Dog Words

0226: Deaf Rescue Peggy with Chloe Shorten

July 21, 2021 Season 2 Episode 26
Dog Words
0226: Deaf Rescue Peggy with Chloe Shorten
Show Notes Transcript

Chloe Shorten of the RSPCA Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk Branch shares the story of Peggy, the deaf senior Border Collie rescue.

RSPCA Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk Branch online:
RSPCAnorwich.org.uk
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

In the New York Post:
Deaf dog learns sign language to round up sheep

From the Dog Words archives:
0203: Raising Deaf Dog Greta with Jodi Vogler
0128: Border Collies with Caryn Miller

Visit RosieFund.org for links to all of our social media, including our free YouTube channel with three videos of Caryn Miller's Border Collies at work (1 2 3). 

Celebrate 5 years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Music for this episode is provided by alternative string duo, The Wires. Visit them at TheWires.info. Learn fiddle and cello-fiddle online — even if you've never played before — from Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groshang at FiddleLife.com.

The transcript for this episode is available on the Dog Words Buzzsprout page: Buzzsprout.com/840565.

Make a donation at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Rosie Fund online:
RosieFund.org
Facebook.com/rosiefund
Instagram.com/rosiefund
YouTube.com/rosiefund


CHLOE  0:05 
I'll send Nora around my left heel, send Syd round to the right. And then we'll get Peggy to go in the middle or something. And then he can take over from me and then push them that way and then I'll call one to come round or something, we can drive them all together. We work as a family. We work as a group. And we all have the same goal to get those sheep up. So we work together and it's beautiful, really, and that's why I think if it as my family

PHIL   0:29 
I'm Phil Hatterman and this is Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Today, Chloe Shorten joins us from the UK to share the story of Peggy the deaf senior Border Collie rescue.

If you're new to Dog Words, in each episode we explore the world of dog care and companionship. "We save each other," is the motto of Rosie Fund, which simply means the more we do for dogs, the more they do for us and they already do a lot. If you love dogs, you'll love Dog Words. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Go to the podcast page at RosieFund.org to share your thoughts. Please download, follow, rate, and most importantly, share Dog Words.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website, buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com or buying our note cards and shirts on BarkYours.com. Links are in the description. Your donations and purchases help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure these senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

Please follow Rosie Fund on social media.  Subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel that offers great videos of Rosie, Peaches, and shelter dogs, including some exclusive content like the sweet KC Pet Project dog featured in our latest post.

Next time on Dog Words, author Kelly Conaboy discusses her delightful and engaging book The Particulars of Peter - Dance Lessons, DNA Tests and Other Excuses to Hang Out with My Perfect Dog.

The mission of Rosie Fund is to provide humans with the resources and education they need to give senior and harder-to-adopt dogs a better life. Thank you for joining our mission.

Today's guest on Dog Words is Chloe Shorten who is the animal welfare manager at the RSPCA Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk branch in England. Welcome to the show, Chloe.

CHLOE  2:28 
Hello. Hi, ya.

PHIL   2:29 
I don't know much about how the RSPCA system works in your country, because in the United States we have different animal welfare groups around the country. Some are privatized. Some are run by local municipalities. Really what is the structure of RSPCA and you working at a specific branch?

CHLOE  2:55 
Okay, so in the UK we have a variety of different rescues. Quite a lot of the time they tend to be charities. So they're charity organizations. They're not for profit. Everything they make goes back into helping the animals. You do get some like the dog wardens and things like that, that can be a bit more of a business because they all bid for contracts. But most of them are either sort of national ones so that they go around the entire of the UK. For example, like cats protection as are the RSPCA, dogs trust and things like that. Or you can get little sort of local ones where someone's decided to set up like a little charity. We get some little local ones that we work with that basically they out of the goodness out of their heart to set up and try and save as many animals as possible. Sometimes they're species specific. So they'll do cats. Sometimes they're like us that basically anything that turns up we will take anything because the RSPCA stands for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We tend to get the worst of the worst because inspectors go into houses where people have been hoarding situations. They've been cruel to the animals. But we do get stray, the sick, the abandoned. Just now before the coming online I just had an inspector bring me two ducks that had been dumped in one of our local watercourses. So I've now got to sort them out. Basically the RSPCA is a charity that works all around the country. We all have our own little branch areas. So there'll be a branch that covers a certain area. We have counties, I'm not sure if in America...

PHIL   4:22 
We have counties. Yep.

CHLOE  4:23 
Yeah. So my area, our county is split up into three different branches, basically. And then we have our postcode areas. We have a certain amount of them that we have to cover and we take animals in from them. But we can rehome them to everywhere around the country. The RSPCA have a selection of inspectors that cover the whole country and everything you name it sort of Swan rescues. They can deal with wildlife or domestics, your reptiles. Some of the RSPCA branches can't always take every single animal because it depends on who they've got as staff. I'm a bit nutty and will take on anything, whether it's snakes, geckos. We help some donkeys. We've helped loads of things. Tarantulas, rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, you name it, we'll take it in and fix it, and try and rehome it, basically. We're not a sanctuary. So we don't keep animals forever. We always try and rehome them, unlike some of that we do get sanctuary around different ones that will take an animal in, and if they can't get it rehomed, they'll stay for life. It'll stay with us until they can find a new home. If not, we move them into different places to sort of almost a bit like shopfronts. So you move 'em around to a different branch, because someone might like that dog in a different area, basically. We have Royal Assent. So back quite soon after we were recreated in the 1800s, actually, that the Queen put her patronage to us that's why we're the Royal Society rather than, I understand in America, you have the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as well.

PHIL   5:48 
Yes.

CHLOE  5:49 
It's very similar, but we have slightly different rules and governance and things like that over here, really. So I'm not an inspector. I'm an animal welfare manager. So I run the animals coming into our branch in the Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk area. I do sometimes go on some of the rescues and help the inspectors with some of the minor complaints. But I'm not an actual Inspector. I'm just nutty about animals and wanting to get back in to try and help but also deal with everything else. We'll be doing veterinary runs and all this sort of fun things like that. And even down to the boring bits of all the invoices and sorting out the payments for all the animals and all the expensive treatments they need. So, yes, that's kind of in a nutshell, hopefully, covered enough.

PHIL   6:28 
There are a lot of similarities with the way some of the rescue groups and shelters are run in the United States. So I think most of our listeners can identify with what you've just described. You came to our attention not because I just did a Google search for our RSPCA and randomly found you and wanted to learn more about the RSPCA. I read an article which I will link in the description about a border collie named Peggy. How did Peggy come to your RSPCA branch?

CHLOE  7:01 
So, basically, Christmas 2018, it's always a busy time, right after Christmas because unfortunately some people decides to rehome their animals or rehouse them because they've decided to destroy the Christmas decks and it's disappointed the family and you know, all those typical excuses that people tend to come up with. It's a cold month in, especially where we are in England. It can be wet, miserable, horrible. We might find animals that have been straying or abandoned, things like that. So Peggy come to us. She was brought in by the inspectors. She'd gone deaf in her previous home and they can no longer look after her. She came into the branch. I'm a bit of a sucker for a Border Collie. I'm not gonna lie. I've got two other ones and I've always loved them since I was little. And yeah, she turned up I was like, "I don't have any kennel space." Which we have set amount of spaces we can have for kennels, catteries, and things. And then we do have a lot of fosters who take animals in to look after him. And again, I tend to take a lot home hence why you might hear my parrot, Corden. There's ducks here. There's mice. There's cats, you know. You name it. I'll take it home to look after it. And I thought, "What's one more? I'll take the dog home, you know, she'll come home with me." And we had her that night and then basically she just did so well and got on with all the other menagerie that's here but we were like, "Oh, it's Christmas. we should have her for Christmas. We'll get a good grounding. We'll see what she's like." And then soon after Christmas sort of come and went and then it was New Year's and things and I was going back to work again after having a bit of a break and I can't let her go. We'd fallen in love with her. So we ended up getting it all sorted made sure she had a health checks and everything and her vaccination. She was neutered and everything and they investigated her ears and the vets couldn't find anything physically wrong. And they said we could go in for MRI scans and all these different scans but there was nothing physically they could see down there and it would probably come to the same conclusion that she was deaf. Havin' stressed her out and cost the branch a lot of money. So we decided you know that's it. We don't mind. She's all right sort of thing. And then we've been adopted her, basically, because we bonded with her and got on really well. And yeah, there was no looking back. We decided she was gonna stay in the family one way or the other. So...

PHIL   9:07 
Our listeners know that Dog Words is presented by the charitable foundation that my wife and I started, Rosie Fund, which helps senior and harder-to-adopt dogs find their forever homes. Peggy would certainly fall into that category. Nine year-old Border Collie and harder-to-adopt being deaf. That's something that not every adopter is prepared to deal with. Not knowing, "Well, how do I communicate with my dog? How do I play with my dog? What special needs might my dog have being deaf?" They look for something that's a little easier fit. So deaf dogs tend to stay in the shelter longer. So here's a dog with actually three strikes against her. One, senior. Two, has this challenge of being deaf. And three, Border Collie is not a breed that everyone can handle. They need something to do. And if you don't have something for them to do, there can be very destructive outlets for that drive, that energy, that focus, that intelligence. All of which are positive attributes. But if they're not given an appropriate outlet, they'll destroy your home. They will herd things that you don't want to be herded. So, you working with the RSPCA and admitting to being a sucker for Border Collies, you knew what you're getting yourself into you...

CHLOE  10:32 
Yes.

PHIL   10:32 
...you had to find something for Peggy to do. How did you give her an outlet? How did you make her comfortable?

CHLOE  10:41 
So to start off with, it was very much just being able to tell her that she was a good girl. So we started off with a lot of positive reinforcement. So praising her. Just being very sort of, you know, quite open body language and being quite relaxed with her and giving her treat, and fussing her up, and we seem to have paired that with a thumbs up to the point that you can put your thumbs up and then she just dropped her ears back and you could just tell it was getting through to her and you're like, "Right, you know, you're a good girl now," sort of thing. And it was lovely to be able to see that she'd gone from this dog that I remember taking her to the beach for the first time. She'd never been there 'cause we're only about 10 minutes from the beach. And she's standing there all all stiff, and all, "What is this?" And then now you take it down there and she just tears around like a complete and utter nutter, basically. So my family quite like going down the beach a lot of Christmas and things like that. So because it's quite close to us, and normally it's quite quiet as well. So you know, you're taking it down there and just seeing day by day the sort of enthusiasm that she could go and just tear around do whatever she wanted. Really. Yeah, it's beautiful for her really and yeah, she's...

PHIL   11:41 
It's heartwarming to see any dog happy, but particularly some sort of working dog like a Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, the healers. When they're in their element running around and think they're doing something important, which she's running around the beach, and I'm sure in her head, "I'm corralling these waves. I'm doing something I love to do. But that needs to be done." You can just see their eyes light up, their ears, their tail, their whole body language lets you know, "I'm a happy dog." And so that has to be wonderful for you to see her come out of her shell like that.

CHLOE  12:17 
Oh, definitely. And she loves—although she can't hear her own voice—she loves to just bark and you just see how happy she is springing around. Tail goes up. I call it a scorpion tail because they it curls up and you just know she's up to some sort of mischief. And she's, you know, it's a border collie trait. I'm sure other Border Collie people can tell. They tend to put their tail up and they're you know, they're up to something because the Border Collie I had as a child, she'd always put her tail` up and you knew she was gonna go nick a pair of socks or something and be naughty and run around the house and things. So, yeah, no, she she definitely enjoys life now. And it was lovely to see that first steps in the first few days even of just, you know, "Wow, what is this? Am I staying here? What's going on?" sort of things, like, yes.

PHIL   12:57 
It's interesting. You talked about how you can tell when a Border Collie is up to something. You really can almost see the wheels turning as they're either trying to figure something out or plotting something. A lot of breeds will just look either happy or confused or tired. It's kind of the range. With Border Collies you can see "I'm figuring something out. I've got a plan. What's going on here?" And to get to see that in her has to be very exciting.

CHLOE  13:31 
Oh, yes, yeah. Yhe can be quite cheeky as well. If she knows she doesn't want to do something, she won't look at me. And she knows that that's my only communication with her. And she'll look the other way and almost sort of go. You know, "I'm not doing anything naughty. No. No. I know you want me to do this. I don't want to come home yet or finish yet." And she can. Yeah, she can be naughty at times. So she knows how to play me as well. So...

PHIL   13:55 
You aren't the first guest we've had on with a deaf dog. We had Greta a deaf dog—well, we didn't have Greta on. We had Jodi Vogler, her owner on to talk about starting out with a deaf puppy. They were prepared when they adopted greta. And I'll link to that interview in this description. They used American Sign Language and they had already learned basic commands, the whole family, before they adopted her. And then as they raised her they learned more commands. So there's kind of this deaf dog playbook, if you will, of how you raise a deaf dog. Had you had any experience with deaf dogs before? Or were there signs that you knew these are the sort of the universal ones that they use in the UK? Because I'm guessing American Sign Language would not be the sign language that you would use.

CHLOE  14:45 
It's not the case. To be honest, we don't actually use a actual form of a British Sign Language. It's more my own devices. If I call it like when you're trying to give your friend directions from across the field. So it's normally more waving your hand to get her attention, and it's not an actual format of sign language. It's just using your body and hand language and things that are very distinctive, so she doesn't get confused. So yeah, it's not British Sign Language. It's just my movements that I've created.

PHIL   15:13 
But if it works for Peggy, that's all you need. So you've said she gets that energy outlet getting to go to the beach, and that she's really adapted to your household and you've adapted to her. But what really got me excited when I read the article about Peggy is she's getting to answer the call that is in her DNA. She's herding sheep. Had she ever been a actual herding dog before?

CHLOE  15:41 
Yes. So she had been previously and that's why they'd also given her up was because they couldn't work her anymore because she'd gone deaf. And then that's how we also knew we knew how to sort of understand her as well because we've got other Border Collies, that work sheep and might...

PHIL   15:55 
I know around the world a big signal for Border Collies is whistle. And so I, I don't know exactly how they interacted with their Border Collies. But if it was the whistle system, being deaf really sort of undercuts being able to use that at all.

CHLOE  16:14 
Yeah, so we use whistles. Depending on the dog, you can train him to whistle or verbal or both. Our old boy, Syd, he's 14, now he can listen to whistles and also voice commands. The whistle just allows them a greater distance to hear more clearly than you shouting. 'Cause obviously, when we shout to try voice at a further distance, it can muffle it and not make it sound as sharp. So the whistle just helps to replace and travel further. But obviously, we tried that with Peggy and she didn't pick it up. And likewise, they either whistle or commands, or verbal commands didn't work with her 'cause I think there's something genetic or something had gone wrong with those neurons to the brain so that she just couldn't hear anything. We did test it multiple times with food and things behind her rattling packets and with anything would get any other animal going. And she just didn't know and then you'd have touch and she jumped and then, "Oh, oh, okay, you're there. Right. Okay." A big thing about it, we'd never wanted to startle her. That was just when we were sort of testing to see if she was deaf. But you just try not to startle her because it's not very nice to sort of come up and suddenly jab a dog that's deaf. You need to be spatially aware of just watching out for her and things because she can't obviously pick out that you're walking towards her and things.

PHIL   17:24 
I wouldn't be surprised if, Chloe, you had a herd of sheep, just because you have everything else. But where...

CHLOE  17:33 
Oddly enough, that's the one we don't have.

PHIL   17:36 
So where does she get to do her herding?

CHLOE  17:39 
My husband is a contractor basically. So mainly contract shepherd,. He does do some other works and tract work and things like that. But during, especially now like for example, today, he is our sheep shearing. And in my spare time I'm out sheep sharing, as well. And then in the winter, he does sort of contract shepherding so he'll be moving sort of sheep in big fields and things around. So that's where we use our dogs and use them to get the sheep in for sharing or movements and moving them around to different fields and things. So that's where we sort of first knew with Peggy that she wanted to herd again, because we were actually shearing at somebody's house their little flock once. Because in England, we do have quite a lot of people that have pet sheep and they might have one or two, or they might have 30 which is also considered quite a small flock but we do have people that have several thousands, as well. Norfolk isn't perhaps renowned for being a sheep county. We're looking more like Yorkshire Dales and things would have sheep. But we do have sheep in Norfolk. And she decided what on this one particular day, she went round and bought this flock of about 30 sheep back to us. And we were like, "Right, okay, we better sort something out." Because if she keeps doing that she might do at the wrong time and hurt herself or the sheep,

PHIL   18:48 
Which goes back to what we were discussing earlier that they figure things out, "I see something needs to be done. I'll take care of it." If you don't tell her what to do, she'll find something to do.

CHLOE  18:58 
Exactly. And we would have just kept having sheep brought to us all the time. Wouldn't  have been able to move because of sheep. So we decided we were like, "Right, we need to sort out some communication here. That sort of went on further than the sit, stay, you know, good girl sort of thing. We were like, "Right. We need to start branching out and do some practice with this and see what we could do, really." And that's where it all kind of went from there. Really?

PHIL   19:19 
You said you already have a couple other Border Collies. Do they work with Peggy? Do they accept her as a herding dog?

CHLOE  19:25 
With these guys, because they live in with us, we've all bonded and they'll do anything. And me and Jason can be herding and we can switch dogs which ones we're herding just a drop of a hat. So we were doing something the other day and I'll send Nora around my left. He'll send Syd around to the right and then we'll get Peggy to go in the middle or something and then he can take over from me and then push them that way. And then I'll call ones come round or something. We can drive them all together. We work as a family. We work as a group and we all have the same goal to get those sheep up. So we work together and it's beautiful, really and that's why I think if it was my family.

PHIL   19:59 
It's wonderful that she gets to be fulfilled as a sheep dog. Because nine is an age that we think of as a senior dog. A dog in a shelter that's nine years old, but is otherwise identical to a two or three year old dog is going to sit there a lot longer. People aren't looking for a senior dog, a nine year old dog. But for a lot of dogs, a lot of breeds, certainly a Border Collie that's had a healthy life, nine years-old is not the twilight years. She's got a lot of energy. She's not a curl by the fire and lay on the porch all day kind of dog at nine years-old.

CHLOE  20:43 
Yeah, no, like our 14 year old that you might be able to hear snoring because he's, he's had a nice walk this morning. He still tries to herd sheep at 14 even though he had to have part of his leg removed because of a tumor and things like that. And he still tries to herd even the other day, he has to do a little bit because if you know Border Collies, you can't stop them. So we have to let him do a little bit just so he goes, "I did all that. I got the sheep and I was the hero today." So with Peggy she still, although she's semi-retired, we don't let her go out as much just to obviously keep her healthy and things, keep the bones well and things, but she she goes out and she just absolutely loves it. She'll tear around those sheep and bring them back in really good style. You can't stop them. I think if you were to stop them, and just don't let them do anything, that's when they get really depressed and they just hate it. And like you say they then start even at 14 they'll start picking up behavior problems if you stop with them. So yeah, it's better to ease them slowly and just maintain them and manage them really. And...

PHIL   21:38 
We had last August, Caryn Miller with a local Border Collie rescue group, MoKan Border Collies on to talk about her dogs. And then I was fortunate enough to get to shoot some video of her working the dogs and she has an older dog and a younger dog. And the younger dog would demonstrate taking the small herd out to the other end of the pasture and then circle and bring them back. And the older dog would just watch so intently. And then when she got them back to the corral and was doing some more close work, he would like get in the gate. Like, "I got this. I'll cover this. I want to help. I'll keep them in or I'll keep him out. What do you want me to do?"

CHLOE  22:22 
Yeah, yeah.

PHIL   22:23 
He's really not in a position to do the whole big show. But he so much wanted to be involved.

CHLOE  22:30 
Oh, yeah. And he that you know, Syd's definitely reform and he tells the others. He's like, "Right, I've done this. I've got it covered guys." And Nora's had to step up and do a bit more work now. So yeah, now he's definitely Boss Man. So...

PHIL   22:42 
I will link to that interview also in the description and also to the videos of the Border Collies at work. So what is next for Peggy? Have you committed to like she's your dog, and she's just gonna be a contract herding dog with your husband?

CHLOE  22:58 
Yeah, basically. They all live inside, which I know, not all working Border Collies do but my ones are pampered. They get the best. They sleep on the sofa if they want. They have memory foam mattresses. Everything they need. Anyone that knows me. They are literally my children and like all my other animals. So basically, yes, she will be with me forever and will have whatever she needs and will have whatever mental simulation she wants as well basically, as well. All my animals, they just all get on as well. I've also got a deaf cat as well, just to add to the randomness. I got them actually very similar time because no one wanted her because she'd lost a kidney, had a hernia, was deaf, and had teeth problems. So again, I took her in, as well. So I'm getting quite a collection of things that nobody else wants. And yeah, just from my house to live in for the rest of their lives and whatever they need.

PHIL   23:49 
So grateful that there are people like you who have a big heart and are giving those animals a home who are challenged in finding the right fit. But I guess a couple takeaways for our listeners are one, the people who gave up Peggy is probably the hardest thing they ever had to do. But she just wasn't a fit. They could have decided, "We'll just neglect her and feed her and just, Oh, now she's getting in the way. Well, now we'll just keep her kenneled up all the time. And just let her out to exercise once in a while." Which would have been an awful life for Peggy. So recognizing there might be something better for Peggy, I'm not gonna judge them. There might have been a better way to find a home rather than turning her over to RSPCAand then getting lucky that it was the one that you worked at. That was fortunate for Peggy. But at least they made an effort.

CHLOE  24:48 
Yes, exactly. There's plenty of people that will just dump them in places like for example, these two ducks that I've just had brought to me, they'd been dumped to fend for themselves. They can't fly. They'd been put into a water system. Yeah, into a river that basically anything could get them. So yeah, I do agree at least they've approached a sensible place to bring her to. So, yeah.

PHIL   25:07 
Yeah. If you have an animal as a pet, if you've domesticated an animal or gotten a domestic animal like a dog, you have a responsibility for their well-being. That's, it's like a social contract. Do whatever you can to make it a fit. But if it doesn't, then find a fit for that animal. Give them the best opportunity to live their best life. And then the other thing is, Peggy was not gonna be a full time herding dog being deaf. That just wasn't going to work there. Yet, you found a way to give her an outlet, fulfillment, which isn't herding all the time. It's exercise. It's going to the beach and chasing waves instead of sheep. Find a way to give your dog what they need. And for some dogs or other pets, it might not be the traditional take them on long walks, it might be a dog that just needs to play with a ball in the yard, or have a toy in the house that's theirs, their favorite toy, that it might be a dog that is more sedentary. But figure out your dog's needs and give them their best life. We have that responsibility.

CHLOE  26:15 
Exactly. And also I'd say research the breeds. Research what you're going to potentially get. You can't say that they will all the breeds will be the same but like we say Border Collies they have high energy. Sometimes they just want to be with you. I'm very lucky that my dogs can come over with me or my husband or they go to my mom's. They don't have to be left at times. It's just working around your situation. See what your situation suits. Do you need to get a dog or is a cat gonna suit you better or a hamster or something. But also don't get a hamster and just put it in a small cage. You want to give it the best and most enriching life possible. Because you don't want to be stuck in a one bedroom flat for all our lives. You know, research what you're going to get and see what suits you. And also don't overlook animals just because they got disabilities. They are amazing. Like I said, my deaf cat, she's got all those problems, but she's the most loving little creature ever. And we might not have many years with her. But we will cherish for years we do have with her and keep her happy. And she makes us happy. So it's a two way street, as well. So yeah, research and don't overlook some of the poorly ones because actually, sometimes they're the best characters and the cheeky, you know, the ones that make you laugh, but still somehow know when you're going for a shower and likes to follow you in just to steam herself. Because she likes the smell of that steam of itself in the shower and things. So...

PHIL   27:34 
They're a living, breathing creature with thoughts and ideas and emotional needs. It's a relationship, not a YouTube channel. So, yeah, you talked about getting a hamster. It's not something that I'm just gonna to tune in when I come home from work to see what this hamster is doing in its cage. It's in its cage 24 hours a day. It needs some sort of stimulus. It might need a buddy. It might need someone to check in on it. You need to play with it not just have it there for your needs. It has needs as well. Chloe, thank you, again, so much for what you're doing for the animals in your region and for taking time to tell the story of Peggy the dog that was not a fit for one family but has found a wonderful home with you and your husband and your menagerie of ducks and birds and cats and everything. And I wouldn't be surprised if we check in with you and you also have sheep at some point.

CHLOE  28:32 
Yeah, that's the dream, I think. Yes, thank you. And thank you for all the people that do adopt from us and actually care for their animals like I do like babies and thing, you know. It's just we all work together and hopefully will make the world a bit more animal friendly.

PHIL   28:48 
That's the goal. And thanks to people like you, we're getting closer to reaching it. Thank you again, Chloe.

CHLOE  28:56 
That's alright. No worries. Thank you.

PHIL   29:05 
I'm Phil Hatterman and you've been listening to Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Thank you to Chloe Shorten with RSPCA Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk branch for joining us today. Links to their website and all of their social media are in the description. There are also links to the Dog Words episodes we referenced in today's interview. If you find an old episode you like b e sure to share it with your friends.

Next time on Dog Words, author Kelly Conaboy discusses her delightful and engaging book The Particulars of Peter - Dance Lessons, DNA Tests and Other Excuses to Hang Out with My Perfect Dog.

A big thank you to alternative string duo The Wires featuring cellist Sascha Groshang and violinist Laurel Morgan Parks for playing the wonderful music you've heard on today's and previous episodes of Dog Words. Supporting The Wires supports our mission. When choosing the music for each episode of Dog Words, I try to find something from The Wires that fits with the tone of that episode. By no means have I played every song from their catalog. There's much more from The Wires than what you hear on this podcast. Learn more about The Wires at TheWires.info and download their music on iTunes. Check out FiddleLife.com and learn to play fiddle and cell-fiddle online from Laurel and Sasha, even if you've never played before.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the website store buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com or putting some of our merch in your cart when you shop at BarkYours. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure the senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

As always, please download, follow, rate, and share Dog Words. This helps us with sponsorships. Then Rosie Fund can help more dogs. Support Rosie Fund by following us on social media and please subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel. Our latest post features a sweet KC Pet Project dog looking for a forever home. Send us your comments, questions and suggestions at RosieFund.org. And let us know if you would like to be a sponsor or a guest of the Dog Words podcast.

Thank you for listening and remember, we save each other.

DISCLAIMER: This document is a transcription obtained through a third party. There is no claim to accuracy on the content provided in this document and divergence from the audio file is to be expected. Some content may be omitted, particularly when there is crosstalk.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai