Mayhew Animal Home Magazine Article


More Famous Friends for the Mayhew The Mayhew's latest Famous Friends are actor Anthony Head, who plays Giles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and seen most recently in the movie "I'll Be There" with Charlotte Church, and his partner Sarah Fisher, presenter of the ITV Sunday afternoon programme, "Talking to Animals." Anthony and Sarah live near Bath where they have nine horses, two dogs, a 21-year-old goldfish and two guinea pigs - and those are just the 'house' animals! "There are currently 22 horses on our farm, plus four or five dogs and two stable cats," Anthony says. "Sadly, we recently lost our house cat at the ripe old age of 17." Anthony and Sarah don't just love animals, they work with them too, as visitors to the Mayhew Children's Open Day on 13 July found out. Sarah was our Star Guest, though unfortunately Anthony couldn't be with her as he was away filming. She told a group of fascinated listeners about the way she works to solve animals' behaviour problems using a method called "The Tellington Touch" which was devised by an American, Linda Tellington Jones. "It's really very simple and anyone can do it," Sarah told us. "It is based on the idea that an animal's posture affects its behaviour and if you correct the posture, you correct the behaviour too. Changing an animal's physical balance will change both its mental and emotional well-being." Sarah was originally an aromatherapist and worked at the Rainbow Trust centre for terminally ill children in Bristol. She has also studied traditional Chinese medicine, and has been using the Tellington Touch for eight years now.	© The Mayhew Animal Home, 2003

"I was in a Los Angeles hotel watching TV," Anthony says, "and in the middle of all the ads for barbecues and beauty products was one for the work of Linda Tellington Jones. A month later, someone gave Sarah Linda's book and she began her training."

Anyone who has seen "Talking to Animals" will be aware of Sarah's amazing 'touch' with panicking ponies, destructive dogs and cowering cats. The technique is similar to the Alexander Technique in humans and involves very light, fingertip touches to the animal's body. It works on the central nervous system of any kind of animal and reptile, from dogs and horses to tortoises. The Mayhew became aware of Sarah's work and approached her as a way of discovering how to make some of the more 'difficult" residents more relaxed and comfortable, and so easier to re-home.

"We first visited the Mayhew two years ago and were blown away by the work it does," says Anthony. "We liked to see the staff treating the animals with such gentleness and being so open-minded about treatments. We couldn't help but be impressed with the way the local cats in NW10 actually break into the Mayhew."

Anthony and Sarah have now sponsored a Mayhew web cam so that prospective adopters can look at The Mayhew's canine residents in relaxed surroundings and get to know which dog would be most suitable for their home and lifestyle before they even visit the Home.

"We thought it was a great idea," Anthony Says. "People often find it distressing to see animals in cages. They need comfortable and appropriate surroundings so that they can do their own thing. Each visit I have to make to The Mayhew has impressed me more. Such a lot of effort is made to find the right home for each animal. One which behaves badly has to be understood and often can be treated before it is re-homed."

Anthony also says that seeing the animal accommodation has inspired them to think about building a wildlife refuge on their own land. An owl is already on its way to them and they are planning to build a ferret enclosure too.

It's a long, long way from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the reality of mucking-out the stables and walking the dogs at home, but Anthony says the peace and serenity their animals offer is something that he and Sarah really value.

"Being with animals keeps your feet firmly on the ground," he laughs. "Family life and our animals sometimes mean we have to put work commitments aside and I believe that's a good thing. I was recently up for a comedy role where it was between another actor and myself - and the other guy got the part. I was disappointed, of course, but it gave me more time for my family and the animals. Acting is basically a self-centred business, born out of insecurity. I've been very lucky but like most of us I have had to face a certain amount of rejection. My family and my animals are there for me - I can go down to the stables in the evening and feed the horses and everything seems so peaceful and serene. That's what animals are there for - to teach us what really matters!"

Sarah Fisher trained in the USA with Linda Tellington Jones and is the UK's highest qualified Equine And Companion Animal Practitioner. She teaches one and two day workshops and has taught staff workshops for several national animal charities. Sarah works part time for a local animal shelter in Bath, where she assesses dogs and works with the animals at the shelter to help them overcome behavioural problems. She gives prospective adopters advice on how to continue with the work to help minimize the chances of the dog/cat being returned to the Home.

Sarah teaches TTEAM and the principles behind the Five Phase Theory (Traditional Chinese Medicine) on Caroline Ingraham's Aromatherapy for Animals courses. She is a regular contributor to Your Horse, Your Dog and Your Cat magazines and has been featured in many other national publications. Sarah also works with private clients and runs the TTEAM and TTouch Centre near her home in Bath with Anthony.

The ITV "Talking to Animals" programme, which aired on Sunday 10th August 2003 featured The Mayhew Animal Home.

Article supplied by kind permission of The Mayhew Animal Home. Article and photo not to be reproduced elsewhere without permission. For more information on the work of the Mayhew Animal Home please visit their website.

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