This is a story with a near tragic beginning but a happy ending. After being locked in a shed with barely any light for four months, Stanley (our name for him) was a very troubled Parson Jack Russell. Now five years old, he came to us 16 months ago – and it has taken all this time and dedication for him to really settle in. Stanley is fantastic in the home, but is a Parson Russell “terrorist” outside. True to his genetics, hunting is his favourite pastime, so diving into hedges in search of something furry – ideally squirrels – is his daily pastime. As he has escaped a number of times, we cannot let him off the lead, but he does not seem to mind. Parson Russells are people dogs, not necessarily dog dogs, so we sought professional help from the outset to deal with his fears and insecurities. Tamara Cartwright-Loebl of Complete Canine Care, a behaviourist, has guided us and worked intensively with Stanley, and from being an anxious dog always “shouting” at other dogs; he is much calmer around other dogs and what a difference this has made to our walks!  

Stanley loves life – he becomes completely overexcited at the smallest of things, and this is in part his insecurity and the fact that he was neglected and left to fend for himself. Stanley lives in Maida Vale and coastal Suffolk, and when in London he goes off each week for a few days to Town & Country Dogs in Oxfordshire to continue his socialisation, for lots of play and long walks. As he is a rescue dog we will not put him in kennels when we travel, so home boarding in Oxfordshire is his second home. Now he does not even look back when he trots off with Constantin, as fun is just a car journey away.