The Voice of Dog - Lou Speaks

The plumber did it. After three weeks being almost mute, one sight of the little white van outside our gates was all it took for our adopted dog Lou to join Blanche, our Great Pyrenees, in alerting us to the threat - or workmen, as we call them. The voice is mid-range, a little rusty and hoarse, and music to our ears. It means that Lou knows he's home, not just on holiday. Having found his voice, he showed us the full range when a police siren passed by. Some dogs respond to the siren tone by howling and we now have two of them who throw their heads back and audition for 'The Jungle Book'.

Lou's story 

Another sign that Lou is settling in is that he sometimes prefers to lie peacefully in the hall in the evening rather than watch gruesome murders and CSI investigations; each to his own. Choosing his place, distancing himself a little from us now and then shows confidence, and there's no lack of attention to us all day. So where have we got to with our adoption?

Health Costs

It doesn't matter whether a dog is seven years or seven months, the outlay on vet's bills is an expensive lottery. Big dogs cost more and living in a shelter does no favours for a dog's health. So far we've spent 140 euros to get Lou from the shelter; and a further 200 euros on three visits to the vet and medication. The routine medication includes worm tablets, 6 months' flea and tick treatment (our region of France is tick-infested), and a solution for rinsing ears. The non-routine medication has been for an ear infection (complicated by an insect sting) and for a cough.

Neither condition has stopped him bouncing through life like Tigger but I'm hoping to clear up both. It's part of the settling-in period to face whatever health problems my new dog brings with him.

Lou laying low in one of the holes the dogs have dug

The unkindest cut - whether to neuter or not

Most shelters require a new owner to neuter an entire dog as a practical measure to prevent unwanted puppies (likely to become the next generation of inmates). We had Blanche sterilised young, to minimise her risk of mammary cancer and because we didn't want to breed from her. We have a fenced garden and haven't had a problem with dogs escaping so, when the shelter left us the choice, we left Lou's bits entire.

The experts all disagree about neutering male dogs. Vets and many behavioural trainers want male pet dogs neutered; they say it prevents unwanted puppies (true) and unwanted behaviour (debatable). Breeders and some dog-trainers are against neutering male pet dogs unless there are medical grounds; they say neutering can change the dog's character and even induce unwanted behaviour (debatable), and there are other ways of preventing sexual activity. I don't know what's best for other people but I'm happy with full-blooded males, including dogs. I've never had a dog trying to mount the furniture or me (thank God, given that my last male, a Great Pyrenees, weighed in at 70kg) and I'm convinced that such behaviour is about dominance not about sex, so requires training, not a surgeon's knife. Dogs are not people and if there's no scent of bitch-on- heat,  there are no sexual fantasies.

All the experts agree that neutering a female has big health advantages. The disagreements are about when to neuter. Vets advise, 'early'; breeders advise, 'after the first season'. Having made our personal choice with Blanche, which was to trust the vet who would have to perform the surgery, we felt comfortable leaving Lou entire. If we had decided otherwise, or been so compelled by the shelter, we'd have had the complication of convalescence to add to the settling-down period of an adopted dog - not something I'd have enjoyed.

I'm lucky in being able to afford the time and the money required. I'm also lucky in that Lou accepts handling from me and from the vet but I have had a dog who wanted to kill vets. He had good reasons for this but that didn't help me at all with 70kg of angry dog and a vet who didn't want anything to do with him - also understandable. What did help me was a) the training I'd done with him since puppyhood so he did accept me handling him and b) a Shellclip muzzle. So I dealt with it. Better than that, thanks to a co-operative vet, we gradually brought back my dog's willingness to be touched by a stranger.

However, I wonder whether I could handle 70kg of adopted dog, who hadn't known me from puppyhood,  who wouldn't let me touch him and who hated vets. There are plenty such dogs in shelters. If I fell in love with a giant shelter dog who was really difficult to handle, would I cope? Loving giant dogs as I do, this is a consideration if I adopt again in the future. Maybe starting with a puppy would be wiser if I choose a giant breed? Or at least choosing a dog I can literally handle, like Lou in temperament.

In my part of France, vets are not like they were in the UK. The dog's behaviour is my responsibility. If the vet can't get the vaccine up the dog's nose because the mutt is behaving like a kangaroo, I'm given the phial in a little take-away bag to 'do at home when she's calmer'. This involves sneaking up on said mutt when she's asleep and assaulting her like the Pink Panther's manservant, trying to inject her nose. It is not easy! And I miss the Welsh vet, who brought in  a vet's nurse and a fellow-vet to assist in pinning 50kg of dog to the floor while stitches were removed. In Wales, vets' nurses were part of the team. Here, with Blanche, it's just me, the vet and a kangaroo. And while Lou might be perfect during treatment, he has expressed how he really feels by cocking a leg on the way out of the pristine consultation room.Maybe keeping him entire has its drawbacks after all.

An old dog learns new tricks

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” Henry Ford

Perfect recall

This goes for dogs too and you can teach an old dog new tricks. Lou is seven years old, has spent the last two years in a shelter cage and he is a great student. Of course it is possible that he was winning Crufts obedience trials in the five years before he was dumped by a divorcing couple but somehow I doubt it. I don't doubt that he could win obedience trials with the right training but that's not what I do. In formal training, this is what I do with my dogs:-

The 5 Pillars of Dog Wisdom:- 

Leadwork, Recall, Downstay, Turn-taking and Aperitifs

Sarcasm aside, I'm sure that Lou did have plenty of people-experience and some training when he lived with his previous family but whatever commands were used were definitely in French and ex-Balou has switched language as easily as changing his name. He reads body language, listens to the tone of voice and uses his knowledge of how people behave to figure out he's expected to jump in the car, go outside for a pee or come into the house.

From the way he behaves now, my guess is that Lou used to come when called. It's possible that he walked nicely on a lead but if so he lost the habit in the shelter and has regained it. He was definitely never taught a long downstay but one long, determined (on both our parts!) formal session taught him and he will now lie down for half an hour or more when he is told, where he is told, until he is released from the command. Thank you, Michel Hasbrouck for training me! These three pillars of training will let me take Lou into the market, out to friends' houses, for a coffee in the village ... in a word, freedom. That is the essential paradox of dog-training and of my life too; self-control (the dog's, and mine) gives greater freedom.

You'll have noticed five tenets in the training sub-heading, not just the big three. That's because Lou added two more. Turn-taking was entirely Lou's idea and started with his enthusiasm for doing a 'sit' (something that's fun but not important to me). Once a day, Blanche sits on command, waits and, when given the OK (literally, as that's our release word) chases after a Dentastix, then plays cat-and-mouse with it before eating it. I wanted both of them to have their Dentastix and Blanche still to have her fun so I just hung on to Lou's collar to stop him going after Blanche's chew. He didn't just wait patiently; he sat, watched and moved when told 'OK'. So the next day, I told them both to sit - two bums hit the ground. I released Blanche; Lou waited, still sitting. I gave him the OK, throwing his Dentastix at the same time and he was off like a bullet. That is now our routine and I am so proud of him for training me so well.

And then there's the aperitifs. As we live in Provence, we have the daily occasional aperitif. Since Blanche was a puppy, she and her then partner-in-crime were in the habit of rushing to the kitchen on the magic word 'Aperos!' where they received ice cubes from the big American fridge. The first time the call 'Aperos' went out, Lou rushed to the kitchen with Blanche, only to be sadly disappointed at getting an ice-cube, which he spat on the floor. However, convinced that anything the big blonde likes has to be worth trying, he has now become addicted to crunching up aperos and is first there at the very sound of a Martini being poured. Speaking of which, I think it's time... 'APEROS!'

Blanche on a mission

Lou

Dogs digging each other

After 2 weeks... 

Lou, our adopted dog, is still amazing us by how civilised he is, despite more than 2 years in a cage. He loves knowing what will happen next, whether it's a walk in the woods or bedtime. He loves water on the ground but not from the sky. If he sees a puddle, he lies down in it. Yet his reaction to the hose-pipe - recoil - reminded me of  his past; shelter cages get sluiced out with hose-pipes. We are lucky with Lou, who is a plucky character, keen to please us and to fit in, but even so, he has a history that we can only guess at from his behaviour.

Read Part 1 of Lou's life with us

Now he is part of our lives, it hurts to imagine what his previous two years were like. He has been fully house-trained here from the moment he arrived (apart from marking his territory a couple of times on the veranda and cellar doors). Imagine how upsetting it must have been for him to foul his cage. Thanks to volunteer dog-walkers he was given 'a walk' every 3/4 days. In between, he was waiting for that walk - or trying to wait. The walk itself consisted of 5 minutes pulling on the lead, 5 minutes freedom on a strip of enclosed grass where he could run about and relieve himself, then 5 minutes pulling on the lead, back into the cage. Even after a fortnight, two shampoos (on the first day!), and a few rain-showers, I think I can still smell the cage and I want that smell gone, forever. Every day, more dead fur comes out on the brush. I want his coat gleaming like his eyes.

Lou has other ideas about his coat. Not only is mud good for hair and skin, it is excellent for bonding two dogs who like digging. The relationship between my Great Pyrenees, Blanche, aka the Princess, and Big Bad Lou, started off polite. The Princess was magnanimous and the Peasant cautious, not least because at 32kg he weighs in at 20kg lighter than she is. Then they started an engineering project in the outer garden. This involved serious digging. The holes filled with water and the furry hippo sat in one. Who knows what Blanche was really planning for Lou but from the moment they started digging together, they moved closer to friendship.

Digging together

Serious concentration

Lou in a hole

I think the honeymoon is over and we're into Stage 2.  Non-stop rain has both dogs bored and looking for trouble (i.e. each other) so this morning witnessed the first session of full dog-dog physical interaction. Lou's style is kung-fu - in fast, out faster, left-right left-right with the paws, then bounce off the furniture and chew the rug. Blanche has a certain elegance in the approach; the play-bow and a lot of vocalising, but the finish is pure sumo wrestler. She's a heavyweight and believes that jumping on your opponent's stomach usually settles things. Not if he's fast enough. They seemed to be playing to the same rules and tails were wagging throughout so I was more concerned for my living-room than for the dogs but I can appreciate what this stage is like when either dog turns aggressive. Then it's often a return to the shelter for the adopted dog, with bad habits reinforced.

Incidental dog training is all around us and I'm trying to not to overload Lou when everything is new but rather to take advantage of opportunities that arise naturally - such as a wine-buying trip. I suspect that Lou's wine knowledge is limited so we took him and Blanche to the May fête day at a Seguret cave, about an hour's drive from here. Dog-wise it was a good test of a long journey, which will be useful for when we all go on holiday in September (if we're still feeling brave); people-wise, it was a good chance to stock up on Cotes du Rhône Villages. 'Nickel! Impecc!' as we say in France when something has gone well. I'd rather Lou didn't pile over into the front seat every time the car stops but that's fixable. 

In a formal training session, I have taught him, 'Thou shalt not pull on the lead' so that walks are now a pleasure, if a bit of a tangle with all four of us and two lunges. From now on, he is no longer allowed to pull on a lead or lunge. Orderly behaviour getting in and out of the car was progressing nicely and then the hydraulics went on the boot door so the dogs now have to get in and out side doors. So much for establishing a routine and keeping to it! Lou's a bright little button and he's adapting; for a different dog, each change would be a setback.

I wasn't prepared for his silence. Not just the lack of barking (compared with Great Pyrenees who have for years alerted me to every passing fly and cleared the area of wolves in at least a 20 mile radius) but the lack of all sound. Apparently this is common in adopted dogs. Sometimes they bark for the first time months after being in their new home. The noise in an animal shelter is ear-shattering; some dogs join in, some retreat to silence, and many are traumatised. All I know about Lou in kennels is that he was not 'a barker'. In his second week I've heard him growl once, when Blanche thought she'd investigate his food bowl. To me, this is a good sign and Blanche understood exactly what was meant - she's not lacking in confidence herself! He has made a little barking noise, twice, so small that I wondered if I'd dreamed it. The first time, he was shut in the outer garden with my husband and Lou could hear me the other side of the door to the inner garden. He wanted to come in! I didn't let him because I don't want him calling the shots. The second time was when Blanche pushed him to play. She is very vocal, with a whole range of play vocabulary and it touched me to hear him reply - even if that response was probably, 'Get stuffed, I'm sleeping!'

When I hear Lou talking, I'll know he really has his paws under the table.

Watching TV

I do worry about the perception that I'm a  nice person because I've adopted a dog - nicer than someone buying a puppy from a responsible breeder. I've done both. Would I adopt another dog in the future? Yes, if it fitted in with what suited our family. Do I think people should adopt dogs, not buy puppies? No, I do not! I think it's a personal choice. I wish there were no dogs in shelters at all and no adoption! When I translated 'Gentle Dog Training' it was in the hope that dog-owners would seek help for 'difficult dogs', not abandon them. I wish the only dogs were those brought into the world in, and for, loving families and I completely support responsible breeders. I wouldn't hesitate to support such a breeder by choosing to buy a puppy from her - as I did with Blanche. What matters to me is the commitment to your puppy and to your dog, for life.

Lou won't be going back to the shelter, however much he starts chewing the rug; and Blanche will still be our dog, however much she starts chewing Lou.

'Banjo' up for big prize

BIG congratulations to Samantha Wynne Rhydderch 

whose book 'Banjo' is one of the 3 shortlisted for one of the UK's most prestigious poetry prizes; the Roland Mathias Prize for Poetry. Read my interview with Samantha and my review of 'Banjo' in this earlier blog post.

amazon uk link

The longlist competition was hot - check it out here. Good luck, Samantha! I'm more excited than if it was my book!

The Bible - Quilted Stories - Angella Graff, Guest Author

Angella's website

A big welcome to urban fantasy author Angella Graff who's not only stopping here as the last stop on a whirlwind blog tour but is offering 10 e-copies of her book by random draw - just leave a comment on any or all of the blog stops to enter. Details at the end of the blog.

About Angella Graff

Angella Graff was born and raised in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. She married and became a mother very young, and after getting started with her family, began her University studies where she found her passion for creative writing, history and theology.

She now resides in Tucson with her husband Joshua, three children, Christian, Isabella and Adia, and their three cats, Archive (Ivy), Lasciel and Fix. She prefers to spend her days writing, gardening, and reading non-fiction theology theory books. Angella is also an avid, if not fanatic fan of Doctor Who and BBC Sherlock, which suit her dry, sarcastic humor, a lot of which is apparent in her writing.

Currently Angella is working on an Urban Fantasy series called 'The Judas Curse', involving extensive research into Mythos, Christianity and history. The first book of 'The Judas Curse', 'The Awakening', was released in November 2012.

Find out more or contact Angella

Read Angella's other blog posts on her 'Judas Kiss' tour

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngellaGraff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngellaGraffAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6541966.Angella_Graff
Website:http ://angellagraffbooks.wordpress.com/

 The Bible - Quilted Stories

Guest Post from Angella Graff

I have to say that coming up with individual blog topics for this amazing tour was a lot tougher than I thought.  When the idea was first presented to me I thought, “Well I never shut up, so this should be easy.  I always have something to say.”  Then, as I tried to take on this task I was sitting at my computer, staring blankly at the screen, waiting for something to come up.

And… nothing.  You’d think that as a writer, since it’s what I do, I wouldn’t have a shortage of things to write about.  I was email chatting with the amazing host of this blog, and she actually suggested that maybe I touch on the topic of how I came to write 'the Judas Curse' series.  Not the, I was inspired by blah blah blah post that I’ve answered a dozen times for interviews, but what really happened to make these books possible.

I realize that the book is a typical contemporary fantasy.  Detective meets supernatural beings, chaos ensues.  Okay maybe not typical, because I don’t think there’s a whole list of writers combining western theology with ancient mythos, but it’s a typical enough story-arc.  I can’t even tell you how many times I hear my husband use the name, “Jim Butcher,” in reference to something I’ve written. 

But although it may not seem like it, research did, and always has, gone into my writing.  Whether I’m writing some historical piece, some random blog rant about a topic that got under my skin, or several hundred pages dealing with old Greek mythology, I never stop researching.

Then again, I’m a historian—or well, I like to play one from time to time.  I over-stayed my welcome when I was at the University, taking unnecessary history and theology classes because I just couldn’t stop shoving information into my brain about the history and psychology of Western religion. 

I remember sitting in my first theology class, and my teacher made some joke about Ancient Rome, and a lot of the students around the class gave that awkward, “She’s one of those guys,” chuckle, but I thought it was hysterical.  Never in my life had I ever heard anyone make ancient history jokes before and I thought, “Yes.  This is where I belong.”

A few weeks later that very same professor said, “You know class, there’s a joke in the bible?”

Now, having grown up in a staunchly religious family with pastors galore, I was skeptical.  I had no idea where she was going with the comment, and of course the very idea of a joke in the bible—I had to hear it.

           

“Peter, you are the rock on which I build this church.”

It took me a moment, but I got it.   Peter.  Petrus.  Petrus, in Greek meant rock.  So what he said was, “Rock, you are the rock on which I build this church.”  Ha.  Ha.  Ha.

Okay it wasn’t funny, but it was chuckle-worthy.  In that moment it took all of the stigma of supernatural surrounding the Bible and made it suddenly what it was—a human written piece of literature.  Not magical pages handed down by some omniscient being, but some guys who got together and quilted stories told generations before they were born into this thing that we’re still quoting today as though it’s sociologically and philosophically relevant.

Now, don’t misunderstand me—I’m not trying to be insulting, but as a person who grew up in that environment, who was slowly making her way from religion to an Eastern philosophy, I needed that moment to break that sort of hold that this ancient religion held over me.

There were moments then, that led me to 'the Judas Curse' series.  The story of the Fig tree in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus cursed a tree for not having fruit when he was hungry, as though it was the tree’s fault.  I thought, imagine if his power actually made him slightly mad, and the more he used his powers, the madder he became.  Imagine that.

The gospel of Thomas which reads in the opening lines, “These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Judas Thomas, the twin, wrote down.”

The twin, I thought?  The twin?  Jesus’s twin?

I don’t, for a moment, believe that was the implication, but the idea was there, and when that stigma of holy and sacred and supernatural were removed, my brain let my imagination take over and out of it came The Judas Curse.  I was able to quilt together my love of history, of theology, of storytelling and create this series.

Yes, I’ve experienced some negative stigma regarding the series.  People who don’t want their religion changed, the ideas are sacred to them, the stories in the Bible are as real as the history of their own lives, and with that, I just have to roll with the punches.

My story is for those who can divorce themselves from what they believe, or have faith in, and it’s for those who just want to enjoy the fantasy of it.  Who want to read about alternative views such as Isa of Kashmir who many believed was Jesus of Nazareth, a man who escaped from Jerusalem after being rescued from the cross.  Look it up, I promise it’s fascinating stuff.

My story is definitely different; it’s going to ask a lot of you, because I asked a lot of myself and my knowledge bank while I was writing it.  I had no qualms about twisting and distorting ancient mythos from the Greeks, Norse gods, and Christianity, and I’m not sorry for it.  It’s not perfect, and it’s not Shakespeare, but it’s mine and it’s something I’m proud of.  I hope, if you read it, you’ll let yourself enjoy it for what it is, and see all of my own heart and soul poured into it.

amazon link

Book Summary

Judas' Kiss haunts him 2 millenia into his unending existence. Mark's story finally begins to unfold in the newest volume of Angella Graff's well received series: The Judas Curse.

Torn between petty gods and their hunger for power, a faithless police officer slips further into machinations that have already cost the life of someone he loved. Just as Detective Ben Stanford is ready to put the past at rest, he's pulled down once again into the chaos of gods, theology, and mystery. Told that his sister is alive and the two immortals, Mark and Judas, have been kidnapped by the treacherous goddess, Nike, Ben must find a way to rescue the pair before she can harness their powers.

While Mark waits alone, forced to write out the story of how their powers came to be, and Judas lay tortured by the angry Goddess, a reluctant Ben must enlist the help of an unwilling being from the ancient Norse Pantheon.

Time is ticking, and the hard-headed detective must use everything he learned in the past to prevent another disaster, which could potentially wipe-out the human race

Ebook available from amazon 

Print version from CreateSpace

My Review

Pacy supernatural thriller with deeper level 

On the surface, this is a pacy supernatural thriller, where various gods from different pantheons - Greek, Norse, you name-it – battle it out in modern day human bodies. The complications are enjoyable as you keep track of which god is in whose body, and whether it’s god or human currently in control. Add to the mix two cursed immortals from Jesus’ day and two likable New York detectives, Ben and Stella. The fact that their potential love affair is a threesome adds yet more complications; Stella harbours a god.

The story has plenty of twists and it takes place in two time periods, the modern day full of  murder and mayhem, and the ancient Palestine of Jeshua’s story as told by Mark, including the men from the east who seek Jeshua, and his tragic crucifixion. Sound familiar? Well, it isn’t! Angella Graff has drawn on her theological background to create a very different version of a history known to most readers from the Bible. Letting one of the apostles narrate this is a neat element in a complex, clever plot. Make no mistake; the author knows her Christianity, both as religion and as history and her take on ‘the Judas Kiss’ itself is both playful and provocative. Don’t expect the usual interpretation of ‘betrayed with a kiss’. Don’t expect the usual anything!

Somehow, Angela Graff manages to prevent the dialogue and the battles from being as silly as they ought to be, given the premise. On one level is the hook of resolving each mystery, starting with the question of whether Ben’s sister is actually still alive, despite her recent funeral. There are plenty of life-threatening menaces to survive, with imaginative resolutions. But there is also a deeper level, for those readers who want to think about the points raised regarding religion – or indeed to take offence. Without pontificating, Angela Graff’s characters make clear the damage that religion does, a viewpoint with which I totally sympathise. Whether someone entrenched in a particular faith would enjoy the story as much, I’m not sure. This is not a book for Christian fundamentalists.

Although I caught up on events in the previous book,  I would recommend reading Bk 1 'The Awakening', before 'The Judas Kiss' as the second book is very much a continuation from the first - and I now fully intend to read the first one!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lou the Black Dog, Chez Lui

Now I know why experienced dog adopters are reluctant to put in writing their advice beforehand; each dog comes with 'previous', good and bad, which affects his reactions; each adoptive family offers and wants different behaviour from the dog in widely differing family contexts; much of 'what you should do' is in body language, relationships and good timing - so difficult to explain or teach; and most successful dog adopters have absolutely no idea why they're good so they can't explain the skills they've added to instincts from experience. I still think it helps to share what we learn so here's my experience so far.

Balou on Day 1 in his new home

I've already blogged about choosing Balou, the seven-year old dog no-one wanted, who's spent over two years in a shelter and won the hearts of the people working there. Yesterday was the day of truth; Day 1 of the rest of his life, chez nous, earlier than planned because the rain just keeps hammering down and we cancelled our holidays. Great! We could get Balou sooner! Note crucial fact already mentioned; the rain keeps hammering down. Lou is not a dog; he is a furry hippo who threw himself into a deep, full mud-hole in our garden and wallowed. He already smelled like two years in a cage, fur like a carpet from a dumpster. I very rarely bath dogs but I decided to make an exception, using the special 'shampooing pour les chiens noirs' that had tempted me with its promise of making black fur blacker and shinier.

'I wanted a garden and a cute blonde'

Would I advise someone to throw buckets of warm water over the new arrival within hours of starting his new life, followed by a soapy massage, more buckets of water and then a game of chase round the garden with a towel? I don't think so! But it worked for us. While my Great Pyrenees watched the peasants cavorting and stayed well away from the wet stuff. It didn't take a canine genius to figure out that Lou liked water (the dirtier, the better) and I felt confident in handling him because of the car journey.

I haven't told you about the car journey? No problem getting him in the car with a traditional 'run at open boot' method. We waved goodbye to Nice Lady at Shelter, who wants 'after' photos. Then we fought to keep dog from jumping over to join us in the front seat, stopped the car, and re-arranged the people for Plan B. I put a back seat up and joined Lou in the Berlingot boot. An hour's drive later, I knew where he liked being stroked and I smelled like 2 years in a cage.

I was wrong in thinking it would take time for Lou to take an interest in us. He's lying beside me as I type and, now he's away from the shelter, there's no doubt he wants us to be his people and he wants to be with us - both of us. If he hears a door, he checks out who's coming through it and his tail will need a service check from wagging so fast and so often. Change is difficult and tiring, even change for the better, and I know many dogs try to run back to what is familiar, even if the familiar is physical abuse or neglect. There's no sign of Lou trying to do a runner but we're being careful - walks are on-lead.

He loves grass. He rolls in it, chews it, lies on it. The only grass he's seen in two years was a strip where the shelter dogs get walked every 3/4 days. He hadn't been out his cage for 3 days when we picked him up. He loves being brushed, apart from two knotted dreadlocks dangling from his ears. I don't know whether he's been brushed at all in two years (or before that). He lived in an infernal noise at the shelter, amid construction work as well as all the barking, and he seems surprised at Blanche playing guardian to a passing bicycle or the postvan. When she barks, he points, in the classic gundog pose, but so far he hasn't spoken.

Pointing

Amazingly, his behaviour indoors is civilised - no attempts to steal or destroy - and he is house-trained. When you think about him spending up to 3/4 days in a cage without leaving it, it is a miracle that he has kept  the habits presumably learned with the family of his first five years. That doesn't mean there's been no territory-marking. He's a full-blooded male and when he peed on the verandah door, he was told a clear 'No.' I cleaned it by the book, with white vinegar (never bleach or the smell encourages repeat crimes). He watched, waited and returned to finish the job that I'd interrupted. He obviously hasn't read the same book! Since then he's lifted his leg against another interior door, recollected himself (or decided that I was watching) and refrained. My husband is already referring in franglais to 'the Big, Bad Loup' since we shortened Balou to Lou.

I am exhausted but, so far, this is an easy adoption of a dog who wants to please, who gets on with people and other dogs. However, the Princess already in residence is not an easy dog; she is polite to others (human and canine) but unknown humans should keep their distance and dogs should show respect, especially in doorways. So far, we've passed potential flashpoints without incident; going in the car together, mealtimes, a quiet night (hooray), even doorway negotiations. Sometimes it doesn't matter what decision you, the master, take; what matters is that you do take a decision and give clear signals to the dogs, over matters such as getting in and out the car. With dogs like Lou, anything goes; not with dogs like Blanche.

They have played chase and fallen asleep together (in a thunderstorm - an unexpected flashpoint!). It's a good start to what I hope will be a great friendship but I'm watching my Great White very carefully - almost as carefully as she's watching me...

My top tips on dog adoption? 
Tell your dog sweet nothings in a low, purring tone. Tell him when he's doing things right (which includes when he's doing nothing at all) Thank you, Michel Hasbrouck, for this simple but under-used technique.

Secure the perimeter and walk on lead for at least 2 months (and better forever than lose your dog).

Predict the flashpoints, especially if you have another dog, and plan for the practicalities. Anything involving travel, food, close quarters,sleeping arrangements, attention from the master, comings and goings, visitors, could be stressful.

After you've got him home - 4 common stages in dog adoption

1) Just Visiting 
The first 2 months can be honeymoon heaven, with artificially good behaviour because the dog hasn't yet got his paws under the table. Family pets can be over-polite to each other and all the bad habits you allow because you feel sorry for the woes suffered by your dog in the past, can bite you in the butt (literally) when he's settled in. Escape bids are common because the dog is seeking to return to familiar territory.

The beginning of an adoption can also be hell, especially with a dog who's known abuse - and often you don't know the history of your new family member. Be calm and careful with introduction to other animals, other family members. Avoid more flashpoints than are necessary - life will bring more than enough.

Whether heaven, hell or in between (does that mean purgatory?!) this will pass.

2) Integration
Usually some time in the first 2 months. Everyone realises the new dog is here to stay - including the new dog. Everyone tries to figure out how he fits in and where he fits in. Resident dogs stop being polite to the visitor and they have dog-dog sort-outs of the pack hierarchy. One new dog means that every privilege, every toy, every relationship, is up for grabs.

3) Testing
The new dog has his place in his family but he's the sort who wants more. If you've given him everything he wants from the start, and he's been easy-going about it, he might start to cash in on it now, bullying you. Or he might be a 'benevolent tyrant' who knows he's in charge but doesn't bother acting on that knowledge. If your adopted dog starts pushing you around, you have to stop him, without hitting or shouting.

4) Your dog in his pack
Everyone is happy but...

5) Testing
never stops with some dogs and you go through Steps 3,4, and 5 all of the dog's life. It's how the dog checks you are up to the job of leading, that you are 'Someone to look up to'.

Playing the heart-strings - 'Banjo' by Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch

A warm welcome - 'croeso' as we say in Wales - to the poet Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. To me, Samantha is part schoolgirl and part legend. You see, I was once her English teacher, and I can still remember thinking, 'Thank God they don't all write stories as long as hers or I'd be marking forever.' At fourteen, her handwriting was big and round - I can still picture it - and of course the stories were excellent. I failed miserably and lost Samantha to the clutches of Classics and History but then the legend began. In 2001, we both had books featured in a Welsh publishers' summer reading promotion and our paths crossed again.

Has success turned her into one of those literary demons who avoid eye contact with me because they're looking for someone more important? Not a bit of it. The more successful she is, the more open she is and if you get the chance to learn from Samantha, take it.

Samantha's web-site

It is daunting to interview a writer described as 'the incredibly exciting' Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch and  'a major voice in contemporary poetry'. She has published three collections of poems, ‘Rockclimbing in Silk’ (Seren, 2001), ‘Not in These Shoes’ (Picador, 2008) and ‘Banjo’ (Picador, 2012). Her work has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, Poetry London, Poetry Wales and Poetry Review. In 2005 she was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship and in 2007 a grant from the Society of Authors. In 2009 Samantha was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year and in 2011 she won a Leverhulme writer in residence award. In 2012 Samantha was second prizewinner in the National Poetry Competition.

Amazon link

Bonjour Samantha, and bienvenue. Croeso!

Congratulations on the publication of ‘Banjo’. ‘Not in These Shoes’ was a hard act to follow. Do you feel under pressure from your own success when you write?

Bonjour, Jean and thank you for inviting me to talk with you on your blog. To answer your first question, I hope that I am developing as a poet with each book that I write. I’m aware I still have a long way to go until I reach the standard that I would be happy with. So it’s more a case of looking forward rather than writing in the shadow of a book that I’ve already completed.

I read ‘Banjo’  'cold' and then looked at your website and reviews, after I'd let my own responses brew. I loved one poem in particular, partly because as a photographer I identified with Ponting and was fascinated by the difficulties of shooting film in Antarctic temperatures. Clearly I wasn't the only person who loved it, as it won 2nd prize in the prestigious National Poetry Competition 2011 (link to poem). What drew you to Ponting and his story? To the Antarctic expeditions?

I’ve always been fascinated by perception and particularly by the eyes of the photographer behind the lens of the camera, by why they choose to represent something this way instead of that and what that particular angle brings to our understanding of the picture we are presented with. Although I love Ponting’s remarkable photographs taken on the Terra Nova expedition, I am more interested in what happened behind the camera lens when Ponting wasn’t there, when Captain Scott was taking the pictures on the final leg of the journey to the Pole (Ponting not being a member of what was known as ‘the Pole Party’ and so he had already trained Scott up in advance). For example in the photograph which was taken at the Pole, it was a collaborative effort between Scott, who set the camera up, and Henry Birdie Bowers, who pulled the string so that the camera would take a self-portrait of all five men to prove they had reached the Pole. I was also moved to think that all the negatives of the photographs taken by Scott at the Pole and during the last lap of their journey, remained in the tent with their corpses from March until the bodies were found in November 1912 (see my poem In Silver Bromide).

Particularly when inspired by historical documents, how do you decide whether you've given enough background context within a poem for the reader to understand it? Did you consider footnotes for 'Banjo'?

That’s a very good question. I never really considered footnotes because I wanted each poem to stand on its own two feet and to contain all the information needed to understand it. This was the most challenging aspect I faced when writing the collection, and as you rightly point out, is a balancing act between weighing down the poem with too much historical detail and giving the reader enough context with which to engage with the narrative of the poem. Once a poem becomes top heavy with facts you will lose your reader. With each poem there was a slightly different level of detail required so I had to be constantly on my guard to make sure I wasn’t overloading the poem.

When you give a reading, what's your favourite 'story behind the poem' to share with your audience?

I always enjoy reading out my poem 'Table Manners'. First of all I thought people wouldn’t believe me if I said that I went on a table etiquette course to improve my manners, which sounds plausible but isn’t true. What really happened was that I went on a table etiquette course because I wanted to write a poem about table etiquette. It was a form of research, to amass enough information in order to be able to sound authentic when writing the poem. I can’t stress how important it is to sound as though you’ve really been there and done that, which is why I use the first person a lot, whether I’m reflecting on an experience I’ve read about in a newspaper, an experience I’ve been through myself or the experience of a character from history or a combination of all three. I always try to make sure that I put myself into the shoes of that person so as to bring the scene alive for the reader.

What do readers most often ask you about and what are your answers?

I’m often asked what inspires me. I have to say that I’m not usually stuck for ideas; in fact I have a backlog of poems waiting to be written. The greater challenge for me is time management: trying to carve out writing space and to make sure that I don’t overload myself with teaching. Whilst I love working with students and learn a lot from the discussions that we have, I really value the peace and space of my creative time.

How do you feel you have evolved as a poet since your first book?

I think it takes me longer now to write well, probably because I am aware of the many pitfalls! It reminds me of when I lived in France: the better my French, the more I realised how far I had to go until I spoke it like a native. I find it’s the same with writing.

Worse than comparisons with your own previous books, is a comparison with someone else's, so that's exactly what I'm going to inflict on you. A large section of 'Banjo' is based on Scott's Antarctic expeditions, written first person from the viewpoint of members of the expedition. Have you been influenced at all by Sheenagh Pugh's poetry? I certainly have been, as she was the first poet who inspired me to write in historical persona. When reading 'Banjo' I was reminded of her work partly because in 'The Beautiful Lie' Sheenagh Pugh takes on the voice of the widow of an Arctic explorer.

As it happens, I started writing 'Banjo' in 1999 and had completed the poems by 2001 (the year before 'The Beautiful Lie' was published) but then I put the manuscript away in the proverbial drawer as I had lost my confidence with it. I got it out again after 'Not in These Shoes' was finished and started editing the poems. I’m a huge admirer of Sheenagh’s work and regularly dip into her blog. I do remember you encouraging me to write a story from the point of view of a Mediaeval teenage boy during one class in school – so I think I have you to thank for inspiring me to write in the voice of historical figures!
I don't think I deserve the credit but I'll be happy if that's all you remember from those days!

Another point of comparison with Sheenagh Pugh, and many other contemporary poets, is that much of your work is in free verse couplets. I don't really understand what seems to me to be a fashion for couplets. I find that the interruptions given by such frequent line breaks work against narrative poems. Why do you like this form?

Yes I do love couplets, as long as the frequent line breaks are used for a good reason, for example to underline the message of the poem or to convey a particular point in each verse. In terms of my own writing, I think it’s high time I had a go at writing sestinas – they always look so hard to me. I’ve tried villanelles but I always end up sounding silly.

I note that 'Banjo' is available as a kindle. As a poet, what is your attitude to ebooks and electronic publishing?

I have a Kindle, which I use mainly for reading novels when I travel. I tend to read books at home. I don’t see why the two can’t happily co-exist. I’m glad that some of my work is available on a Kindle, although I myself don’t like reading poetry on a Kindle – I prefer to be able to feel the collection as a whole and weigh it in my hand. And I worry a little about what changing the font size does to the line breaks.

On the personal side, you have two very talented sisters. At one time, you were Poetry Editor for a top literary journal and Francesca was overall Editor. I imagine you to be like the Bronte sisters, growing up in your own imaginary worlds. To what extent are you involved in each other's work? To what extent do you need your own space?

We work in different but complementary media (poetry vs. novels) and in different geographical places. By the way, we also have a very talented brother who is currently writing a novel! I have benefitted so much in coming from a family of writers: I have found it a very supportive environment, not only in terms of the help and encouragement I receive from the other three, but also in the way they all come along to readings and are at the end of the phone if I need advice. That has been invaluable and I couldn’t write without it.

I didn’t know you had a brother. He must have stayed under my radar in his schooldays :)

You're a very experienced mentor and writer in residence. Do you enjoy this aspect of being a writer?

It’s been a privilege to have worked with so many enthusiastic writers and students. Last year I was Leverhulme poet in residence at the National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre. Not only was it an inspirational setting in which to begin the research for my next book, but it was also great to meet a wide variety of local writers who became regular participants at the workshops I ran at the museum. Helping students to start writing has enabled me to reflect on my own creative process – it’s all been a virtuous circle!

Can you tell us about your plans to offer a writing retreat and mentoring in the beautiful coastal scenery of New Quay, Pembrokeshire? I have wonderful memories of watching dolphins play in the sea there.

Generations of my family, several of whom are artists, have sat and read and painted in the garden of our home here in the terraces of New Quay. I wanted to share something of this peace with other writers and creative people, so we decided to turn an old stable at the top of the garden into a writers’ retreat to sleep 1-2 people. Visitors will be able to write in a loft with a view, walk the Pembrokeshire & Ceredigion coastal path and curl up next to the woodburning stove with a shelf full of books. Barely a hundred yards from the beach, the retreat is a simple bolthole, with its own parking and terrace and will be opening in August this year; so when are you coming to try it out, Jean?

You have no idea how tempting that is! There is so much you could teach me. One of these days I will surprise you and book in…

Thank you so much for joining me on my blog and good luck with 'Banjo'. I googled the Scott expeditions and looking at the photos, after reading your poems, makes me shiver.

amazon link

My Review of 'Banjo'

See the world differently...

I love the wide range of places and people, themes and objects, that I can experience while sitting in a comfy chair and reading Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch’s poetry. I also love her sense of humour – sadly, a rarity in literary, prize-winning poetry but I definitely smiled at the Delft lady ‘whose apron said B ugge after she fell’. Most of all, I love the way she shows me the world, differently.

Samantha’s last book, ‘Not in These Shoes’, is one of my favourite poetry books, ever, and a tough act to follow, but ‘Banjo’ really is an experience, and a very different one. It took me from a Paris sewer to Scott’s Polar Expedition, by way of Hong Kong, a wedding in parachute silk and Ladies with Hammers. The precision in language and confident music of the unrhymed verse reward a second – and third – reading. I lived in Hong Kong as a child and the details of place all ring true, evoking memories of the tram up the Peak and the Star ferry; the research underlying the poem is meticulous and typical of Samantha’s work.

With this poet, always expect the unexpected. Hands can be ambiguously sticky – is it raspberry juice or blood? The city’s arteries are the body’s sewers. Imagery and double-meanings enrich the reader’s experience. ‘How composed, how cold’ is one of my favourite lines, describing the explorers in a photo. Sometimes this playful love of words and double-meanings hovers between fun and too-clever but it is always relevant, and a conscious choice, as in ‘Rust’.

‘Let corrosion corrugate us

as we conjugate conrodere:

to go red together’

However, Samantha is equally capable of plain-speaking and some of the lines that hit me hardest were the deceptively simple ones.

‘how there is only enough hay

to take eight of the ponies

up to the foot of the Glacier

where they’ll be shot

for dog food;'

The line break after ‘shot’ emphasises the harshness of what follows but the poet’s shaping is almost invisible – unless you try writing this kind of free verse yourself and realise the craft needed.

The narrative sequence based on Scott’s Polar expedition is a sustained tour-de-force and, as a photographer myself, I was fascinated by the character and work of Ponting in temperatures so cold                                      ‘He lost

the tip of his tongue where it stuck to the camera’

I would have liked more background information about the people and events of the expeditions, perhaps as notes, as some of the references lost me.

And what about the banjo of the title? That’s described from Leonard Hussey’s viewpoint, the group’s meteorologist – and banjo player. ‘All the boys inscribed

their names on my banjo’s skin.’

Samantha also writes as if on skin, and gets right under the reader’s.

He had me at 'Ruff!' Online dog dating.

The 'Ruff!' part is poetic license as Balou hasn't actually barked in my hearing yet so I don't know what he sounds like - no doubt only one of the surprises in store now that we've adopted a dog. It happened like this...

I read obsessively keep an eye on the French Forum for the Adoption of Big Dogs, telling myself I might be able to offer helpful advice or connect people, that I'm not in any way shopping for a dog, that I'm not a sucker for all those stories of heartbreak and hope. Having worked with a dog trainer (Michel Hasbrouck) I know the dangers of pity, of seeking sainthood via pooches, of bringing home a dog riddled with disease and raging against the universe - instead of adopting his quiet friend.

Which is why I fell madly in love made a totally rational decision when choosing a companion for my Great Pyrenees, Blanche, for me and for my long-suffering husband. It's no secret that I've wanted a second dog for some time but L-S.H. liked the advantages of having only one. I miss dog-dog interaction. I miss the games and I even miss dog dialogue; 'It's my couch.. no, it's mine.. mine... mine..' ending with whoever's bigger/smarter claiming the disputed territory/object.

Finding a dog through a website is a form of online dating and increasingly important in placing shelter animals. Some refuges are Internet-savvy, with professional photos of each inmate; others are suspicious of any contact via a computer and usually too busy to answer a telephone. 'Come and see the dog,' is all the answer you get to your questions about background and character.

I was lucky. I was only trying to get more detail about Balou, to help find him a home, as I thought he had a cute face. Yes, photos/appearances make the first impression and some dogs just appeal to you more than others. Separately, two shelter workers gave me more information about Balou, not realising that I was interested for myself (unsurprising as I didn't realise this either). Both people said that this Briard-cross had 'a character of gold', the French idiom that I would translate as 'a sterling character' (interesting aside on national currencies and character descriptions). In any language, he's considered a cutie-pie.  He gets on with people and with other dogs. But the words that etched themselves into my brain were these (I translate):-

'He is one of those dogs we nickname 'the invisible ones'. People never notice them. Because he's black? Black is out of fashion and no-one wants a black dog. And yet he has so many great qualities.'

Balou has been in a shelter for two years and not one person has even looked at him. He was abandoned due to divorce, losing his family, including the children he loved (according to the couple who left him at the shelter).  His friend the German Shepherd was abandoned with him but found a home straight away. Balou has lived with different dogs since then; they come, they find a home and they go.

Apparently, L-S.H. was tired of seeing a dog's face on my computer screen every time he looked, and said 'Yes'. We went to see Balou on Wednesday, taking Blanche with us so that we could have the first meeting on neutral ground and judge the two dogs' reactions. 

We walked them on lead and one training need was clear straight away - Balou pulls like hell.The dogs ignored each other and Balou even ignored another refuge dog playing macho on the opposite side of the road. Then we let the dogs loose on some enclosed ground.

 Balou and Blanche Sniffing together 

Politely avoiding eye contact



Taking a risk

Invitation to play

Playtime!

Balou wasn't interested in us but that's often the case in shelter dogs, especially with strangers. Part of the training work ahead is to make a relationship with an adult dog. However, he was confident with us, didn't mind being stroked, even on his head (a dominant gesture to a dog so should never be the first approach) and his eyes are full of warmth and fun, despite two years in a shelter. The introduction couldn't have gone better and I can't wait for the 6th May when we can pick up Balou and bring him home. We already had holidays booked and I'd rather he stays in the refuge with people he knows than go to a kennels.

Inevitably there are memories of Bétel, the friend we lost three years ago. No-one can replace him but there is room in our life and hearts for Balou. It seems fitting that my book 'Someone to Look Up To', with Bétel's beautiful face on the cover, is now in amazon uk's top 100 kindle dog books and I was wondering how Balou would fit into the characters living in the refuge, described in the mid-section of the book. Prince maybe? The 5 year old black dog? Or perhaps Sirius himself, in character not in looks, the dog who 'kept the faith.'

amazon link

Extract from 'Someone to Look Up To'
The dogs in the animal shelter are telling their stories at twilight. Prince, a 5 year old black mongrel takes his turn ...


‘From puppyhood to dog, I grew up with the two babies in my family. I made them smile by licking their feet when they were tiny and my master and mistress stopped them pulling my ears or poking my eyes when they were old enough to experiment on objects. My masters loved me, looked after me, walked me and the children together. We were one family. First Linda, then little Alice started school and every day my mistress and I would walk to meet them. I loved the sound of the children coming from the playground. And the sound of my master coming home from work. And the daytime with my mistress. She sang while she cleaned the house, cooked some food. She took me shopping with her or to visit friends. I can keep myself warm through the winter on my memories of my family. I am lucky.’
‘He is lucky,’ we howled.
‘They died. They went out in the car and they didn’t take me. They said, ‘Bye, Prince, see you soon.’ And they didn’t come back. There was an accident. The police said so when they came to my house where I was waiting for my family to come home. One said, ‘He’s a bit old.’ The other said, ‘No, he’s not old at all and he’s sweet. Give him a chance. He’d make a lovely family pet.’ And they brought me here.I will always love my family.’
‘He will always love his family,’ we echoed.
‘I can love another family too. My heart is big enough.’
‘He can love another family too.’
‘My new family will come.’
‘His new family will come.’ As Prince lay down, Maisie was standing up and I could swear she licked his face as she moved past him but as the clouds drifted past the moon, it could just have been a trick of the light. There was no trace of softness in her deep wrinkles as she gave voice.