Working with Tigers
After graduation I went to South East Asia for a year's volunteer work with the Indochinese Tiger.
During this year I raised 2 tiger cubs from 3 days old. I fed them, washed them, administered medication, cleaned their cage, exercised them and practised environmental enrichment techniques on their enclosure.
When I arrived at the Tiger Sanctuary all 13 tigers were being fed dog food and pulped chicken, but after a bit of persuading the head keeper, they were soon all on red meat!
As I grew more confident
around the tigers and recognised their behaviours and moods I was put in charge
of the welfare of several other adult tigers, and their keepers.
I also trained some of the younger calmer cubs - they were surprisingly accommodating!
During my time working with the tigers, Craig Busch visited and filmed an episode of 'The Lion Man,' with footage of myself working with the tigers, and this has been aired several times on both TV3 (Virgin) and Sky 3.
The Start of Pet Problems
Since returning from Asia to Ireland I decided to set up my own dog training and behaviour business in 2007 - Pet Problems, which has developed into a real personal achievement!
Through my business I was asked by one of my clients to work with young male offenders in Dublin for the VEC, where my client was the principal. I taught Animal Care in summer 2008 as an extracurricular subject to the boys, and also showed them how to train their resident rescue Lab cross dog. I really enjoyed this work, it was different and taught me a lot too.
Also in 2008 Beaufort College approached me as they had heard of Pet Problems and asked me to do both puppy and dog obedience courses for their night classes. Alongside these, I started my own obedience classes the following year and ran these plus agility and socialisation classes until 2015.
Due to extra work commitments as a canine nutritional advisor, I now focus mainly on one to one home visit training and behavioural modification. Everything I covered in classes I can complete in home visits, including off lead recall in various locations. I started outdoor socialisation classes again in 2018 in Navan, I find the dogs get on much better with the freedom outside rather than bouncing off each other in an indoors unit and the fresh air does us all good!