Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome.

Inez: Hello, how are you?

Hello and

Anke: welcome.

I'm so excited to have you back.

You're the first person who
comes back a second time and

for very, very good reason.

So, for people who don't
know you yet, give us the two

minute bird's eye overview.

Where are you based?

You know, what does Inez do all day?

What are we going to do all day?

How long have you got?

Inez: Okay, so I'm based
in Alarino Grande, which is

in Inland Malaga in Spain.

And I have some small businesses,
but I also have a dog rescue,

a very small dog rescue.

It's just, it's just
basically me and a few dogs.

Anke: So if you haven't seen
the first episode, like she

makes some fabulous harnesses.

So I'm going to, we're going to
pop the link there, but today we're

going to talk about something else.

Well, somebody else, a dog called Zuri,
you know, and I have been following that

journey from what you're posting online,
like literally from the first day.

And that was like 18
months ago now, isn't it?

Inez: Yeah, it was, it was mid June.

Um, last year, uh, when she came
to my attention and, and it was

a Spanish rescuer had, um, posted
about this dog looking for a home.

And I got tagged as I did
because, because I, because she's

a Belgian Shepherd Malinois.

And what I saw was absolutely horrific.

I, I mean, I just didn't want to take
another dog on, you know, saying it every,

every time, you know, no more, no more.

Um, but what I saw was a four month old.

absolutely petrified dog.

She was being kept, um, by the people
between, on a window ledge, between the

wrecker bars and the window, but it was
so small she couldn't sit up properly

and put her head up, so she was hunched
over and she couldn't lay down either.

So she was kept in there and
there was a picture there.

And a picture of her in a courtyard
next to a bowl with this most

petrified face on her, you know, really
curled up and tail underneath her.

And the other one was a video
and she was back on the window

ledge and she was soaking wet.

And I realized that they had
hosed her down in that place.

Now, the people, apparently they'd
only had her for five weeks.

Um, mention I'm thinking, how can you,
what's going on with this four months old?

So I immediately said, I'll take her.

And my thinking behind it was, if she got
much older, her, her, the trajectory of

her life probably would have been, she'd
have gone to somebody who couldn't cope.

She'd have gone to somebody else, gone
to somebody else, she'd have ended up

in a pound, frightened in the back of
the, in the back of the pound, fearful

to the point of snapping at people
and she'd have been put to sleep.

That was likely to be
what would happen to her.

Um, so I thought, well, worst
thing I can do is at least try.

So I said I'd take her.

The Spanish people arranged the
um, uh, the, the transport down.

She was, she was in Cordoba
transport down for her.

Um, and I met them in just
the other side of Malaga.

And they, when , because my Spanish
isn't fantastic, , they were texting

me and I get this text saying that,
uh, dah, dah, dah, that, uh, um,

that, uh, uh, she was a bit near
that, near that, right near the means.

Well, that's what I thought it was.

So I'm like, it's no problem.

I'll give her a bath when she goes home.

No, not me, Eda.

The scared one, the scared, very
scared, not very full of poo.

Okay.

So I was laughing to
myself being an idiot.

And thankfully I had a travel box and the
woman got her out of the car and just, I

mean, she, Zuri was just frozen into fear.

Into the box, drove home.

And I thought, I can't
put her in the kennels.

She was going to go to the kennels.

I know where I can put her in kennels.

Bought her home here, um, and
uh, when my poor, long suffering

husband was like, what's this then?

I explained, put her in, we have a hallway
which is completely closed off, and I

can put a baby gate across for our dogs.

Put her in the hallway.

She wouldn't come out the box.

Couldn't get her out the box.

Had to take it all apart.

She hopped out.

She wouldn't touch food or anything.

Let one of the dogs down there who
were very gentle with her, um, and

she was just so scared, so scared.

Kept her in for two days, um, and
she messed in the house with nothing

you can do about it, because I
thought by that time would be some

kind of bonding, a little bit of
something, but there was nothing.

So in my mind, I'm sort of putting
my, trying to put myself into her

paws, and all she's ever known
is being cramped and enclosed.

She needs space.

So it was a complete gut feeling.

I opened the door and let
her out and I started posting

right from the very beginning.

And I do it not so much for any other
reason than so people can get the

experience themselves because sometimes
people will also take up a challenge

and take a dog in or do something and
they will help because they see somebody

doing what's the bits behind the scenes.

Anyway, so I let her out and that was it.

I mean, she wasn't coming back in.

I had to feed her outside.

But it was to the point, put the
food down, walk away, shut the door.

She wouldn't eat it.

Otherwise, she wouldn't
come anywhere near.

She was frightened of the, um, uh,
the reflection, of her reflection on

the bottom of the dog bowl, so she
suddenly, she'd be eating and suddenly

jumping away, which was sort of
funny but also sad at the same time.

Um, and then it was a very, very long,
slow process to gain her trust, because

all I could do was gain her trust.

And I don't believe in forcing a dog
to do something, and there are times

when you have to, obviously, you've
got to grab them up the street if a

car's coming, or, it's a bit like young
kids, you can't let them have complete

freedom, but they, they have to have
autonomy, and they have to understand,

and they have to learn, it's how they
learn, not just by watching what you

do, by, but by being able to make those
connections and choices for themselves.

You have the added part to this,
is the Belgian Shepherd Malinois

is a very particular type of breed.

They're extremely high intelligence
and they're very analytical.

They will work things out and
mentally they work things out.

So I couldn't just force her into
something because All it would have done

would have been made her fearful of me.

So then why would she
come anywhere near me.

She may as well just run off
somewhere because what's the point,

Anke: you know, starting like below
zero right you know if you have, if

you come up across a dog that like you
meet for the first time is when you

start that process of building trust
but with her that is when you Trust

was so badly broken that you started
at like a minus minus 100, right?

Yeah,

Inez: yeah, yeah, completely.

I mean, thankfully, I'm with the
other dogs, it sort of helped.

And I thought it, I thought the whole
process would have been a lot faster.

I have to admit, because they, it was
amazing how they were coming up to

me like really extra close to me and
rubbing themselves against my legs, very

obviously showing her that I was alright.

Yeah, that was, you know,
This one's all right.

You should go really nice treats.

Don't miss out on this lot, you know, it
was incredible to watch the whole process

with all the pack as well, to watch, you
know, cause we've got another six dogs and

to watch how they were handling her and
how they were trying to help her to become

part of the family and become integrated.

Um, So did they,

Anke: did, did she relate?

To them, like, what was she
like with the other dogs?

Like, did she, because, you know, I'm
imagining this puppy sort of really

young, put in this situation, like,
did she even know how to relate to

Inez: other dogs?

Yeah, I mean, dogs do, dogs all do.

And it's quite amazing how I've
seen our pack respond, because if

they, if they know there's a dog
that's really fearful, even if the

dog's snapping at them, they'll turn
their heads away and not fight back.

Even ones that would fight back, normally
if you went oi to them, they'd be, you

know, bite your finger off type thing.

Um, they just turn their head away
because they understand that the dog

is doing it out of fear and they're
not doing it out of aggression.

Completely different.

So, uh, Pickle, who's very maternal,
she would be sort of going up and,

you know, sort of being close to her.

And, uh, Zuri sort of bonded very well
with Luna, one of the young girls there.

The youngest female that we've got.

And they would be sort of over there,
you know, playing and stuff like that.

And she was starting to play and start,
which was getting the exercise out of her.

It was starting to bring her energy
levels down, the cortisol levels,

everything was starting to sort of drop.

You could see her starting
to relax and everything, but

she still wouldn't come in.

So, um, I thought that I don't
see a choice here and what was

happening, because I was, you know,
well, you don't want to go, I'd say

goodnight, shut the door, go to bed.

One of these days, and then after
about, I think it was 10 days, she

sussed out where I was and she would
be outside the window yipping at me

Anke: like that, you know,

Inez: which is, you say, ah, I

Anke: say irritating because you
want to, you know, I need my sleep.

It's not that funny, right?

No, it's not

Inez: that funny.

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Oh, it's sweet.

One o'clock in the morning when
you're absolutely dog tired

and you want to get to sleep.

No, and of course it disturbed my husband
and the other dogs, and it was like,

oh crikey, now what am I going to do?

So I thought, well, I guess I'll
just have to sleep on the sofa

and I'll leave the door open.

So she, she then has the
choice to come in or not.

And that brought another bunch
of challenges because my dogs, if

they hear a fly go past, they're
out there barking their heads off.

And we have no neighbours, that's
okay, but it's irritating for us.

And, you know, obviously I don't
want to disturb my husband.

So I had to teach mine not to run out.

And so they weren't, you know,
the door's wide open, they're

not allowed to come out, but
they're all sleeping on the floor.

And, um, so I get a good few hours sleep
and thankfully the old sofa that we have

is a really comfortable, big, deep sofa.

And then she started to start to
come in, um, early hours, like three,

four in the morning, she would sort
of, sort of come in, because I'd

be aware of, nuances of movement.

And, um, she sort of settled
just inside the door.

And if I sort of even
breathed too heavily, she was

shoot back out, but slowly.

So it was, it was like this.

Um, and it was horrible seeing
her a couple of thunderstorms.

She was outside running
around and she was barking.

She was actually frightened of the wind
and she's barking away and she's hiding.

She's going under trees,
try and get some shade.

And I did think about
putting, maybe putting a dog.

Kindle or something up there.

And I thought, no, because if I do
that, she's going to maybe choose that.

Anke: She'll just be comfortable there.

Yeah.

That's where she's going to stay,

Inez: right?

Yeah, exactly.

There's various places there are shade,
but it's not specifically made for.

So I thought, if you're going to choose
that bed, then you've chosen that bed.

I'm not going to facilitate it.

So over the course of five, six months,
finally, she started to come in and

I used to wake up in the morning
and I'd be on my right hand side

and she would be cuddled into me.

She would be spooning me, cuddled into
me, her head on my arm and everything

that was, it was really sweet.

It was the only time then we'd start
to wake up and she'd be off out again.

And so it would be sort of this
back and forth and back and forth

and back and forth type of thing.

I mean

Anke: the progress, like I've
been watching it sort of online

from the other side, you know.

Like the process seemed steady with
obviously, you know, like a little bit

forwards and backwards, I mean, but I
mean, overall it was steady progress.

It was just probably slower
than most people would expect,

including you, perhaps, right?

So it's, it's just, you know, did you
ever have a moment where you go, Oh

Jesus, this is just too much or, or.

Inez: Absolutely, absolutely.

You know, there are times
where you don't get much sleep

and this, that and the other.

And, you know, so I mean,
this isn't just what I do.

I've got work, I've got involved, I've
got a house to try and keep clean.

You know, there's other stuff going on.

I've got grandchildren, I've
got family, you know, so

there's other things going on.

And yeah, it overwhelmed me at times.

Um, but then I thought, what's the option?

What is the option?

Anke: Yeah.

I mean, the alternative is like, I'm going
to like throw her out again and chuck

her in some new environment and start
from scratch and probably like further

back because trust broken again, right?

Yeah,

Inez: exactly.

You reinforce the fact
of that she can't trust

Anke: these big, yeah, there's
these two licking beasts.

You can't trust them,

Inez: right?

Yeah, you can't trust them.

You can't trust them.

And you don't know how the next person's
going to try and really who is out there.

who is going to be prepared to
put that much effort into what

most people think is just a dog.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Anke: So, so what would you, if somebody
takes on a dog that's kind of really

fearful, like, you know, a shelter
dog, what's one tip you'd give them?

Inez: Space.

It's, it's our, uh, as humans, we want
to, most of us who take on a rescue

dog, we're nurturers, aren't we?

We want to sort of cuddle and make
the world whole again, but it's the

worst thing you can do for the dog.

The best thing you can do is to bring
the dog in, If you've got another

dog, let them introduce each other,
just leave the dogs alone, obviously

watching that there's no issues.

Um, throw treats or get
really high value treats.

Um, and again, you've got to watch
if your dogs are, you know, snappy

at food, but if you can just throw
high value treats, just randomly.

There's no, no sort of for a
sit or for anything particular,

but just because you're building
that connection, there's space.

And connection.

You've got to build that connection.

When you've got that connection and
trust, then you're 99 percent there.

Anke: I love that.

So I mean, talking about treats, like,
where can people find out about you,

your work, your treats, because you
are selling treats as well, aren't you?

Yeah, I

Inez: do a bit of everything and, uh, yes.

Um, it's, uh, InezRobinson.

com is my website.

Everything's actually on there.

I mean, all the things I do have their own
websites, but it filters into that one.

So, if you go on there, you can see
all the different stuff that I do and

anything new that might be coming up.

Anke: Absolutely wonderful.

So I'll just, obviously the link's
going to be below here and wherever

you're listening or watching this,
then the link will be right there.

So get in touch with Ines and
yeah, I'll look forward to seeing

what we'll have you back for next.

Thank

Inez: you very much.

Really enjoyed that.

Thanks so much.

Thanks so much for listening.

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And if you know a pawsome human
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That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.