29/07/2026
Had the pleasure of grooming this very sweet boy earlier this week. He was in a bad way & had some very painful mats. Without the complete picture, it would be easy to judge the previous owner here- but that is not my job nor my place. I am here to provide a service.
I have fostered for this fabulous organisation in the past & the welfare & comfort of the dogs in their care is always first class.
At the end of the day, it’s a nice lesson in kindness- toward your fellow humans & more so those precious pets of ours who cannot advocate for themselves x
One thing rescue has taught me is just how much we as humans don't understand dog behaviour as a society. Especially with movie influence.
A dog like Noah, could easily be labelled the wrong way.
When Noah arrived, he was a little snippy with a Jack Russell.
Now, it would've been very easy to go, "Welp... not dog friendly," write it on his profile and move on.
But it didn't fit.
His body language didn't fit.
His nature didn't fit.
Something felt off.
He was snappy. That aggression right?
NO
That's communication.
Imagine you have a migraine and you're sitting quietly on a chair, trying not to rip out your eyeballs.
Along comes your rabunctious WWE obsessed toddler, high on pixie sticks and he's coming at you at full speed.
While our intrusive thoughts would lie to us and say we want to roundhouse kick them on the noggin.... we don't.
We often put our hand up and say " STOP" i have a headache.
Dogs can't do that. They don’t have hands to communicate their feelings or desires. They only have their mouth, tail and voice.
Snapping almost always = pain.
So with Noah, him being snappy was clear he was saying "stop, something is wrong, leave me alone".
Then we found the culprit.
His undercoat was severely matted.
People often don't realise that matting isn't just a few knots. It pulls on the skin every single time the dog moves causing extreme pain. Every step. Every stretch. Every time they turn their head. Imagine someone constantly pulling your hair while you've got sunburn... you'd probably tell everyone to bu**er off too.
Their mouth is their voice.
Sometimes a snap isn't saying, "I hate you."
Sometimes it's saying, "Please leave me alone... I'm hurting."
Thankfully, Amy from Sit stay dog grooming worked her magic, got all that painful matting out, and Noah is now comfortable, pain-free and feeling a whole lot better.
It's a good reminder that behaviour is communication.
Not every growl is aggression.
Not every snap means a dog isn't social.
Sometimes it's simply the only way they know how to say, "Something's wrong."
So before we label a dog, it's worth asking...
What are they trying to tell us?
