An Introduction to Sandie

Hi. My name is Sandie and I live in West Sussex with my farmer husband and six beautiful Pyrenean Mountain Dogs, the eldest being eleven and a half and the youngest two years old.

I am passionate about animals and their welfare.  I had a wonderful childhood, being brought up on a farm where we kept horses, cows and sheep, along with many working dogs.  I quickly learned how to ride horses and could even drive a tractor at the age of 10!  Being in that environment taught me so much about animals and how to care for them.

I was particularly interested in horses and decided that I would like to train to be an equine vet, so at 18 I went to Bristol Veterinary College where I stayed for five years.  In my last year there, I did a lot of field work where I would visit clients, but was shadowed by a qualified vet who would then assess my work and suitability for the job.  One day, I was asked to go to a farm to put a horse down.  It was a lovely young colt and it became obvious to me that he just hadn't been handled enough and all he really needed was a firm hand, along with plenty of patience and understanding.  The owner clearly just wanted to get rid of the animal, but I wouldn't do it.  I was suspended by the College for five days, having been asked to explain myself to the Head.  My next job was to put a Golden Retriever to sleep - the owner no longer wanted it - and, again, I refused.  That was the end of my veterinary career!

I found it really frustrating that some owners, and vets for that matter, would think nothing of putting down a perfectly healthy animal that they had grown tired of, or who needed a bit of help that the owners were not prepared to give.  It really got me thinking about what I could do to help.  Times have changed for the better and there are so many wonderful people out there who give up their time (and hard-earned cash!) to help animals that need someone to care for them.  I truly believe that no animal or child is born bad, it's life that makes them that way.  People need to be responsible owners and seek help when it's needed.  The help is there, we just need to make them aware of it.

I then attended Cirencester Agricultural College to learn about rehabilitating and re-training animals.  I learnt so much in the four years I was there - but not as much as I have learnt over the last 35 years or so of direct involvement with animals.

So I found myself setting up my own business in obedience training and specialising in behavioral problems in dogs and have been involved in the dog world ever since.  I do show some of my dogs and have also had the occasional litter of puppies.  Believe me, Pyrenean Mountain Dog puppies must be one of the cutest puppies there are and it's awfully hard to see them go to their new homes.  I always keep in touch with the new owners and I'm always at the end of the 'phone if they need my help.  I am also involved in Pyrenean rescue and we have been so successful in re-homing I am happy to say.

My mission in life has always been to educate people in how to care for their animals and it is so rewarding to me when an animal which has been almost written off as a hopeless case becomes the perfect family pet.  I am passionate about my breed and dogs on the whole.  I get very angry when I see them being mistreated in any way.   This is why I try to teach people to give their dogs the best upbringing they can by teaching them to understand their dogs.  Sometimes when the weather is cold or it's raining hard and you have to walk six huge dogs, or when you have to bath and groom an extremely large and fluffy pooch who really doesn't want to know, I ask myself why I ever got into this work.  Luckily for me, these moments are rare and nothing beats the love and affection you get from looking after animals.  I couldn't live without them!