Dogs in the Leisure Experience. Neil Carr

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СКАЧАТЬ animals are said to have been helping those lost in the Alps of Switzerland since the 17th century (Locke, 1987). Such has been the popularity of the image of the St Bernard rescuing the lost individual that it has entered the realm of fiction and fantasy. Indeed, Ash (1934) even suggests the notion of the St Bernard as a rescue dog in the Swiss Alps was a fabrication of the 19th century. Yet both the ‘real’ and more obviously fictional images of the St Bernard rescuing the unwary traveller are likely to be grounded, albeit often rather tenuously, in reality. It is just that the fictional and even apparently real descriptions are often not very accurate representations of what these dogs have done in the past or are capable of. Rather, these ­depictions are an example of how the dog in fiction and contemporary society in general has been anthropomorphized; of how it has been given human characteristics (or at least idealized human characteristics) and abilities that promote its loyalty to humanity and its role as carer and protector of humans. In doing so, such depictions draw dogs ever more into the ‘family’ as integral members but at the same time arguably distance them from what they really are (i.e. dogs), which can unfortunately set them up for failure.

      The growth in the position of the rescue dog as a key component in ensuring the safety of those venturing into remote and wilderness areas during their leisure is exemplified by the number of call-outs that SARDA in the UK receive annually. Back in 1966, just after the formation of the organization, it received only four call-outs. In comparison Palmer (1983: 121) stated that: ‘Taking at random one year during the last ten, rescue dogs were called out on 32 different occasions to take part in searches in the following areas – the North-west, the Borders, Ben Nevis, Cairngorms, Glencoe and Central Scotland.’ By 2009 SARDA Scotland was called out 81 times (SARDA Scotland, 2014).

      A specific component of the work undertaken by the search and rescue dog community is locating people trapped in avalanches. This growing line of work reflects the expanding numbers of people skiing and snowboarding, and doing so in the back country, where the risk of avalanche is higher than on the groomed slopes. Consequently, it was in 1978 that the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association was established in Whistler, Canada, reflecting the strong growth of the resort as a skiing destination at that time. These dogs increase the potential of surviving an avalanche exponentially as they ‘can search one hectare in 30 minutes. A line of human probers would take four hours to cover the same area’ (Ogilvie, 2006: B9).

      The working dogs employed by the police and various military units tend to cross over into the arena of sport and leisure. In this case, the dogs and their handlers have a long history of putting on demonstrations of their skills for the enjoyment of the public. These dogs are clearly working animals though the demonstrations are in many ways a spectacle, a staged event, rather than the real work for which they are trained. Yet while giving these demonstrations to a leisured audience the dogs and their handlers are still working. Rather than it being their ‘job’ per se it is an opportunity for them to demonstrate their importance and worth to the public, and an ideal means through which their parent organizations can engage with the wider community and champion their work and objectives. The crossover between work and leisure is further amplified in this case when the establishment of police dog trials as a competitive sport is recognized. The rationale for the establishment of these trials is similar to that of sheep and gun dog trials, which are discussed in detail later in the chapter.

      Dogs have the potential to undertake a vital role in the development of children through play. The place of play in leisure has long been established, as has the notion that play can and does act as a significant learning tool/environment in which childhood development can occur. It is a widely held belief that children and dogs are natural bedfellows in many ways and that the presence of a dog in a family will aid the development of a child as it grows up and they spend time playing together. In addition, the term ‘pet therapy’ (which can also be referred to as animal-assisted therapy) was coined in 1964 by the child psychiatrist Boris Levinson when he realized that children who were struggling for one reason or another could potentially be aided by dogs, through play (Herzog, 2010). Here then we see the dog as a potential tool, employed either formally or informally to aid the development of the child through play; a significant driving force behind the decision my wife and I made to bring our first dog into the family.

      A recent development in the roles adopted by working dogs in the leisure experience is that of ‘canine ambassador’ or ‘meet and greet dogs’ that are beginning to work in airports. One of these dogs works at Miami International Airport as a volunteer alongside her owner. Her role is to help soothe the nerves of the frazzled traveller by simply being there to receive a pat, cuddle or gentle stroke. In effect this Golden Retriever, Casey as she is known, is a therapy dog and as such is doing work similar to those that visit hospitals and retirement homes. The work may seem easy for a dog; after all, most love a stroke and a show of affection. Yet as Casey’s handler points out, this is actually hard work for the dog. Being placed in an environment where there are huge numbers of people and being subjected to approaches from numerous strangers, not all of whom may approach her or touch her in a manner she is entirely comfortable with, can be extremely stressful for her (Hess, 2012). The canine ambassador programme is also operating at Los Angeles International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport in the USA (Kleven, 2013).

Changing Role of Working Dogs: From Work to Sport

      One of the oldest forms of work for the dog has been on the farm, herding animals in general and sheep in particular. Such was the need for the sheepdog that its breeding and training became a specialized activity and the best dogs highly prized assets. Here arguably is the foundation on which modern sheepdog trials is based; as an avenue by which the quality of sheepdogs may be improved, tested and demonstrated (Moore, 1929; Halsall, 1982). Yet the underlying rationale for sheepdog trials may be more simply viewed as a competition between human owners to see whose dog is best (Halsall, 1982). In this way the sheepdog trials are arguably little different from any other sport and the dog is clearly an object within the context of the sport. The trials offer breeders and owners a chance to demonstrate the ability of their dogs and – ­arguably, more importantly – their own skills in breeding, raising and training their dogs. In this way any benefit to the development of the breed actually becomes of secondary importance to the competition and status to be gained by the humans from winning. While the UK was the home of the first sheepdog trial, the exact location has been a matter of some debate though Bala in North Wales is clearly the leading contender, hosting a trial in 1873 (Jones, 1892; Moore, 1929; Drabble, 1989).

      While fine in theory, sheepdog trials are arguably limited in their ability to develop a working dog or prove the worth of a dog as a successful sheep herder. Indeed, Whyte (1927: 112) has stated that:

      A mere win at a dog trial does not necessarily provide absolute proof of a dog’s usefulness, for he may have been kept for the purpose of trial work only and trained to concert pitch by an expert at the game with an undue sacrifice of time and labour. Great dogs perform their greatest feats not necessarily always on the trial field; but perhaps more often when mustering on the mountain ranges.

      Whyte (1927: 115) further questioned the reliance on sheepdog trials as a means of ensuring the breeding of working sheepdogs by СКАЧАТЬ