Minnie Lives

In April 2019 I adopted a dog vet checked, desexed and sight unseen
She was delivered after n 8 hour long car journey by the organisation that facilitated the adoption.
Minnie was restless, extremely independent and nervous and attempted to jump the fence as the
people who delivered her were leaving. They suggested that Minnie would settle in in a few days.
The morning after delivery, I went into the garage where I had made a comfortable bed for Minnie
and she would not allow me near her, she growled and showed me her teeth. I eventually
approached her with breakfast and then took her outside for toileting; Minnie still would not come
near me.

The days passed and nothing improved. On day 7 she attempted to jump the fence and was caught
on the fence. I supported her weight on the fence until a man came and helped me get her off the
fence (she was hanging by her front right leg). This is when I realised that she did not like men! She
growled at the man and hated him from that day on.

The next day I was asked to help my neighbour to tidy her garden so I took Minnie next door on the
lead and tied her to the gate as I worked in the garden. The window cleaning man came to clean the
windows and I asked him to not approach the dog since I was unsure of her temperament. Whilst I
was at the back of the house, the man approached Minnie and she lunged and bit him on the arm.

Two months passed, and she seemed to be settling in. We visited a neighbour up the road daily so
that Minnie could play with the neighbour’s 2 dogs and use up some of her energy. One afternoon,
another neighbour approached the fenced yard with his two small yappy dogs who were barking on
the other side of the fence. Minnie then bit the homeowner on the leg as he was trying to calm her.

This is when I realised that I could not fix Minnie with love and I contacted a dog trainer. The dog
trainer suggested that Minnie should never have been adopted out and should have been
euthanised. I did not follow through with this dog trainer’s training because she was a treat trainer
and believed Minnie’s behaviour could be changed with treats. One thing this trainer suggested was
that I buy a muzzle for Minnie, which I did.

Whilst looking for solutions on how to deal with Minnie, I accessed books from the library, searched
the internet and one day a post from Ross Allan appeared on my Facebook feeds.

I contacted Ross and our journey to shaping Minnie’s behaviour commenced. Ross suggested that
Minnie be detoxed and that she sees a Bowen therapist. Detoxing done, a healthy diet, regular
sessions with a Bowen therapist, and weekly training sessions with Ross as well as daily training at

home seemed to be working well. One training day a few months into training however, Minnie was
in a foul mood when we left home and when Ross corrected her, she bit him.

Back to square one with more Bowen therapy and me slowly gaining the confidence to deal with
Minnie’s outbursts. Training became part of our daily routine….with me saying “no” and correcting
Minnie each and every time she needed to be corrected.

Six years later, I have a lovely dog who clearly understands what “no” means, she is well behaved,
still excitable; and is accepting of men who come into our home.

Had it not been for Ross Allan, Minnie would not be alive today. Ross has taught me so much about
what I was doing wrong and how to gain control of a dog that seemed un-trainable 6 years ago. My
problem was that I was afraid of Minnie and I thought I could fix her with love which was giving
Minnie all the control.

Thanks to Ross Allan, Minnie lives.