2nd May 2017
The following is an update to Pauline from Barton’s client on his progress:
“I was reading the last edition of Sniff magazine and was delighted to read Pauline Brown’s story about missing Barton, who she socialised. Please let her know he still has his naughty streak. I can't thank her enough for getting Barton ready for me. He's an absolute wonder and I couldn't be without him now. I've added some photos of him to show how handsome he still is”.
Barton’s client
April 2016
The following is an update to Pauline from Medical Detection Dogs on the progress of Barton:
“Dear Pauline
We are absolutely delighted to confirm that Barton has completed his training and is now a fully qualified Medical Alert Assistance dog and attached is a copy of Barton's qualification certificate which we thought you would like to have a copy of. His client has Type 1 Diabetes and they have a wonderful bond and connection together -
Once again, thank you so much for your valued support and for your time and commitment to Barton”.
Medical Detection Dogs
Tuesday 1st March 2016
The following is an update on Barton:
Barton is continuing his advanced training, he is doing very well and is still working on his accreditation to fully qualify as a Medical Alert Assistance Dog. He continues to spot many of his client’s hypos and is helping them to regain control over their life, making it far easier for them to travel. Barton is very proud of wearing his coat and knows that, when he is wearing it, it is time to work, he also very much enjoys the attention it brings him.
He still goes with his client to attend hospital appointments and enjoys “window shopping” when he is in town. He now loves getting the bus and has got very used to it, although he hasn’t enjoyed waiting for it this winter! Like all labradors Barton loves his food and enjoys the food rewards he gets as part of his training, he continues to show his positive attitude and happy disposition-
Thursday 19th March 2015
The following is an update from Barton’s owner:
I have the pleasure of being partnered with Barton. He is an absolute treasure that I already can’t image being without. As well as potting a lot of my hypos he also alerts me during hypers.
Since having Barton I feel as if I have more control over my life with what I do and when I can do it. He has given me the confidence to do stuff again like travelling.
I’ve never had a dog before and was worried about how I would cope with him but he fitted in straight away and has shown his funny side as well as a tiny bit of cheeky nature!
He has a mad five minutes every few days when he runs about like mad, it really is quite funny to see.
He loves wearing his coat and thinks that everyone loves him. He has such a happy and positive attitude it’s hard to keep your hands off him. He also has the best of smiles!
He loves food and although I’m very strict with him it is difficult at times when he gives you those puppy dog eyes!
I take him to a knitting club every week, he really enjoys seeing my friends. They all say a quick hello to him and then he settles to watch us knit and chat.
He can look incredibly innocent but his cheeky side is always waiting to come out! If I have any washing hanging on the radiators he’ll get a sock in his mouth and saunter in front of me very slowly, watching to see if I’m looking!
He’s incredibly good if he has his coat on and we’re getting the bus although if we have to wait to long he doesn’t appreciate this, especially if it is cold.
We go to the town, hospital appointments and to look in the shops. We even went to Sheffield on the bus from Sunderland and he was brilliant considering its quite a long journey.
In Sheffield we went to an ice-
Hope this lets you know how he’s doing and thank you for sponsoring him.
Wednesday 11th December 2014
Barton Update
BARTON is now a ‘fully fledged’ working dog. I understand that his alerting is brilliant and he has settled in very well with his new family so he is one of the eight dogs the Charity has been able to place this year, six of these with clients suffering from Diabetes, one with a severe nut allergy and one with POTS syndrome. There are now 58 dogs placed and living with clients, BUT there are 125 people waiting for dogs. It is great to know that Barton, who was so much part of the Garden Centre, is now making his mark as a medical detection dog.
Pauline
Monday 13th October 2014
Barton Moves On
We are delighted to report that Barton was successfully matched with a lady with Type 1 diabetes and he has spent time with her and her family prior to his final 'alert' training. They all bonded very well with Barton and are really looking forward to welcoming him as a working dog and companion at the end of October. He is now living with a Medical Detection trainer who is working hard teaching him to alert when he is exposed to the vital breath sample of either high or low sugar level. He is apparently responding really well and was really put to the test when expected to alert whilst he was busy tucking into a bone. Much to everyone's relief he responded straight away leaving his precious bone. He was duly praised and rewarded, but then returned to his bone only to find one of the other dogs has 'pinched' it. They tell me the expression on his face was a picture of dismay, but he was duly appeased by being given a new bone! I still see him when visiting the centre and he gets very excited, but as soon as training begins his concentration then turns to work. It is wonderful to see -
Pauline
ps and now to Alice……!
To find out more about the charity, please visit their website here.
Wednesday 8th January 2014
Latest Barton news!
A quick update on Barton who is still with us. I had a look at the last report I wrote at the end of October and see that the two dogs on the left in the photograph posted with the report were successfully ‘matched’ in December so are now in their final stages of scent training. Another of Barton’s pals from earlier was at the Christmas social at the Charity’s centre at Great Horwood, and the lady whom he is now with gave a short address to everyone. She stressed what an enormous difference ‘Magic’, her golden Labrador, had made to her life and one of many points she made was that she could now go to bed at night when her husband was away on business, knowing that she would still be there in the morning (not in hospital in a coma). Her only complaint was that when she arrived at work, which is in a hospital working in a children’s ward, the children now take no notice of her as ‘Magic’ is such a star! It was great to meet someone whose life has been changed by the work of a dog I got to know last year.
We are hoping Barton will be ‘matched’ soon as well. His training is pretty well complete – just a bit of intensive training on one fault. His recall is not immediate – he finishes what he is intent on (often eating an apple in the garden) and then comes. A question of not ‘mind over matter’, rather ‘matter over mind’. Until he is matched we are all enjoying his company, and shopping takes twice as long as so many people stop to talk to me about him. However, this gives me a chance to talk to them about the charity and try to recruit more socialisers which they are in need of at the moment. Also to stress that they also are in need of money to enable them to train more medical alert dogs and also to do more research on their amazing work on cancer detection.
Barton is in with me at work most days, so if anyone would like to meet him or to hear more about the work of the charity please do come in and ask at reception and I will happily come up to meet you.
Pauline
Tuesday 9th July 2013
Barton’s Progress
It seems amazing that we have had Barton for two months now, a period of learning, pleasure and a few nail biting moments. Having never trained a dog to such high standards it has been a great learning kerb for me, as well as the dog, with moments of great satisfaction when a goal is achieved, then another hurdle when the next target is set!
I have never taken a dog shopping with me before, and shopping now definitely takes longer with training and the chance to talk to people who see us working together and want to know what he is being trained for. It was easy to teach him to lay down whilst I was browsing amongst, for instance, the fruit to make my choice – however, Barton is a big dog, well over a metre long when stretched out on the floor, and he invariably stretched out right across the aisle blocking access to any other shoppers!
With a guide from ‘my trainer’ I can now normally get him to flop down parallel to the displays – next stage to get him to do this with no command!
He had a ‘delicate stomach’ when he arrived but this disappeared within a few days and now he is a typical Labrador. We found out to our cost that his nose, which is a table level, senses out very quickly what is on it, and being intelligent as well, he waits until we are happily eating our supper, then is wanders back into the kitchen to see what is on offer. Half a mixed berries (logan, black and sunberries) tart went down very well, the alpine strawberries get grazed whilst the washing is being hung out etc. We now make sure everything is well out of nose reach!
His senses are certainly good – his sense of smell seems good and his hearing. Just one ‘ping’ of the alarm clock has him at one’s bedside wanting his morning cuddle, and you up so another day’s action can start.
He is very popular with our staff and customers as he is very sociable, enjoying attention but not being a nuisance. He seems gentle with young children, letting them stroke him and generally make a fuss, but does not respond much to them wanting to play with him. Maybe this is because balls are not his favourite, but he does love soft toys, and we have found that apart from good walks he loves swimming, and if swimming is not on offer muddy puddles are the next best thing.
I am sure that he will make a superb medical detection dog with his temperament – I just hope I do not let him down with my amateurish attempts at his training.
Pauline
Barton is the black Labrador on the right
To find out more about the charity, please visit their website here.
Wednesday 30th October 2013
Barton’s progress!
We still have Barton with us and his character has developed a lot recently as he is now a very relaxed and affectionate dog. His training has gone well but he still has a few things to iron out such as his understanding of ‘heel’. He seems to think ‘heel’ should be a few inches ahead rather than behind, possibly because he is always keen to be out and going somewhere and the faster one gets to the destination the better!
His love of food is now typical of a Labrador and his ability to pick blackberries or other soft fruit delicately off the plants is most amusing. We have had masses of apples and pears in the selling area just outside the office he is usually in during the day, and when the door is open he creeps out as soon as he can see my attention is taken by something else and collects a ripe apple or pear to bring in to eat. The medlars are starting to fall in our garden at home and these are also popular – we just have to make sure he keeps well clear of the grape vine as the grapes ripen.
The photo here shows Barton with fellow trainee dogs when he welcomed his doggy friends to The Garden Centre for a training session. All the dogs had a session with their trainers in the shop, then were taken to the poultry area then finally to our coffee shop where they all had to lay quietly whilst the trainers were able to relax over a cup of coffee or tea. Barton is good at settling whilst talking or shopping but still prefers to stretch his long body out across the aisle rather than tucking into the edge out of the way. I think he realises he gets more love and attention if in full view!
Pauline
Wednesday 22nd May 2013
A new arrival at the Garden Centre!
Richard and Pauline have begun an approximate six month fostering of a Me
dical Detection Dog called Barton (or Bart for short!). They will be helping ‘socialize’ Barton who will later be trained in the village they live in, to be a detection dog for someone with Type 1 diabetes, an illness which can often afflict even young children. Pauline will be taking Barton for training sessions with a trainer from the Charity, to get his social skills to the high level necessary for these dogs, then they will be looking after him for the rest of the time as a ‘pet’, and, of course, he will be at the Garden Centre when they are working. Barton is settling in well, and although it will mean he will be missed by all the friends he is making with staff and customers, it is hoped he will come up to standard with his social training so he can go on to his diabetes detection training. Medical Detection Dogs, when fully trained and bonded with the person they will be helping, are truly amazing so Richard and Pauline are very excited about looking after Barton, even though a little nervous that they will not be skilled enough with their training of Barton.
To find out more about the charity, please visit their website here.
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BUCKINGHAM NURSERIES AND GARDEN CENTRE, Tingewick Road, Buckingham, MK18 4AE
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