PAWS MAGAZINE SPRING 2004

Sarah Fisher established the first British centre specialising in the Tellington Touch for dogs, horses, cats and many other kinds of animals with severe behavioural problems. Paws magazine went to meet her and her dogs at Tilley Farm near Bath.

Sarah's latest recruits have only been at the farm a few weeks. Tilly, a Collie from the Blue Cross, is one of seven seriously under socialised farm dogs and another rescue, Amber, a nervous and over anxious-to-please spaniel, is probably an ex-breeding bitch from a puppy farm who's spent her whole life desperately seeking affection from unresponsive handlers.

Archie is a Lurcher cross from Battersea Dogs Home. So stressed when Sarah first brought him home that the family had to gently lift their chairs back after finishing dinner rather then push them back because the sound of a chair being scraped on the floor sent him hysterical.

Then there's Finn, another rescue Lurcher cross, who was found dumped in a lay-by, followed by ten year old Christie, who Sarah took in when the little dog couldn't settle in her then owners' new home in the city. And finally, Jet - a destructive German Shepherd who ate Sarah's husband's mobile phone on his arrival from the RSPCA.

It was clear from the outset that getting this lot to sit and stay in a line for a photograph was not going to be easy. But one word from Sarah and six canine bums hit the ground. Well, to be honest five, as Amber was too busy rolling over to have her tummy tickled. Even so it was an impressive performance.

But then Sarah Fisher is pretty impressive herself. A trained practitioner in the Tellington Touch, she treats animals privately at Tilley Farm as well as training staff at rescue centres in the technique, which is how she met Archie.

"I was teaching a TTouch course at Battersea and was working with this terrified stray Lurcher when Jodie, one of the kennel hands, begged me to rehome him," recalls Sarah. "I know exactly why Archie was dumped. He was so freaked out by everything and such an attention seeker. He barked all the time but there was just no point in shouting at him because for Archie even bad attention was better than no attention at all.

"I had to teach him an alternative and positive way to get attention and keep telling him what I wanted him to do rather than what I didn't want him to do. Dogs just don't understand negatives.

They also pick up on our body language so if we're tense they get tense too. For instance if you expect your dog to pull on the lead and you brace yourself to jerk them back then they react and pull even more. So if instead of jerking a dog back try inviting them to come back by gently stroking the lead towards you. Eventually they'll get the message and stop pulling.

You should also carefully observe a dog's posture. I couldn't get Archie to sit for the longest time. Then I realised that he was so narrow around the chest he wouldn't sit on the farmhouse's flag-stoned floor as his legs would slip out from under him. So I put down a blanket to give him more of a grip and he learnt to sit in no time.

Archie has done so well. Of course he's not perfect but whenever his behaviour starts to escalate out of control I simply offer him an alternative activity to calm him down."

Sarah's husband of 20 years, actor Anthony Stewart Head, best known as the English star of the TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', is also a dog lover. Sarah says: "He is so supportive of my work. When we first discovered that Tilley Farm, just a mile and a half from our home, was up for sale, Tony happily combined his Buffy earnings with my money to turn the rundown 90 acre farm into a TTouch centre."

It was Tony who first heard about the Tellington Touch from a late night infomercial he saw while out in America. "He called me about it all excited and told me about how Linda's technique worked on stressed horses and dogs. I simply scoffed and told him you couldn't buy something like that like you buy a set of kitchen knives," remembers Sarah. "Then months later I went to a seminar Linda was giving over here because I had horses and was interested in TTouch for them, and the seminar was just amazing. At that time I was a massage specialist for people with sporting injuries but I really wanted to work with animals. So four days later I flew to America and started training with Linda.

After a week she wanted me to go with her to Jane Fonda's ranch to work on her horses but I just wanted to come home and start working with animals to try out all these new ideas. I've now been doing it for nine years and Tony's backed me all the way."

But then Sarah was equally supportive when Tony took on the role of Giles, the English librarian and vampire slayer 'watcher' in Buffy even though it meant him living in Los Angeles while she and their daughters, Emily (now 15) and Daisy (13), stayed behind in Bath.

She says: "Tony couldn't get any work over here because he was too well known as the 'Gold Blend' man. His first American TV series was a flop. Then he was offered a sci-fi series but I encouraged him not to do it because I had a sneaky suspicion something much better was just around the corner.

Two weeks later he got the script for Buffy and we both just knew it was going to be huge. So for five years the girls and I would go out there for the summer and Tony would come back here for Christmas, plus we had a week together now and then when he wasn't working. I didn't move there full-time because of my work over here.

Somehow we managed by not obsessing about what we didn't have and just enjoying what we did have. Then Tony left after five years and came back here where the success of Buffy has meant that loads of work has opened up for him."

Both the couple's daughters are animal lovers, but while Emily is determined to follow her father into the theatre, Daisy is equally determined to work with animals when she grows up. "It is the perfect split," says Sarah, "and I'm lucky enough to have the perfect life."

But then again she deserves it for whatever Sarah gets out of life, she gives back in spades. Characteristically the day after we met she was off to help out at the Overseas Forces' animal rescue centre in Cyprus.

"Rescue cats and dogs are my passion, ' she says, watching Archie and Finn take off in a mad lurcher dash around the field now that their photo session is over, closely followed by Jet.

Tilly takes off next determined to round up the three other dogs while Christie watches closely to make sure they don't come to any harm. "Christie's my yard monitor," laughs Sarah. As for Amber she's on her back again just hoping that amidst all the excitement someone will take time out to tickle her tummy. And believe me, we do!

If you wish to find out more about TTouch you can contact Sarah Fisher at Tilley Farm: telephone: 01761 471182, fax: 01761 479082, email Sarah Fisher or log on to: www.tilleyfarm.co.uk

Sarah's top ten tips for rescue dogs.

1. You can't start training dogs too young. Puppies learn everything from their mums in the first 10 weeks but rescue pups are often very under socialised.

2. Don't mistake a pup's aggressive behaviour as normal playing. If for example they constantly growl when you take away a toy, that's not normal.

3. Watch out for physical changes in your dog that can signal that all is not right. For instance if their eyes lose their soft look and go all glittery.

4. Young dogs need to play to learn but at times they're like overwrought kids at a party. So if their behaviour gets out of control give them plenty of time out.

5. Get your dog checked out to make sure that their problematical behaviour is not due to physical discomfort from unseen injuries or sore muscles.

6. Pick the right dog for your lifestyle and educate yourself on the needs of different breeds before you make your choice.

7. Remember your dog needs to know what you want from them as well as what they want from you.

8. Don't shout at your dog if they do something wrong as they may mistake your anger for attention. Offer them an alternative activity instead.

9. Be realistic. If you're out of your depth get professional help fast. There's lots of good cheap advice on the web.

10. Enjoy your dog. Try not to panic over their behaviour. Dogs pick up on your body language.

Article supplied by kind permission of PAWS magazine of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
Article © PAWS magazine

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