that are sold into the UK is likely to be much higher than this. There are two ways that animals can legally enter the country. One is through the Balai Directive - this is the proper channel for dogs who are going to be rehomed/adopted in the UK - as in money has changed hands and there is a change of ownership. This is what a lot of figures about dogs bought from abroad are based on. The Balai Directive has stringent rules around vaccination, health testing and animals must have an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate in addition to a passport. But this is costly and time consuming meaning that as many as 89% of imported dogs are coming in under the inappropriate, less stringent, easier and cheaper EU PETS Scheme - this is merely the passport scheme for dogs travelling through Europe with their owners. So, your man driving the “Happy Bus” with 20 dogs crammed in it says “Oh no - these are all mine” 🙄

‼️ ‼️ And, of course, this is just the dogs we know about - there are many dogs/puppies being illegally farmed and trafficked/smuggled into the UK for sale to unsuspecting guardians. While exact figures are hard to get due to the nature of the business, between 2022-2023 485 puppies and 110 pregnant mothers were found to be smuggled in and in 2021, 1,000 a week were coming in from Ireland, alone. This is a BIG problem but one that the government are working hard to crack down on.

❓So, if there are so many dogs in rescue over here, why are we adopting from abroad?? Stay tuned to find out...

‼️If you know anyone with a foreign rescue or anyone who is looking to adopt from overseas, tag them in the comments ‼️

Remember to 👍 Like, ♥️ Love, ✍🏻 Comment and 🔁 Follow to keep me high in your feed 😊

📧 Need help with your foreign rescue? Get in touch at [email protected]

03/06/2025

🥳 I HAVE NEWS!!

I am beyond excited to tell you that today I start my studies to become a Dynamic Dog Practitioner. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time and I’m SO happy to finally be doing the course.

❓What is a Dynamic Dog Practitioner?

A DDP has a deep knowledge and understanding of the whole dog -

- Anatomy and physiology
- Biomechanics
- Conformation
- Posture, gait, tension and coat disturbances
- Types of pain
- Common conditions in dogs
- Breed specific disease and conditions

A DDP is able to spot where potential pain and discomfort may be causing or exacerbating problem behaviours. As a dog guardian, you may have seen a vet, numerous trainers or behaviourists and not really been able to change your dog’s behaviour or get to the bottom of it. It’s like there is a piece of the puzzle missing - enter a DDP!

Completion of this course will mean that I can look at your dog’s emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing in more depth and detail than others - a truly unique and holistic approach to Behaviour Modification ❤️

⛔️ BUT… this is 6 months down the line….. What this means for now is:

- I will have less availability - this is a really intensive course so I will be reducing my hours to ensure I can complete and pass
- I may be slower to respond to messages/emails
- I will have less of a presence on social media

🐕 At some point, I will need 5 case studies but I will tell you about this in more detail nearer the time 😁

31/05/2025

📸 IT'S THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH...

Let's see the last photo you took of your dog ⬇️. I'll start...

28/05/2025

♥️ If your dog doesn't enjoy training, they're not going to do it. In turn, this makes training 'not-fun' for you so you're unlikely to continue it. Making sure that training is fun for both you is the key to success ♥️