This week the Movers & Shakers are celebrating our four-legged friends, both canine and feline. But how do pets help or hinder the experience of having Parkinson's? With expert testimony from Bilbo Mostyn, Derek Paxman, Sophie Cellan-Jones and Lana Del Grey Mardell – not to mention several listeners calling in – and some special guests, this episode explores the special bond between animals and humans.
By Podot
Each week Rory Cellan-Jones guides us between the laughs and moans in the pub. To read Rory's summary of this week's episode click here.
Meet Bilbo, Derek & Sophie!
Guest Biographies
Si Wooler
Si Wooler is an experienced and qualified dog behaviouralist who offered his services to Rory and his wife Diane within days of their troubled rescue dog Sophie arriving in their home. He is based in rural Aberdeenshire, but as well as advising Rory on an almost daily basis via WhatsApp he has made frequent visits to see how Sophie is getting on.
His business Sociable Dog has its own podcast and his book More Than Just a Dog will be published next February by Harper Collins.Kris Glover
Kris Glover
Kris Glover is Head of Clinical Behaviour Services at Dogs Trust, the UK’s biggest dog rescue charity, heading up a team of behaviouralists.
If you're looking to re-home a dog or find out more you can contact the Dogs Trust here.
Kris can be seen on the right-hand side along with Si and the Movers & Shakers.
A note from Si Wooler...
When Rory asked me to join the Movers and Shakers crew to talk about Parkinson’s and pets I jumped at the chance. I suspect that many people’s lives will have been touched by Parkinson’s in one way or another. I had an uncle who suffered from the condition and I recall as a child how our family dog would put light into his eyes. He was a remarkably resilient man anyway, but Razz, our crazy English Springer Spaniel seemed to have the ability to raise everyone’s spirits including my Uncle Bob’s.
As Rory himself knows only too well, dogs can, of course, be an important prompt to keep taking the regular exercise that’s so important in managing the condition. They can also offer comfort and companionship, helping to elevate the levels of essential brain chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. Stroking them and being with them makes us feel better.
But I know that people can sometimes get hung up on whether a dog can tell that they have Parkinson’s and what effect that might have. The answer to ‘can they tell?’ is almost certainly ‘yes’ - at least to some extent. They are keen observers of our behaviour and have super sensitive noses. Trained dogs have proved valuable in identifying and managing a number of conditions and diseases, spotting the micro changes in behaviour or body chemistry, that allow them to alert to low blood sugar or impending seizures. They’ve been found to be extremely accurate in detecting some cancers. There have also been trials to test whether sniffer dogs could be used to improve accuracy and reliability of early detection of Parkinson’s.
But for those worrying that an existing or new relationship with a dog might be affected by having Parkinson’s, I’d say ‘relax’. Dogs are extremely adaptive. So play, talk or just spend time with them – building or keeping the bond doesn’t have to mean a long walk. Let them learn your day-to-day and week-to-week reality and they’ll adjust and be a fabulous support.
In January 2022, the Cellan-Jones-Coyle family said goodbye to their beloved elderly Collie cross, Cabbage. She and Rory had become inseparable during daily pandemic walks, which alleviated his Parkinson’s symptoms. After a grief-stricken year, Rory and his wife Diane come across a listing for ‘a kind girl who loves everybody and is just looking for her forever home’.
Bright-eyed, big-eared and trembling, Sophie arrives in London on 17 December 2022. Rory holds the Romanian rescue in his arms, excited for their first walk together – but the road ahead will be a long one . . . This book follows the real journey of Sophie’s adoption – from her battles with anxiety, to the joys of play and her first time outside – as Rory and Diane work with expert dog trainer Si to win Sophie’s trust and navigate Rory’s Parkinson’s disease.
This is a moving story of love, kindness and a lot of patience, paying tribute to rescue dogs and their tender community.
You can buy it on Amazon here.
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