People And Their Dogs At Their Best

Dr. Dunbar and I have just completed our short lecture tour of South Africa. Our gracious hosts from Animal Behaviour Consultants of SA truly pulled out all the stops and showed us a very good time by providing us with multiple experiences and memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

At the beginning of our trip we met the insightful and delightful people of Cape Town, where the welcome was warm, the conversation simulating, and our stay was all too brief.

Then on to Oliphant’s, a private nature and game conservation reserve near Kruger National Park, for a respite and a taste of the African bush experience with our observant and knowledgeable guide, none other than Dr. Platzhund and ABC member Paula, one of the most gracious hostesses we've ever encountered (and an amazing chef to boot)!

At Oliphant’s the company was grand, the flora and fauna was stunning. Our first bush sunset alone, complete with elephant, zebra, and a rich, red and gold sky, met and surpassed my long-standing vision of quintessential Africa. I could hardly believe I was finally there, a lifetime of anticipation realized.

Then it was back to Johannesburg where we met people from all disciplines of dog training. Such a clever and dedicated bunch! I was also fortunate enough to spend a day observing training and tracking with the country's most experienced dog expert Carol O'Leary.

My time with both the Cape and Jo'burg crowd left me inspired and delighted to see the progressiveness and inquisitiveness of dog professionals in S. Africa – very impressive considering the long history and tradition of dogs in the country. Everything in Africa is done big, and the dog fancy is no exception. People spend time with their dogs and do a tremendous amount to make them happy, healthy, and part of their daily lives.

Our final week found us focusing on another species entirely - cheetah. This was due to the graciousness of the fine people at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust and the marriage of cheetah conservation and dog training via the Cheetah Scat Detection Dog Program with scat-dectector extraordinaire Diesel, and his handler Kelly Marnewick. We participated in collaring cheetah, recording data, and loading two young males off to their new home as part of the re-wilding mission of De Wildt. We also got to meet some lovely cheetah ambassadors, more on that experience later....

It was all so impressive, every moment was and experience of a lifetime. However, the grand finale of our trip brought everything full circle, back to pet dogs and their people.

The McKaynine Training Centre and our hostess, Shannon McKay invited us for a farewell braai (South African for barbeque). Shannon and her team put on a delightful performance for us that epitomized the essence of the human/dog bond. They impressed and entertained us with demonstrations of a drill team exercise, a poetry reading, a dog-trick performance, a manwork demo, and a fantastic agility run as well! Never before have we been treated to such a wonderful display.

The entire event illustrated how dogs can foster a sense of community and bring people together. The people who train at McKaynine obviously spend lots of time training their dogs out of sheer joy, and with an understanding of the importance of the role of ongoing training in relationship and the role enrichment plays in the physical and mental health of pet dog's life. It also showed people and their beloved pet dogs working together, achieving their goals, and having a blast while doing so. And that is what it is all about; people and dogs at their best as best friends.

Thanks to everyone we met in South Africa, we hope to see you again soon!