Being born onto the land in the beautiful island state of Tasmania, Australia was the perfect start to my life.
This very first blog post will look back at that little girl and reflect about how little has changed for her, where it matters..... deep inside her heart and her mind.
The animals I grew up with were so fascinating to me. The pigs had eyes that peered into my face as if they were searching me, as much as I was searching their faces, for some sign of recognition, or an understanding of kinds.....
I knew we were all in this thing together.
It was a feeling I couldn’t explain at that early age, but one that’s stayed with me all these years
My mum taught me gentleness as she bathed the eyes of feral kittens and drip fed one tiny little boy with an eye dropper .....
She also had a budgie that flew around the kitchen as she cooked, a rabbit who resided in the spare room, before my little sister was born.. ..... those memories I’ll never forgot.
Ill always be so grateful to
my parents for showing me kindness to animals in so many ways.
My dad bringing in hessian sacks of shivering little snuffling things, that a night by the fire turned into lively squeaky, snorking baby pigs who were happily returned to their mummas.
Hand reared lambs and calves..... pigs that stayed more than a night in doors with us and became life long friends. One particular pig, Nosey, would jump in cars and tear about the house.......
Puppies were something I always wanted but it was a time where dogs weren’t seen as pets in our family.
Cats were the exception to the pet rule and we had several over the years......"Tootsie", the dripper fed feral, terrorised us as kids but doted on my mum......
The Christmas we got our first pony from Santa was one year that I will never forget.
My older sister wanted a pony so badly.
I looked at this creature tied to our new swing our dad had built us as well, and was in awe of him.
Small, fluffy, patchy and shoving grass into his face like a mad man..... I remember the words forming in my mind ......”what are we meant to do with that!?”
I seemed to innately feel that we had no idea how to train, communicate or create any form of understanding with that particular creature at all ........
I didn’t really want a pony but the next 40 odd years saw me grow to love those creatures so strongly it hurt......
Over the years I’ve made terrible mistakes in training and management of my horses.
Some have broken my heart when they have left me way too prematurely.......
Who am I now?
Someone who questions everything and seeks out knowledge and a deeper understanding of who our animal companions are.
Using the most modern, ethical methods that science has available to us today, in 2019, my intention is to spread awareness of the intelligence of our rural animals and to help their human companions achieve richness in life along side them.
As well as bringing clarity to how we ask them to do things for us, in ways that show the animals that we are trustworthy, kind and have their best interests at heart.
Today is the day that I made the decision to launch “Open Gate, The Rural Animal Learning Centre“ as my new training business.
Not only do dogs deserve the knowledge I have, and will continue to gather, but every species that humans choose to share their lives with......
...... horses, cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, parrots.......
.... every animal imaginable should live lives worth living along side their human companion.
I dedicate this new beginning to the animals in my life that have shouted at me to stop and to see them for who they were and not who I wanted them
to be.....
...especially to Lyric.
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