Day in the life of a dog socialiser
"My retirement gave me the perfect opportunity to try something different and as I have always loved dogs, including a much loved ex-Battersea dog, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home seemed like the perfect place.
I was ecstatic to become a volunteer at the Home and have been coming twice a week, to socialise the dogs, for nearly a year now.
I've realised about being a dog socialiser that it can be quite emotional at times, both in a happy and occasionally a sad way. Walking the dogs also requires a reasonable amount of stamina and strength; I've certainly built up big muscles since being here.
Sometimes you need to be creative in how you engage with a dog, as what works for one may not work for another, and it can be frustrating, particularly when I have felt that I have not been able to help a dog at all because it was just too stressed.
But it can be immensely rewarding too when the dogs relax, even if it's just for a short while. I enjoy being part of an organisation that places so much emphasis on the emotional welfare of the animals and knowing how important the volunteers are in helping the dogs' stay a little bit less stressful."
A typical day
"I arrive at the Home and sign in for my shift - we are committed to spending at least four hours on each scheduled day so that there are enough volunteers to see all of the dogs.
This is no problem for me as I would happily spend the whole day here. I can't wait to start and want to head straight to my favourite, Jessie.
However I work from a list that is made up daily, which prioritises the dogs in order of urgency. Some of them might be more urgent or require socialising on a daily basis.
Having marked off three highest priority dogs I have quite a variety - Harry the Jack Russell Terrier, Tash the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Lola the Rottweiler.
To find Tash I have to walk past several other dogs all with a pair of hopeful eyes, wishing I would pick them. It can be heartbreaking.
Tash and I are going for a walk, so before I get her out of the kennel I read all of her paperwork. This prepares me for what she does and doesn't like and helps me check the treats she''ll be getting and that she is in good health for the walk .
As expected, she is full of life, bouncing around and being very wriggly as her tail beats furiously. It's difficult to get her lead on because she can't contain her excitement, but I am used to this behaviour - most of the dogs have a crazy five minutes when you enter the kennel before settling down.
In her notes I can see that Tash has a new home. Staff will make sure that her owners know about her anxiety towards the outside world and give them advice on how best to overcome it.
Part of volunteering here involves being creative when we spend time with the animal to distract it from the stresses of life in the Home and help it focus and relax.
A quick coffee break and although I am a bit exhausted I am eager to get on to the next dog. After almost a year I have learnt a lot and I am keen to learn more so I have asked to help out with the Behaviour Unit dogs.
We're encouraged to get involved with different areas of the Home, according to our experience and thankfully they felt I was suitable.
I have been allocated Jerry the Bull Mastiff, who's extremely adorable and cheeky, but huge. He is very happy on his walks and eager to pull me towards every dog and human that he sees, just to say hello. Luckily, I'm strong enough to control him or I wouldn't have taken him out, but in his excitement he has nearly pulled me off my feet a couple of times.
Lola, the gently giant Rottweiler loves human company, although she prefers to sit in her bed at the back of the kennel sulking while I talk nonsense to her.
Eventually after 20 minutes of my continuous chatter I run out of things to say and I am feeling a bit defeated - perhaps I smell just a bit too much! 'Never give up' is my motto and after five more minutes she ventures over to say hello.
She wants nothing more than to be cuddled and obviously thinks that we humans were put on the planet to be armchairs for big, soft, floppy dogs. Just 20 minutes of cuddles, although seemingly short, I have realised I can make a big difference and it is hugely rewarding.
When I finally get home later in the afternoon, my feet ache slightly from all the walking, I'm smelly and hairy. Any illusions of glamour were well and truly shattered on my first day and I've picked up more poo than I care to mention.
When I open my door, my own dog is standing there and wagging her tail and telling me that the park beckons. Arghhhh!"
