PULSE PICS

Eyes to the skies for the Red Arrows, and to the ground for some marvellous mazes. Add to that a beautiful butterfly, the beautiful game, fantastic Mr Fox and our first look at this year’s panto and you’ve got Pulse Pics...

Things you are most likely to find on your doorstep; an Amazon parcel, perhaps? An unwanted cold-caller, maybe? But definitely not an inquisitive fox! This amazing image shows the magnificent creature was quite pleased to meet Faye Alicia and her family in Wolverton. “He was really gentle and so brave and curious,” Faye told Pulse, “He was very interested in my phone when I was taking the pics.”

When the Red Arrows displayed in the skies above Silverstone for F1, Scott Newitt was ready in Hanslope and captured all the action: “I was at the limit of my 500mm lenses, but was aware of their routing and time so was prepared,” he told Pulse. He did a fantastic job too, as this image shows.

Ace-snapper Colin Kempster took this image of a Green-veined White butterfly at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve, blending perfectly with its environment.

See more pics: Instagram - pixbycurvy

Pic: The Patch MK

Urban Farm The Patch is famous for its sunflower and pumpkin events, but that’s not all – this summer they’ve celebrated our monarch’s Platinum Jubilee with a rather special corn maize maze. Organically grown, it is bursting with wildflowers as well as the corn. The perfect way to get lost in nature. But beware the ginormous visitors who will feature in The Lost World dinosaur maze! It was 31˚outside so naturally thoughts turned to Christmas at MK Theatre during the heatwave! Rob Rinder, Lesley Joseph and Paul Chuckle were among cast members visiting the city to promote this year’s panto, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022 Football Championship has been a roaring success everywhere, including here in the city, with a number of matches held at Stadium MK. Spain played Finland during the first match on local soil and came away victorious – winning 4-1.

Sniffing out problems with clever puppies!

They are called man’s best friend with good reason, but until the launch of the charity Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) many didn’t realise just how much canine companions can help us. MDD launched in 2008 and what a long way they have come since then – but their success means they need your help, as Sammy Jones found out.

MDD is at the forefront of research into the fight against cancer and other life threatening diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and bacterial infections. Simply, their Bio-Detection and Medical Alert Assistance Dogs are saving lives and changing lives.

Limitations because of the pandemic hindered progress, but now those restrictions have been lifted, the charity is on a big recruitment drive – they urgently need more puppy socialisers.

Could you help with a pup’s training?

After spending 30 years in the services, you might think John Marchant would like to spend his retirement relaxing. Instead he is raising two youngsters from his home here in Milton Keynes; an 18 month old yellow Labrador called Jules, and an 11-week-old cockapoo called Phoenix.

John is relatively new to work with MDD, but he has previously worked with another animal assistance dog charity.

“I did breeding for Guide Dogs, I had a brood bitch which I kept. She was with me all her life and last June I had to put her to sleep because she had come to the end of the road. Like everyone else, I said, ‘I’m not having another dog,’ and three weeks later I got Jules from Medical Detection Dogs!’”

The appeal of pooches?

“I prefer them to most people I know, present company excepted, of course,” he quips.

“Why do it? It’s to give something to somebody else, “ he says, “These are very valuable animals to someone and can change their lives. If I can do a little bit to help them along, here I am.

“One lady I know has a condition where she will just black out for no reason. She has a dog, and his use of smell means he can alert her that she is going to black out, with a seven minute warning.

“If she is in a shop, for example, she is able to tell the staff, ‘don’t be alarmed, but in seven minutes I am going to black out, and I am just going to make myself comfortable,’ which must be a hell of a weight off her mind.”

As a puppy socialiser, your role will be to prepare the dogs for the next stage in their career; as either a Medical Alert Assistance Dog, or as a Bio Detection Dog.

“There is a basic set of training terms, which everybody uses, so everything is standardised,”

Medical Detection Dogs by numbers...

In 2021, 60% of the team were Labradors 14 different dog breeds were working as Medical Alert Assistance Dogs The puppy supply team donated 3960 hours of dog training 26 new puppies joined the team The charity is based on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, but it has clients with Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in 41 counties

Jules is an 18th month old yellow Labrador currently being trained up by John.

John said, “When they are puppies it can be quite difficult, but it is amazing how quickly they learn. Only a very few fail.”

You’ll have probably bumped into one of the MDD puppies in town, perhaps at a garden centre, a pub, or trotting around the shops with their trainers, looking posh in their red jackets, which politely ask members of the public not to give them a fuss as they are learning.

“We’ll go up the city centre and do an hour of work up there; walking to heel, we ‘do’ stairs, we ‘do’ lifts, we have to make him sit and lay down and stay there away from everybody else, that sort of thing.”

And these days, shoppers tend to leave them to their learning.

“Years ago it was a nightmare, but the majority of people now understand that they are assistance dogs and to leave them alone.

“We have dogs now that detect Covid, which I think is incredible. We have many operational ones, and some more under training, but how they do that bio side of things, I don’t know,” John says, “I just concentrate on doing my bit with the dog.”

And ‘his bit’ is where everything starts from. It’s really important.

There is no point in applying if you aren’t available for the dogs and can’t give them the necessary time, but if the Great Horwood based charity think you are a suitable match, they will be there to support you every sniff of the way!

“They are excellent,” John promises, They give you bags of support, and doing the job doesn’t cost you anything financially...” he pauses, and realises that’s not true in his case, “Well it does because you buy treats and things like that!” he giggles, “But it doesn’t have to cost you anything. They provide all the food, all the vet services. Whatever you need, they’ve got it.”

How does being a socialiser enrich your life?

“It is really the feeling of having done something that will help somebody else,” he says without hesitation, “It’s as basic as that.”

The dogs enjoy life too – they are highly valued by the charity which simply couldn’t do its groundbreaking work without them. And happy dogs make happy workers.

They also enjoy lots of down time.

We have dogs now that detect Covid, which I think is incredible. We have many operational ones, and some more under training...

“They are not always working – at some stage they have to be a dog,” John said, “Jules and I went out at 7 0’ clock this morning. We had a walk and then he had a free run off the lead, we were throwing a ball and enjoying play time for an hour or so.

“But as soon as I put his coat on, he knows – ‘this is it, we’re working now.’”

That’s not to say they aren’t cheeky on occasions – Phoenix embarrasses himself during our conversation: “Hang on,” John tells me, before I hear ‘Don’t do that!’ He returns to our call, “Phoenix is chewing my table! It’s a 150 year old family table!” But it can hardly come as a surprise to anyone with any knowledge of puppies that they can get up to occasional mischief! Listening to John chat about Jules and Phoenix, it’s clear that he is more than a little fond of his temporary house guests. But in three months Jules will leave John and continue training elsewhere. After having worked together so closely for 18 months, is it not a wrench when the time comes to say goodbye?

“I’ve been doing it long enough that I can get away from that, so for me it’s not a problem, but for a first timer it could be a little more difficult because you do get attached to them,” he admits.

But John has the perfect answer.

“What you do is take a younger model and do it all over again!”

Would you like to be a puppy socialiser?

Would you like to follow John’s ‘lead’ and become a puppy socialiser? It’s hugely rewarding work and you’ll know that your input will change, or save someone’s life.

Visit the Medical Detection Dogs website where you’ll find much more information about the role, and can make contact with one of the MDD team. Click to medicaldetectiondogs. org.uk/volunteer/puppy-socialisers/