You may not have met our new Assistant Trainer, Alicia (or better known as Leaf) yet, but it's always nice to know a little more about the person behind the uniform. Our other staff members came up with ten questions for Leaf to answer...
Do you have a favourite dog breed?
I can’t quite pick one but I have always been a Shepherd girl, so I think I would have to say the classic, German Shepherds but I do have a real soft spot for Belgian Malinois and Dutch Herders as they are what really started off my career in dog behaviour and training. I also really adore a good scruffy terrier though as well and a chunky bull breed, and a good old Rottweiler...
What quote do you like to live by?
“Your dog’s not giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time”
What song do you dance around the living room to?
Although I did ballet and tap as a kid, I’m not really much of a dancer but the song I jam out to the most currently is Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold or Meeting the Master by Greta Van Fleet or War Pigs by Black Sabbath.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I like to think of myself being quite an outdoorsy person so anywhere that has an abundance of hiking tracks, some water sports or anything like that. I also love bringing my dog along too. One place I would love to go is Canada to see the wolves and bears and somewhere a bit warmer would be Australia in the Outback.
If you could have a conversation with anyone in the world who would it be?
Oh um, probably someone like David Attenborough. I’d want to hear about all the cool trips he’s done, animals he’s seen and all the facts he knows about them.
What is your favourite dog training exercise?
Having a history in rescue, I must say anything relating to rehabilitation. I really enjoy working on a dog’s reactivity so the foundations of that is usually quite fun and watching them progress. I also really enjoy any kind of scent work and I really enjoyed teaching my own dog how to indicate on an article.
As a child what did you want to be growing up?
As a child, I never knew what I wanted to be. I always used to worry about my plans for the future and didn’t know what I wanted even at 16 when I finished school. However, animals have always been a passion of mine so it was definitely something related to that. As I was in college I thought about doing Canine Physiotherapy but since then have taken a shine to animal behaviour and welfare.
Tell us about your ideal Sunday?
My ideal Sunday would be a lie in, in the morning. Then heading out for a peaceful walk with the dogs away from everyone else and somewhere with a lake where they can swim. Then coming back from a late breakfast, it has to be dippy eggs and soldiers. Next, I’d enjoy watching some TV with my partner and having a cup of coffee. Lunchtime, has to be a roast – chicken or pork, not a fan of roast beef. After that, I’d probably feel like I need to be more productive and put a load of washing on or something. I’d probably forget to put it in the tumble dryer but it’s the thought that counts right? Maybe hoover up all the dog hair that’s accumulated over the week so it stops getting stuck in between my toes. Then one final walk around the block with the dogs before coming home and playing some video games with my partner until bedtime!