Cesar Millan is not cruel ... Anyone with a true understanding of dogs can see that

This is not an environmental post but I stumbled across on article and felt I needed to have my say, as life with dogs is very important and personal to me. If you want a look article is here: https://www.thedodo.com/community/dogsandethics/cesar-millan-fails-german-dog--730677947.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb#

If not, short explanation: Cesar Millan is known as the dog whisperer because of his unconventional techniques. It appears that he has helped many apparently "incurable" dangerous, disobedient and nervous dogs, saving them from being put down or making them happier. His reasoning and actions always made perfect sense to me as it fitted in perfectly with my own experiences with dogs. However, this article argues his methods go against science and are cruel.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this article. I also feel that the writer doesn't actually understand anything about dogs. I was very surprised to discover all this criticism and opposition to Cesar in the dog world. I assumed, naively, that most people agreed with him. So I took it in and thought about it, after all there are two sides to every story. I usually support science and endeavour to always be open minded. However, after thinking about it and watching a Dog Whisperer episode, I conclude that this writer is wrong.

The writer says that dogs are not like wolves and don't have a pack mentality*. I'm sorry but that is nonsensical. My parents have 10 dogs and they live exactly like a wolf pack/family group (just less howling and killing things). Feral dogs that live wild in cities abroad also live like this when left to their own devices. I have grown up surrounded by our pack for 23 years. Everything that Cesar does is exactly what our dogs do to each other whilst living together as a group. If a member pushes their luck, the others will put them in their place and remind them of their manners. This is often with a small nip and/or snarl to remind them. It doesn't hurt and is identical to what Cesar does but with his fingers. Sometimes it goes further and a dog may make the other dog submit to them, which they do by laying on the floor and showing their belly. Again this is identical to what Cesar does. Dogs do this all the time, it is just how their conversation and society works. Cesar does claim to be a pack leader which, arguably, is wrong but in my mind that is irrelevant. By using his techniques you telling the dog that what they are doing is either unacceptable or acceptable behaviour in your pack society. You don't need to be a leader to do this, you can be an equal. So, since when has being assertive and trying to work with the dog in a natural way been a bad thing?

Cesar treats dogs like dogs whilst all this science and behavioural methods seem to treat dogs as if they are wolves that have magically evolved into people. I'm likely to be wrong but that's the implication I got from the article and people's comments. Dogs are still wild at heart in everything they do (playing and walking is like hunting, bonding with us is bonding with the pack). So the best way to deal with difficult dogs is to treat them like the pack and how other dogs would treat them. It's a language they understand and it makes them more comfortable and happy. How would you like somebody shouting and making gestures at you in a language you don't understand? The same thing is done with horses in the method known as 'join up', it is about speaking their language. Nothing Cesar does physically or emotionally hurts these dogs and the fact that it works proves that he really he is speaking the dog's language. I'm sorry but my personal, real experiences have taught me so much about dogs and I'm going to believe that over some obscure studies that contradict the evidence before my eyes.

And finally, Cesar never claimed to be a qualified dog behaviourist/trainer or scientist! In the last episode I watched he got a qualified dog trainer to help him (who, by the way, seemed to approve of Cesar's methods even though they were different to his own). Nothing is as black and white as people are making out here. Also Cesar is often dealing with very aggressive, damaged dogs, of course he has to use some strong measures to stop them being dangerous. It's that or them being put down. The owners he helps often say they tried behaviourists who simply couldn't do anything. And if these behaviourists think that dogs don't have a pack mentality, it's no wonder why they failed.




*I know theories on wolves and dogs living in a hierarchical pack system has been debunked and I agree with that. But they still live and work together as a family group which to me is still a pack mentality. Also some dogs are naturally more dominant than others, just like people!

New Beginnings

New year. New job. New start.

That's me, I have been lucky enough to land a job, the role of campaign assistant with a national NGO. It's the first rung on the environmental career ladder that I've been dreaming and working to follow for two years or more. It may not be the job I want to do in the distant long term (but who knows what they want to do in the long term?!) but it's absolutely amazing to be involved in things I am so passionate about. A month in and everyday I'm still looking up in surprise to see it's 5pm and time to go home already, I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. To some extent I'm being paid to do what I do in my spare time anyway.

I'm not trying to gloat, I wanted to give an update on what I've been up to and I guess I'm trying to show that it is possible to get the job that you dream of.

I'm part of the generation of millennials, we've all got the same qualifications clamouring for the same jobs, of which there are very few. I've seen so many people jump on the first dull graduate scheme they could find or simply abandon the career they had set out to do. The career that their degrees and masters had prepared them for. You hear of so many people driving themselves into the ground whilst undertaking unpaid internships. 

I was doing a (wonderful) internship that I couldn't afford with a 2 hour each way commute into London to get there. It was part time which made it survivable. Most of the people who worked there were lawyers or had years of experience and PHDs under their belt. Similarly, the job vacancies I saw advertised (from the one good environmental jobs search website that exists) needed so much experience and qualifications I did not have. The panic and misery began to set in, one day I would just have to give up and settle for a corporate grad scheme that would kill my soul. I despise capitalism, how could I be happy working to increase profits instead of working to change the world for the better? 

But then I stumbled across a job advert on a obscure website I barely used, and the deadline was the very next day. Sounded perfect for me and my experience and it was close to home! I had 4 hours to write the application. And BAM, out of nowhere, got a job!

I was very lucky. I was lucky in that I was able to do an MSc in a relevant subject (as my undergrad wasn't very relevant). I was lucky that my dissertation from that got me an even more relevant internship straight away. The internship, hands down, got me the job. It's all I talked about in the interview. I know I'm so lucky in the opportunities I've had that others simply don't have. But I worked hard too and I stuck to what I wanted. I've worked towards a goal, volunteering at uni and writing blogs and following my passion got me there. I also searched the whole internet for a job.

So what I'm saying is, if you really want your dream job fight for it. I know I cannot speak for many career tracks but for environment or charity jobs I do believe it's possible to get there. I have friends in both these sectors who have got there, some after a year or so of doing other jobs (eg temping) and/or volunteering/interning, but they got their dream jobs. They didn't all do masters or even internships. So don't give up hope.

A lady who works at one of the Wildlife Trusts told me she would take someone with 2 years of charity volunteering over someone with fancy qualifications. But of course the fancy qualifications can help too, which is why it's exciting government are thinking about giving student loans for masters next year. Also charity internships are very often designed to be valuable for you and part time or even paid (it's almost as if they have an interest in being ethical!) so they could be your answer in a difficult job market where internships make all the difference. You can also qualify for jobseekers support if doing part time internship.

So don't give up on your dream just yet ... Motivation and patience may just be the answer.

P.S. To all the older generations who do not have any grasp of the harsh reality of today's job market (I couldn't even get a cleaning job that required no experience) and think us youths should all get off our backsides and do internships that amount to slave labour ... You can all, politely, 'do one'.

Going Green Update #2

I have long been absent from this blog, I am ashamed to admit. So this Going Green Update is to update you readers on what I have been up to, my further attempts at being and acting environmentally conscious and why the prolonged absence!

Due to my growing interests in environmental issues and aspirations to help save the world, (the reasons why I started this blog) I decided I wanted and needed to learn far more and gain the skills to enable me to follow these interests in a future career. Therefore, I decided to undertake an MSc in Environment, Science and Society at University College London. I was sad (still am) to leave my beloved Cornwall behind, yet it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I looked at many environmental courses, many sounded great. Yet when I stumbled across UCL's course I found it was exactly the course I would have designed for myself if possible! So here I am, living in central London, surrounded by shiny dominating skyscrapers and the trundling sound of constant traffic (my introvertism and claustrophobia a little more active too), studying what is technically a scientific geography masters. Possibly, the last place I thought I'd end up.

Yet I am loving it, though London living is tough at times for me, the country girl. I feel I have learnt more in a term than a year of study at undergrad level. It is so refreshing to be finally studying something I am so passionate about, appreciating every ounce of knowledge and insight my lecturers and peers provide me with. This course is very multidisciplinary, an approach I have always valued, everything should be explored and understood from multiple perspectives. How else can things be effectively understood, analysed or problems solved? Most of my presuppositions about nature, environment and conservation have vastly changed. I have also realised dealing with environmental issues is even more complex than previously imagined.

So there's a little insight into my current life. My MSc demands most of my time and attention, resulting in the neglecting of this blog (not to mention social life and my many hobbies!) Yet now, the apparently more intense term and all its coursework are over, my New Year's Resolution is to be more of an active blogger. So watch this space!

As for my attempts at being green in the city? I would suggest they are going surprisingly well. At an urban planning session I attended yesterday, a Friends of the Earth local group member suggested that dense city dwellers have much lower carbon footprints than the more suburban and rural. I certainly feel that's true of my current lifestyle. I walk almost everywhere, and when I can't (which is rare) I take public transport. London prices also serve as the perfect deterrent to excessive and wasteful consumption! And when you live so close, you realise Oxford Street is really not that exciting. Exploring London on foot, without spending a penny, has become one of my new favourite pastimes. Although where I live has not made recycling very accessible (no door to door collections, we have to carry it to recycling dumpsters down the street), London public streets are covered in recycling bins. I also now try to eat as little fish, chocolate and hoofed animals as possible. I also never drink bottled water. Overfishing is of huge detriment to delicate marine ecosystems, which lowers biodiversity and resilience to the impacts of climate change. The meat industry has a very large carbon footprint due to imports, deforestation for pasture and methane production. I also wish to do it for animal welfare reasons. The majority of chocolate is made with palm oil, which is farmed unsustainably and results in the destruction of rainforest. The bottled water industry is one of the most unsustainable and completely senseless. Tap water is subject to far more health and safety regulations, is free and taste can be improved with filtering. In many cases bottled water is just tap water put in a bottle! However, despite my best efforts, it is difficult eating sustainably when you are a poor student in London!

So there we go, I hope to keep you posted with many more blog posts soon, and share my new insights into environmental issues.

Going Green Update #1

Here is my first update on my attempts to be eco-friendly!

Firstly, I have made a vow to myself to not buy any more clothes for the next year (and longer if possible). I have plenty of clothes (my wardrobe has considerably grown since starting uni!) and many have been hardly worn even though I still like them. When I do buy clothes it's just because I think I have to have them because they look so nice and to satisfy the ridiculous desire of society to constantly have new things. By doing this I am contributing to the mass consumerist society which is a big factor in the exploitation of the environment. This is something that we need to stop. It is just wasting the world's limited resources and following consumerist ways doesn't make me (or you) any happier or any more satisfied. In fact it just increases our dissatisfaction with our lives and makes us more stressed. So what is the point to following this rat race? If we all did the small thing of cutting down on the amount of clothes we buy it would make a big difference and show corporate companies and government that consumerism and exploitation are not the way society should be run.

So from now on I will try to limit myself to buying absolute essentials, pre-owned clothes or clothes from eco-friendly sources (and perhaps the odd dress or two for going out). A great place to get good quality pre-owned clothes from is ASOS Marketplace. Check it out and join me in trying a greener approach to buying clothes!

Secondly, I shall attempt to spend less time on the internet. This will be much more difficult! We all do it, sitting on the internet procrastinating from things we should be doing, looking up Youtube videos that are just so funny that we don't even change our facial expressions, and hunting down pictures of cats doing bizarre and cute things that our own cats never seem to do. This addiction to the internet uses excess electricity and therefore produces more greenhouse gas emissions. I intend to spend less of my spare time on the internet and more time doing productive things such as reading and drawing. Go on join me, next time you're staring gormlessly at a meme, shut down your laptop and read a book!

On a different topic, check out this article 'This 17-Second Video Explains Why the Political Media is Failing Us on Climate Change' . Anthropogenic climate change is a worldwide problem that will negatively impact everyone, yet it's still treated by politicians as a slightly irritating issue. For example, they compare it with rising petrol prices.  If we do not take rapid action soon, I'm pretty sure petrol prices are going to be the last thing we worry about!

Let me know what you think, I would love to get some debates going!

Turn off the lights when you leave the room, how would you like it if someone turned you on and then left?

Perhaps, not the most original, awe-inspiring blog post title but it makes me laugh.

I'm back (and welcome to my first follower, Annie, thanks for following me!)

Sorry for the lack of activity lately, I've been busy coming back to uni and getting back into the flow of things. Also, I've had no internet at home until now so it has been difficult to keep up with my many internet pursuits. Which is a good thing really as it means I've used far less electricity in the past few weeks. However, it has meant I've used more energy on extra trips to uni to get internet, so perhaps it has balanced out. Though I do believe my campus (University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus) is mainly run by renewable power, so that's a bonus.

However, now I'm settled back into uni life I am determined to be as green and eco-friendly as possible. So I will keep you updated on how I do and I hope I can encourage you to do the same! Also, if you are a fellow student committed to being green, please let me know your attempts and methods of being eco-friendly as I would love to know and maybe use your ideas. Let's all get committed!

My new house at uni is a good starting point for going green as it has a washing line (which I intend to use as much as possible!) and we have a few energy saving lightbulbs. We also do a lot of recyling. So it's a start for now!

Join me in trying to reduce your carbon footprint and helping the environment, here are some useful tips:

Green Tips For Around The Home

Recyclebank Tips 1-7

25 Beauty Tips Reusing Household Items