Last Wednesday it was ‘The man who listens to horses’ meets ‘the people who listen to dogs’ when a group of PURE Dog Listeners went to see the inspirational Monty Roberts at Merrist Wood in Surrey.
We met in a nearby pub and had a great time catching up and swapping stories while still managing to get through the odd burger or chilli. We have an excellent online forum and we often chat by phone as well but you can’t beat meeting face to face. Our membership is growing and we now have Pure Dog Listeners across a large part of the UK and beyond. It is not always possible to meet as often as we would like so we take advantage of opportunities such as this.
After the pub it was off to the equine training facility where Monty was doing his display. As always it was awe inspiring. The horses he dealt with all had major behavioural issues, they came into the arena with heart monitors and their heart rates displayed on a big screen so that we could see the stress come down as Monty worked with them. They were exposed to the ‘Full Monty’ and as always the magic worked. If you have never seen this modest gentle man work then add it to your ‘to do’ list. Throughout both my previous work as a Police Officer and now as a Dog Listener, I have met most members of the Royal Family, film stars, famous singers and musicians, sports people, TV personalities right down to politicians and all three of the Krays. I’m therefore not easily impressed just because somene is a ‘celebrity’, whatever that is, but Monty has a certain something about him. Nothing flash just a quiet confidence which relays itself to both humans and horses.
The work Monty does with horses is exactly what we PURE Dog Listeners aim to achieve with dogs. There is no secrecy or egos, no, ‘I know something that you don’t’. Monty says that he wants his students to be better than him and take his lifes work forward. In the same spirit we share ideas and knowledge freely whether it be a new technique or to give the benefit of experience to a colleague.
During the interval and after the show we were able to have a long chat with Monty and have a photo taken. At the end of the evening it was a farewell chat in the carpark until wending our way homeward. I live a short distance from the venue but many of our group had long journeys home late at night in the fog. It is a testament to both Monty’s pulling power and the commitment of the Dog Listeners that they will make the trip. We’re already looking foward to next year. I know a place where they do good burgers.
