Fun Experiences with Animals

My Favourite:

Having a Xmas Eve party at my house for all my closest friends and neighbours. Everything going well, lots of champers, nibbles including a beautiful cheese platter laid on the dining room table. Next thing I hear is everyone laughing and my dog is disappearing out of the room with a whole round of Brie in her mouth to shouts of "Does anyone know an animal behaviourist?"!

No more crocs

Was working on a radio show, Pet Talk Radio, and we were visiting a reptile park to find out if Eric the 5 metre crocodile would be suitable to have a mate live with him. Four of us (two hosts, me the animal behaviourist and an animal communicator ("psychic")) went into the enclosure at feeding time. We were warned by the keeper to be ready to scale the fence should Eric even look at us!Since Eric had already managed to severely injure several females, I recommended that he should not have another until he learns to accept me in his enclosure!
Never again!

Serious reminder

Sitting on the floor, on a mat with a client's dog about a metre away from me. Been coming for months for minor problems, all going well, when suddenly I felt this growl. Could barely hear it but the vibrations traveled through the floor. The dog has decided he did not like me! I just calmly asked the client to recall her dog back to her. No damage done.
Lesson learnt - no one is immune to a dog's aggressive behaviour.

My introduction into Australia

I was studying native Aussie animals at that time and to get to where they lived, I had to pass through an enclosure full of emus - who needs guard dogs! Before I knew it I was surrounded by emus bearing down on me and had to be rescued. From them on I learnt to wear subdued colours and to carry a big stick so I looked taller than them.
And I'm still here in Australia!

Talk to the Animals

A couple here:
Zeus the 45kg Boxer who jumped up on everyone arriving at his house. Fun for the cameras and typical of many dogs in many households (although a 4kg Chihuahua gets away with this behaviour!)
The cockatoo was had lost his best mate, a dog (had died) and was now taking his grief out on the family's other dog, attacking him and chasing him around the yard. Of course he would not do this for the cameras. He did, however, fly away and have to be rescued from the treetops and rooftops.

Lessons learned - you never know how animals will react, prepare for the worst and the unexpected!