Loading summary
Transcript91 lines
- [00:00]
A
I grew up with dogs. I've already lost, I think, 18 dogs in my lifetime. But it's never easy, you know, and they are like man's best friend, as they say. So if anyone's, you know, got animals or dogs and they're, you know, maybe haven't experienced that, how would they best equip themselves for it?
- [00:16]
B
It is hard and it's not spoken about as much as other types of grief. So I think for the person to know that their grief is real, you know, that attachment and love they had for their pair is, you know, people might be afraid to say that out loud as well, so I think.
- [00:34]
A
Ann Harris is an author, certified grief educator, and the founder of Perpetual Love. With a lifelong passion for animals, she's dedicated to helping pet owners navigate the heartbreak of loss through compassion, practical tools, and community.
- [00:47]
B
If you don't have someone who truly understands and really empathizes and you feel like you can be open and honest and talk through it, then, you know, look for places that you can.
- [01:01]
A
What are some top tips for people with pets and dogs now on training them?
- [01:05]
B
Well, actually, I've got a top tip that's not often heard of, and for me, it's probably the most. I only Learned it myself 15 years ago, but.
- [01:18]
A
It spans the globe like a super high cold Internet. Elvis, Brandon. Hi, Robert. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. Not over until I win the Living your legacy podcast. For those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary, the impossible.
- [01:40]
B
Oh, that is sensational.
- [01:44]
A
Open Chicago with the lead Usain Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Legacy Makers. Joining me today is Anne, all the way from Australia and another special guest. If you're watching on video, you can see I brought one of my dogs on today. His name's Kingsley, and he's here for a reason, because Anne is a dog and animal expert. She helps cast for big TV shows, movies. She's an author, entrepreneur, new book, and does a ton of great stuff over in Australia in the animal and dog space. So welcome to the show.
- [02:23]
B
Thank you very much, Rudy. It's a pleasure to be here.
- [02:25]
A
Yeah. So I know we've worked together for a few years now on your businesses and, you know, obviously a common connection we have is the love of dogs. So tell everyone if they're listening. You know, you obviously do all the TV stuff and help, you know, make dogs famous in shows. Right. But also you help a lot on the grief side, the training side. So give everyone a summary of what you do.
- [02:49]
B
Yeah, I guess, you know, over the years I've noticed how much pets mean to people and I just had this really strong pull to write a book and support people with pet loss. So did some extra study as well and yes, just released it.
- [03:04]
A
So the new books and what's the new book called?
- [03:06]
B
Called Perpetual Love with the P E T in capitals.
- [03:09]
A
And the idea there is to help people through if they're, you know, if they lose the dog or the pet or whatever on how to cope through that. The mechanisms.
- [03:19]
B
Yeah, and it's for anyone even anticipating a loss which happens as they age or get ill or, you know, they have lost a pet or even sort of people wanting to support someone because sometimes we don't know what to say. And you know, there's lots of tips in the book to help anything around pet loss support. Really? Yeah.
- [03:39]
A
Great. So that's part of it. Obviously you do a lot on the training side and passing. Do you want to just give everyone a bit of an overview of that?
- [03:48]
B
Yeah, look, I've been doing that for about 14 years, so I train my. Sometimes it's my own animals, other times it's, you know, people who have registered with us and I go on set or one of the other lovely ladies does and we actually support the animal, the owner, you know, work with the production team and try and just make sure that everything, you know, goes to plan and the animal's happy and. Yeah, and sometimes we're the trainers as well.
- [04:17]
A
Yeah, well, let's talk about that for a minute and then we'll come back to the, the, the book side and the loss side. But, but you know, the, the TV side I think is fun. Right. And interesting because I don't think people realize, you know, I know obviously from having lots of dogs, just getting them to, you know, sit and stay is not easy. I can't imagine it with a 200 person film crew around doing a hundred other things. So, so how, you know, know, talk us through. How is it getting a dog to run over on a scene or, or whatever, how does that work and stuff?
- [04:51]
B
Well, look, to be honest, most of the dogs that are at that level are highly trained, you know, so their owners in them have spent probably thousands of hours together in all honesty. So we try and you know, once we get the brief, try and get as much training in beforehand. But you know, things like TV shows or films are creative, so things change like that. So that's when we have to, you know, be on set and actually really quickly think and sometimes train a dog to do something it's never, you know, done before.
- [05:24]
A
And what are the typical scenes that, you know, you see in movies? Dog hanging out with. With the family. Or do you have more complex scenes where, like, the dog's attacking someone? Like what. What do you.
- [05:34]
B
Yeah, we have had that. It's. No two things are ever the same, to be honest. Yes. I mean, we have had, you know, the attacking things. We've had. Well, my dog was, you know, hit by a car, so we had him all covered in blood or fake blood and. And it sings to like the animal welfare side of it. I do a lot of research beforehand because this product was non toxic, but it does contain chocolate, believe it or not. So what, of course is toxic to dogs is chocolate. Yeah, yeah. So. And so we had to, you know, do a workaround for that. And anyhow, it all worked out.
- [06:10]
A
But.
- [06:11]
B
And it's not just dogs, like it's cats and other animals. I actually have a trained pig, so doing things with her is very challenging because she's at least 80 kilos. And you know, getting her from my place, even into Sydney, floating her, you can't go through a tunnel because she would obviously get gassed.
- [06:29]
A
Wow.
- [06:30]
B
You know, it's just the logistics taking her up in a lift or, you know, it's just. Yeah, yeah.
- [06:35]
A
I don't think, you know, I filmed obviously my own TV shows and I appreciate the complexity of just human beings filming a TV show and getting through it. You know, one scene can take five hours. So I can't imagine adding a, hey, now the animal's gotta get hit by a car and lay down and pretend to be dead. So let's just talk about that. Let's use that scene as the last question then. So talk us through that. How do you get the dog to get hit by a car and lay on the floor?
- [07:04]
B
Well, of course they made it look like the car hit him.
- [07:07]
A
Yeah.
- [07:08]
B
So then at home we trained him to lie down and play dead. And play dead. But to actually, you know, keep his head fully to the side to be comfortable with all the goo and all that stuff on him. Another dog was actually. This is a bit of a horror movie, but had petrol poured over her and you know, supposedly satellites. So I had to train her to be in a hessian bag and to have. So I train with just water. You know, obviously we weren't using petrol. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just got her used to a. Working with someone she never met. With me out of sight.
- [07:45]
A
Well, that was going to be my next question, because it's different, you training them, saying, sit, lie down, then you're off the set and it's the actor and the team, Right?
- [07:53]
B
Yeah, yeah. And. And look, he was a great actor too, so. And she was a Labrador, so food was, you know, instantly her best friend. But, yeah, there's just. I don't know, it just everything you do is different. And I just try and look at it. How can we do this in a way that animals are going to enjoy it, but the production company are going to get what they want and what could possibly go wrong, which is everything, Particularly if you've got children and animals and as you said, the humans, sometimes it can be challenging.
- [08:29]
A
So let's talk about the training side. So I know that you're more focused on the book and the grief side now, but you have years of the training side and courses and everything. I think everyone listening, you know, most people have had a dog at some capacity or a pet at some capacity in their life, maybe childhood or present.
- [08:46]
B
Yeah.
- [08:46]
A
What are some top tips to. You know, because I see a big spectrum of dogs and training standards. You know, some. Some people shouldn't probably have pets and some people are great with animals. So what are some top tips for people with pets and dogs now on training them?
- [09:02]
B
Well, actually, I've got a top tip that's not often heard of, and for me, it's probably the most. I only Learned it myself 15 years ago, but it's getting your timing right. So because dogs have a. The puppy phase, you mean, or at any stage. I mean, they're very different to us, so they have an association time. So if they've done something really good, you need to get that treat or reward. It could be a toy. You figure out what their motivation is. You know, we're all motivated by different things, including animals. So once you figure out their motivation, then if they do something that you've asked quickly, like, and I mean, try for one second, but three.
- [09:42]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [09:43]
B
If it's after that, they may not get the connection.
- [09:46]
A
So I used to. I had dog train. I trained one of my dogs. I used to show them in the UK as a teenager. So I went to a lot of dog training and they taught me the same, actually. And this was 20 years ago, I learned this and they said it's the goldfish brain. So you get five seconds. That's what they teach me, the goldfish brain. You get five seconds. I always remember that for all my whole life, like you get five seconds to try and praise them or discipline them or.
- [10:09]
B
That's correct.
- [10:10]
A
It's a great, great tip.
- [10:11]
B
It is, yeah.
- [10:12]
A
And what. What else? Like, you know, general stuff. I mean, obviously, I think most people's goal is to get a dog to sit, you know, that's about it.
- [10:20]
B
What.
- [10:21]
A
What tips on that?
- [10:22]
B
I think it really comes down to getting that bond, you know, that connection. And a lot of. Take dogs, for instance. I would say that's through play. Like, you might find in a household that the person who feeds the dog, while the dog probably really cares for that person.
- [10:37]
A
Yeah. I always learned that with my mom, who always feed them and now my wife always feeds them. So I'm always battling in second place.
- [10:44]
B
But quite often it can be the person who plays with them. Yeah, yeah. So. And then the person who feeds them gets a little bit upset because it's like I do every. You know. Yeah. So quite often it's play and it's just building that connection because then they.
- [10:57]
A
Really want to be just like children, really, I think. Right. You play and feed them, they'll be happy, you know?
- [11:03]
B
I know, I know. I used to. Actually, people would laugh when I was raising my own kids. I used to use dog training.
- [11:09]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [11:10]
B
Which people thought was a bit weird, and maybe it is, but. But all those principles, you know, that. Yeah. I mean, it's just about being nice, I think, really. Yeah.
- [11:21]
A
Good. And next question for you on the grief side. You know, obviously it's a sad part of reality with pets, and sadly, you know, my. My breed of dogs generally 10, 15 years apart from really big dogs. So, you know, I grew up with dogs. I've already lost, I think, 18 dogs in my lifetime because I had so many. So, you know, eventually it does become part of it, and. But it's never easy, you know, and they are like man's best friend, as they say. So if anyone's, you know, got animals or dogs and they're, you know, maybe haven't experienced that, how would they best equip themselves for it?
- [11:56]
B
Yeah, I mean, it is hard, and it's not spoken about as much as other types of grief. So I think for the person to know that their grief is real, you know, that attachment and love they had for their pet, it is very real. And sometimes it can be as real as any other connection. It really can. And, you know, people might be afraid to say that out loud as well. So I think find, you know, people or, you know, whether it be communities, groups, it could be a therapist A counsellor, anything. Like, if you don't have someone who truly understands and really empathizes and you feel like you can be open and honest and talk through it, then, you know, look for. Look for places that you. That you can.
- [12:49]
A
Yeah, I. I think the, you know, not that's made it any easier, but the one fortunate thing for me is we've always had three to six dogs.
- [12:55]
B
Yeah.
- [12:56]
A
So I think it's worse. You know, it's obviously, no matter what, it's upsetting, but if you have one dog, like, I can't imagine the people that have one dog and lose the dog, because.
- [13:04]
B
Very true.
- [13:05]
A
It's gone. You know, at least for us, we've had a big pack, so.
- [13:09]
B
Yeah. And particularly sometimes older people too. You know, they might be in a retirement place. Their partner.
- [13:15]
A
Yeah. Partners already passed.
- [13:16]
B
Their families moved out of home.
- [13:18]
A
Yeah.
- [13:19]
B
So they've got this, like, you know, companion. Like, they really are a big part of their life.
- [13:25]
A
Yeah. I mean, obviously, such a gift to. To the humans, but, yeah, very, very sad when they do path. So I think it's great that, you know, you've really expanded on that because there is a lot, you know, obviously there's tons of literature and support groups and stuff on regular grief for human passing, but not on dogs. That's so great. So, last couple of questions for you. When we talk about the TV side, right. You know, you're filming your main episode. What else are people gonna learn from that? About your story and you.
- [13:53]
B
And everything you're teaching on the TV and.
- [13:57]
A
Yeah, on the full episode. Yeah. Well, on the full Legacy Makers episode.
- [14:03]
B
I guess one thing I'd like to get across is, you know, that, I mean, my life has had a career around animals, but, like, it's not easy sometimes to have your own businesses and do all those.
- [14:14]
A
Yeah. The entrepreneurial side.
- [14:16]
B
The entrepreneurial side is very challenging. Lots of things go wrong all the time.
- [14:20]
A
Yeah, all the time.
- [14:21]
B
Constantly. And that, I guess, is to find your why. Like. And I. And I really feel like, don't get me wrong, I was very passionate about everything I've done, but I really think my. Why is this? Pet loss, support.
- [14:36]
A
And sometimes it takes a while to find that. Like, you've been doing this 15 years, you said TV movies, but more recently you're like, now you're like, okay. I mean, this is it. And it changes too, right?
- [14:46]
B
It does.
- [14:47]
A
Ten years ago, you loved the TV movies, and now you. You, like, love this part. Yeah.
- [14:51]
B
Yeah. I think your life goes through chapters and. And the Chapters you had before often help with the other one.
- [14:56]
A
I see the same, like I was marketing for so many years and love that. And now I'm all of the entertainment and telling stories, helping people tell stories.
- [15:05]
B
And Which I'm very grateful for. Thank you. But I guess I'd also like to say, you know, it doesn't matter how old you are. I mean I'm 60 now, so. But like I was just when you feel so strongly about something, just go for it.
- [15:21]
A
Well, and also the older you are, the more experience you carry into that thing. Right. Like I read also yesterday talking about entrepreneurship and age the hundred wealthiest people in the world that didn't make their first million on average till 43 years old.
- [15:39]
B
Is that right?
- [15:39]
A
Yeah, yeah. Crazy. Yeah. So it's, you know, and I think people often reference. I think it was the found KFC. I think it was KFC or one of the fast food. He was 65 or something before he started though. Before you still got five years, you know, so, so yeah, never, never too old. And now, especially with the Internet, it's not like entrepreneurship. 40 years ago you had to go be in a factory all day and manage it. You can, you know, run your business wherever. Right. From a laptop. So yeah, so excited to hear, you know, because I've obviously seen your. That work and the entrepreneur side for the last few years. So, so excited for you to share that. What about, you know, the legacy side? What does that mean to you and how do you want to be remembered?
- [16:22]
B
Well, I truly hope that I'm remembered for maybe starting, I don't think a movement is the right word really getting out there.
- [16:31]
A
Recognition, recognition for pet loss, Support.
- [16:34]
B
Yeah. And people being comfortable speaking about it so that it helps people now, but you know, future generations as well. And I really hope this is my goal anyway is to build a team of like minded people so that when the day's come, you know, that I'm no longer here, that the work that we're doing now can honestly, you know, like continue on and help people for, you know, a long time.
- [17:03]
A
Well, I mean that's the great thing about books and you know, programs and certifications, all those things is, you know, there's some great motivational leaders. Right. And no longer with us, but their programs and courses and teaching still continue. So it's great. That's great. Love that. So last question. Someone wants to get their dog under control or you know, get the book and read the grief side. Where do they find you? How do they go about that?
- [17:30]
B
Probably we've just got a new account for socials but it's called Animal Lovers Collective. So it is very new. But they will soon be seeing very a lot more things on there. There will be lots of training, lots of pet loss support and of course we'll listen to what they would like to see as well. So yeah, you know, I'd appreciate anyone contacting me and letting me know.
- [17:53]
A
Good. And what about the book? Just remind them where they can get the book and the name.
- [17:57]
B
Oh, okay. The book is called Perpetual Love Forever in youn Heart and it's available on Amazon in Kindle and also paperback and also audio. Audio. Just today I noticed it was approved on Audible as well and it's on other platforms on Audible as as well. And this is where I think naivety comes into entrepreneurship. I did all three at once having no idea what I was doing.
- [18:26]
A
You learn the hard way, but you get it done.
- [18:28]
B
But yeah, perpetual love forever in your heart. And it's dedicated to my, my dog Matilda, actually. Yeah.
- [18:36]
A
So love that. All right guys, well that's a wrap. Another episode done. As always, keep working hard, have a lot of impact. And of course check out an's amazing stuff. The courses, the books and all the social and of course the full episode. I'll see you guys soon. Take care.