Details have been changed to protect anonymity.
Peter Willetts was a retired police officer, he was a jovial fellow with a cheerful greeting and a ready smile for everyone he met. I guess in the days when a “bobby on the beat” was a regular sight on the streets of Britain PC Willetts would have been a very reassuring sight for the local populous. He was a tall man, well above the minimum height required and as befitted a former guardian of the law his dog was also tall, a giant no less. An Irish Wolfhound who went by the name of Rafferty.
This was a dog that had been the subject of a court case as the previous owner had been prosecuted for cruelty to Rafferty, been banned from keeping dogs, fined and as a result Rafferty now belonged to Peter Willetts.
For those who are interested in the origin of the breed, I suggest visiting Wikipedia or the Breed site, as this is a dog with a fascinating history. Some of the most captivating stories in canine history involve Wolfhounds or their forebears.
Probably the most famous is the story of Gelert.
In the 13th century, so the story goes, in Wales in the UK, Prince Llywelyn the Great went hunting leaving his dog Gelert at home. On returning he was met by Gelert dripping blood from his mouth. Thinking that his faithful hound had attacked his baby son he slew his dog with his sword only to find his son alive and unharmed and by the side of the cot was the body of an enormous wolf.
The Prince distraught with grief carried the body of his heroic dog and buried him outside the palace walls for all to see. Legend says he never smiled again. A cairn of stones marks the grave of Gelert which is now a tourist attraction.
Now like most of these stories the actual event is lost in time and I have no doubt that something of this nature may have occurred, however, the only problem is that the stones on display are less than 200 years old and therefore could not have been put there by Prince Llywelyn.
They were probably put there by a local businessman to attract visitors and profit from the story!!
This is where history, myths, legends and facts all are intertwined and as such it is almost impossible to extract the truth, however, the “Wolfie” is renowned as a loyal protective companion. His only drawback is his sheer physical size. An example of this is that you can’t just walk into the local pet shop and buy a dog bed, even a collar can be a problem and a standard tin of dog food doesn’t begin to satisfy the appetite of this enormous dog!!
I have digressed, back to Peter Willetts and Rafferty.
When I arrived Peter was extremely disturbed. Rafferty had committed a serious crime, he had growled at his next-door neighbour Harold, a man that he had known since his adoption by Peter. The growl was mild, Rafferty had shown no intention to bite but the message was clear Harold had suddenly become “persona non grata.”
This gentle giant had never shown hostility towards Harold, Peter and he were great friends and shared a passionate interest in chess and as such were constantly in and out of each other’s houses.
There appeared to be no logical explanation for Raffertys’ behaviour. The wolfhound is by nature a gentle giant, noted for a placid demeanour, in fact, whilst seeing one is not an everyday experience I had seen enough to know that temperament issues were not something that were associated with this breed.
Aggression in any breed is something to be concerned about but with a dog this size, the alarm bells ring loudly. First and foremost it is so unusual to have to deal with this problem with this breed of dog. What’s more, believe me when I say, if a wolfhound decides to become annoyed it is best to be somewhere else!
Weighing in at well over 55Kilos (120lbs) and approaching a metre tall (3feet 3inches) an aggrieved wolfhound can do a terrifying amount of damage.
We discussed the problem at length.
I tried all the obvious, was Harold wearing unusual clothes, carrying a walking stick, umbrella, briefcase, was there anything different, had he acquired spectacles, was he wearing a hat, was his behaviour different?
No, all the usual avenues were closed. We sat and stared at each other. Peter Willetts was not an emotional man but without a doubt, this had struck him hard. The inevitable consequence had become obvious, unless there was an explanation and a solution his relationship with Rafferty would never be the same again. Could he even keep his dog?
I was stumped, I could see no reason for this to happen.
“Please, I implored, something must have happened to cause this.”
Peter shook his head sadly and replied jokingly “Well unless it’s Harolds’ new aftershave.”
“Aftershave? tell me more”
“Pete has just got this posh aftershave, birthday present from some lady friend, very expensive by all accounts.”
“When Rafferty saw Harold was he using the stuff? ”
“Well I’m not sure but you’re not gonna tell me the problem is his aftershave, surely that’s a bit far fetched.”
“Excuse me a minute.”
I went next door to Harolds.
Harold was deeply upset. He wasn’t a well man anyway and the event had left him very distressed.
I asked about the aftershave.
“I’ve only used it twice” He informed me.
He brought me the bottle. It had been purchased from a very exclusive London department store. It was not uncommon in those days for people to leave the department stores’ label attached. A bit of harmless snobbery, it probably continues today.
Knowing that I was totally in the dark and clutching at straws I asked if I could take enough just to put the scent on a handkerchief.
I returned to Peter’s house holding the handkerchief.
Lo and behold Rafferty raised himself up off the floor stared at me and let loose with a low growl. He didn’t approach me but the message was clear. You have come close enough.
I departed hurriedly to my car put the handkerchief in a bag and washed my hands. In common with most people who spend their days with animals, I carried an extensive first aid kit and the necessary requisites for hand cleansing.
I returned to Peter and Rafferty who showed no hostility.
The only explanation that I could come up with was that the previous owner of Rafferty, who has been prosecuted for cruelty had been a user of this particular brand of aftershave.
Harold was asked to shower, change his clothes so no trace remained and return. This he did and Rafferty showed no animosity.
This is one of those odd cases that one meets just once in a lifetime, they are the most difficult to solve as there is no point of reference, no obvious clues and they are the ones that can leave trainers and behaviourists looking decidedly clueless.
We can all look back with regret at the ones we couldn’t solve and apologise but as the case of Rafferty shows some are so bizarre, solutions can sometimes rely more on luck than skill.
In this instance a chance remark about aftershave!!
I am indebted to Michael Fairbairn for supplying the story of Gelert.
“Every animal knows more than you do.”
North American Indian proverb
With subtitle or not?