Top Dogs

The working life of Peaches

This year's grand title of "New Hearing Dog Recruit of the year" goes to Peaches. Peaches was selected by the hearing dogs assessor at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in May. She was only at the Centre for a short time when one of our rehomers felt that this little pomeranian had all the necessary qualities to make a hearing dog and decided to give Hearing Dogs a ring.

On Being selected by the hearing dogs Assessor, Peaches went to live with a volunteer Puppy Socialiser where she started to learn some obidience and general good manners. She passed through socialising with flying colours and took the next step on the ladder to become a Hearing Dog where advanced training awaited her. Over the next 4 months that followed, Peaches was trained to all the sounds that her recipiant needed.

Peaches is 15 months old now and has been out working for her recipient for just over a month. It's all still quite new for her, but she has settled in to her new home really well and has made an extremely good start to her sound work. Justine, Peaches recipiant, is delighted with her and the difference she has made to her life. Well done Peaches!
Peaches has come along way from being handed into Battersea, Hearing Dogs are very grateful to Battersea for alerting them to Peaches star qualities!

The Bermuda Boys

Lyle, a Collie who lived with the Lovetts in sunny Bermuda, owed his life to his 'brother' Laddie, an ex-Battersea hero... Here is the Bermuda Boys story.

Back in August 2001 the Lovetts managed to persuade Battersea to let them adopt a dog from us and take it back to their home on the British Dependant Territory island of Bermuda. Laddie (centre) was a six-month old Collie cross who went to live with the Lovetts and their three other dogs, including Lyle, an elderly collie who had lost most of his hearing and sight.

One night, Lynda and Lee Lovett were fast asleep when Lee though he heard a dog cry. He awoke to find Laddie standing by his bed, crying softly. Lee admits that he ignored Laddie at first - "I knew he didn't need to go out," he says "as he has a dog door to let himslef out through!" But, moments later, Laddie started crying again, running from the bed to the door and back again, clearly agitated. "I decided that Laddie wanted me to follow him," Lee says, "so I climbed out of bed and he led me down the stairs and through the house." As they got outside, Laddie raced off to the swimming pool. When Lee got there, he saw Lyle the elderly dog who, blind and deaf as he was, had wandered into the pool my mistake and was unable to get out again. "He was crying pitifully," Lee remembers, "but I was ablke to lean into the pool and lift him out."




This is Lyle, who went on to live for another year, thanks to Laddie, but has now sadly passed away. But Laddie is a Battersea hero!

PAT dog Prince: another Battersea success story

Prince has become a real star attraction as a new Pets as Therapy (PAT) dog.

Prince, a very handsome German Shepherd Akita cross, was brought into Battersea on New Years Day 2003 with his mother, as the elderly owners couldn't cope with two large dogs. One of our Home Visitors, John, was looking for a new companion who would be friendly with other dogs, children and cats. Prince was the first dog he looked at and they took to each other immediately.

John discovered that Prince is fascinated by small furry animals although he never harms them and only wants to play. He has met rabbits, ferrets and has even managed to open a hamster's cage with his nose. He has also played 'chase' with a pet rabbit and when the rabbit stopped, he would too. This is very unusual for a dog so don't try it at home!

Prince proved to be a real hit at the residential home where John's elderly mother lives and became an official PAT dog in the summer. Most PAT dogs are small dogs so Prince found himself in immediate demand. John and Prince make weekly visits to one care home where they work with a male patient with mental health issues. Staff at the home were astounded when, on his first meeting with Prince, the patient spoke more than he had done in the previous 2 � years. John and Prince have also become Friends of the Maudsley Hospital and visit each week. Patients benefit enormously from walking, playing with and grooming Prince and he just laps up all the attention!

Police dog Bonnie

This is the story of Bonnie, an ex-Battersea resident, who is now working as a highly trained police dog alongside Constable Sreeves.

Bonnie (formally known as Bonzo- name changed to protect my street cred!), has been with me since February 1997. She has exceptional talent in all police dog disciplines and is the best tracking dog I have ever seen.

We were stationed at MOD Bicester for over five years and now we are stationed at BFPO Mill Hill, London. We have also served detached duty at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Memwith Hill and earlier this year we were babysitting the B52 bombers at RAF Fairford. Although Bonnie must be seven years old, she shows no sign of slowing down and all being well she will retire with me in December 2005. This photograph show us at RAF Memwith last year. The temperature was minus 12 degrees centigrade and she is still smiling. Please accept my thanks for a truly wonderful working partner and friend.

Constable E R Sreeves, Oxon.

Louis the Wonderdog

Louis came into Battersea Dogs & Cats Home as a stray puppy. Since being rehomed, he has grown to become a very talented showman indeed!


My Battersea Dog, Louis, was one of the five finalists at the 2003 Wag and Bone Show's Pup Idol contest (see photo of the handsome chap with his rosettes!). Louis performed a heelwork to music routine; Max Clifford, Dave Lee Travis and Louise judged the final.

Louis has been trained since he was three months old at a local dog training class run by Anne Challis, one of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's home visitors. We have learnt heelwork to music as a fun part of our class and whilst you see many Border Collies and other pedigree dogs performing this well, I have yet to see a mongrel perform as well as Louis!

The Wag and Bone Show was a superb day. Well done to you and all the other animal charities who made it such a success.

Susan Wells

Pip teaches at school!

Clive and Delia Taylor rescued Pip from Old Windsor last July. He had been gifted to Battersea and was then transferred to Old Windsor as it was felt that he would benefit from living in the country.
Pip is about eight years old and had lived in the city all his life. His new home is in the country with half an acre of garden and his very own apple orchard to run around in with his new companion, a ten-year old Clumber Spaniel named Toby.

Pip settled down at once and it became obvious that he was a very well adjusted dog, kind and gentle and extremely loving.

Pip is now a volunteer worker for the Blue Cross. He visits schools and children's clubs where Pip and Delia teach children about the responsibility of choosing a pet.

Clive and Delia cannot believe that they have been so lucky to find such a wonderful dog as Pip, who is now bringing so much of joy into so many
peoples lives!

Stella's claim to fame!

Stella was rehomed from Battersea in October 1998 when she was eight months old, and went to live with one of the volunteer socialisers at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Stella stayed with her for six months and then went back to the Hearing Dogs training centre where she was matched with recipient Jean Clist, who lives in Walton on the Naze in Essex. Stella then undertook her 16 weeks of soundwork training specifically required by Jean, and eventually went to live with Jean in August 1999. She passed her 'final' and became a fully qualified hearing dog in January 2000.

Since then she has had several claims to fame including being made Hearing Dog of the month for October 2001 (in recognition of her life saving actions). In June this year, she also became one of only12 rescue dogs selected from a field of over 4,000 to feature in Dogs Today/NCDL's Bridget Bone's Diary'.

Hearing Dogs and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are all very proud of her, as is her recipient Jean, of course.

Henry's paw enforcement

Henry was a short stayer at Battersea, spending only one week there before
being taken to his new home. He is now spending some of his time working
with is owner PC Riccardo Tartaglia, who is a Community police officer in Lambeth.

PC Tartaglia had the idea that Henry's good nature might be useful in providing a link between him and the community in a way that had not been tried before. For this reason, Henry has been sworn in as the Metropolitan Police's first, and so far, only Community Police dog.

He was given a uniform by Riccardo, and an honourary number by the Special Constabulary, seeing as he only works in his spare time and now attends suitable functions with PC Tartaglia as Special Police Dog 7777LX. His last job was working a street party in Clapham, where he met HRH Princess Alexandra.

Henry has been a big hit on the beat, and is now requested to visit fetes and street parties, as well as going to Old Peoples homes and schools with Riccardo as part of his duties. He has gone from living on the streets to helping patrol them, and has become a permanent fixture on Clapham's roads! As far as we know, he is the only four legged community police man in the
country!

Charlie's Tusk Force

Charlie, a black Labrador cross, left Battersea to join the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. After training with the Canine Unit of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Charlie joined the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) to help sniff out illegal ivory in the war against poaching.

Elephant and rhino are fast becoming an endangered species in East Africa and although trade in elephant and rhino horn is illegal, poaching continues. One of the reasons is the high price ivory and rhino horn fetches on the black market: pound for pound, rhino horn is probably the most expensive substance in the world. The Defence Animal Centre obtained special permission to obtain ivory tusks for the intensive 12-week training programme. Dogs are trained using a reward system: the dogs look upon their work as a game and come to associate the smell of ivory with fun and praise. With the training complete, dogs and handlers were transported to Kenya. The Kenyan savannah is a very different environment from the Leicestershire countryside so a squadron from the Royal Engineers were called upon to design and construct special kennels to help the dogs acclimatise.

Before work could start, British handlers trained those members of the Kenyan Wildlife Service who would become the dogs' new handlers. Charlie's handler is a Masai ranger, Robert Kipunde (pictured). Robert is very proud to be the handler of one of the world's first anti-poaching dogs. It's not all work and no play however: every evening after work, Robert and Charlie relax with a romp in the nearby lake.

Although Battersea often supply working dogs to the armed services, we had no idea he was destined for such an exotic location and to undertake such pioneering work. So we too are immensely proud of Charlie. 

For more information on the Security Services of KWS, click here:  http://www.kws.org/security.htm