Kristel Marie Ramnath is on a mission to change our attitudes towards dogs and educate us on how to love and nurture them. She is T&T's very own dog whisperer, a title synonymous with America's Cesar Millan, whose popular show, Dog Whisperer, has helped to open doors locally for Ramnath. "A lot of my clients actually do watch Dog Whisperer but they didn't know there was one here," she said, acknowledging that the show has had a positive impact on the way people interact with their dogs. Ramnath's slight frame and short stature, which she always offsets with high heels, is a bit surprising, considering her job. However, her confidence and knowledge belie her physical attributes. "People always ask how old I am because I am so tiny but once I start talking, they say okay, she knows what she's about," she said.
No dog is too big or too aggressive for the 30-year-old, who admitted to only being injured once from a dog but that was when she was a child. "I am not afraid of dogs," she declared. "You need to learn how to approach a dog. When I meet a dog for the first time, I let the owner take the lead because the dog considers them the pack leader. You have to be confident and assertive. The energy you put out is the most important." Through her animal behaviour service, Best Pets, Ramnath works with dogs and their owners to develop a harmonious relationship. Among her services are puppy temperance testing, puppy socialisation classes and behaviour modification for older dogs, which directly contradicts the adage that you can't teach old dog new tricks.
"Dogs are descended from the grey wolf and we've domesticated them and taken away their ability to survive in the wild. Dogs were scavengers but we've made them dependant which makes them our responsibility. Like children, we have to give them food and shelter but we need to give them discipline and love too," said Ramnath.
"A lot of people don't realise how much work a dog is. They require 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. Even the way you feed a dog is important; I recommend food enrichment toys to make them work for their food. If you want to have a dog you have to find the time and finances." Her main target market is animal lovers who consider their pets as family but she also works with security firms and animal welfare organisations and charities.
Stating that dogs inherit their problems from their owners, she said part of her job is educating people and empowering them with the confidence to treat dogs properly. One of her pet peeves is the manner in which people condition children to fear and dislike dogs but said she can work with people to overcome such conditioning.
An avid animal lover, Ramnath knew she would one day work with animals. She did a Bachelor's degree in Ecology and Environmental Animal Biology at the University of Wolverhampton in England where she did a course in animal behaviour. That determined her career path and inspired her to do a Masters degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Applied Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. Though she learnt she could apply her skills to working with wildlife, lab, farm and zoo animals, working with pets was the only viable option in Trinidad.
A member of the veterinary association, Ramnath works primarily through referrals from vets, particularly to ensure the animal's behaviour isn't the result of a physical ailment. In addition to improving pet behaviour, Ramnath uses dogs as a form of therapy for the elderly through her Pet Assisted Therapy Programme. "With Pet Assisted Therapy you use pets to change people. I started a pilot project at the St Peter's Home for the Aged at Mt St Benedict. "There is a bond between humans and animals that is only fulfilled by animals. The unconditional love of an animal does wonders. They are always happy to see you; they always want to be played with. Dogs are there to enliven people. It's about making them feel loved and needed. I want to expand the service to include children in orphanages and basically people with no access to animals," said Ramnath.
Among the benefits she lists from this form of therapy are stress relief, lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels and decrease in feelings of loneliness and isolation. The Pet Assisted Therapy team comprises Ramnath's dog Clio, Brother Marius Williams, a monk, and his dog Ben, and Dr Wade Seukeran, a veterinary surgeon. In her spare time, Ramnath volunteers with the T&T Marine Mammals Stranded Network, which assists whales and dolphins that washed ashore and if they die, sends samples for analysis to determine the cause.
For more information contact
Kristel-Marie Ramnath at 689-8113 or
email: bestpetsbehave@hotmail.com.
