To
strangers, Paul Wilson may seem like your ordinary guy, but to his friends,
family, and especially to his dog, Poochee, he is considered to be a hero. He
has always been an avid animal lover and a strong advocate for their welfare,
and over the years has had various pets, some of which he acquired in very unconventional
ways.
During
his service in the British Military, Paul was stationed on an assignment in
Sierra Leone. One day while he was working, he came across an African
Grey Parrot whose wings had been clipped, and was suffering from severe
neglect. As the bird belonged to some of the workers in the camp, Paul
needed their permission before adopting it as his own. He figured that by
accusing the owners of mistreating the animal, and asking them outright if he
could have the bird, the answer was sure to be negative. But if he could
somehow persuade them to transfer ownership in a non-threatening manner, his
chances of success were a lot higher. So cleverly enough, one evening he
approached the workers with several cases of beer, and invited them to share a
drink. It wasn’t long before the laughter and jokes were pouring out smoothly,
and the atmosphere was one of relaxation and fun. All the while Paul was
waiting and watching, and when the moment was right, casually asked if he could
adopt the bird, in which case they agreed without a second thought. With
that simple approval Paul’s mission was accomplished, the Parrot would now be
saved, and importantly, the relationship between he and the workers would
remain amicable. When his assignment was complete, Paul flew the parrot back to
the United Kingdom, where it lived out its life in luxury eating well and
enjoying the fresh air while being perched on Paul’s shoulders while he walked
along the beach.
In
later years, after Paul had finished his Military service and was working as a
civilian, he was called on assignment to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2010. During
this time the airbase was still under construction, and it was not uncommon to
see packs of feral dogs roaming about. The probability that these animals had
rabies was high, which was one of the reasons Paul had received the series of rabies
shots prior to his deployment.
One
afternoon, amongst a pack of stray dogs was a younger dog of about 4 to 5
months old. The dog was walking with a
limp, the fur mangled, his rib-cage visible, and he still had one end of a
broken noose tied around his neck while the rest of the rope dragged along the
ground. When approached by Paul and some of the people in the camp, his demeanor
was timid and nervous, but he didn’t come off as aggressive or skittish like
the other feral dogs he accompanied. The perception was that this stray could
have been domesticated and was simply following the others in a desperate
attempt to find food and water.
In
Paul’s mind, all he could think about was getting this dog the help it needed.
He didn’t stop to weigh the options, to think about the long term implications
of feeding a stray, or the medical risks of being potentially exposed to
rabies. He started off slowly by
offering the dog the basics of nutritional food, clean water, and a place to
lay his head. In the immediate weeks following the initial arrival, the dog’s
disposition became more relaxed and his health began to rapidly improve. He
started to put on more and more weight and was noticeably growing taller and
gaining statue with each week that passed by. The noose around his neck
certainly hadn’t come with a name-tag, and no one had officially picked out a name; but whenever someone asked where the pooch was, the dog showed up. It was
because of this apparent association that Paul decided to name the dog
“Poochee’”.
On any
given day there were around 900 local Afghans working on the camp, and it
wasn’t long before Poochee’s physical presence gained more and more
attention. Many people were guessing
about his origin and breed, but it wasn’t until the owner unexpectedly showed
up on the base one day, and confirmed that he was a purebred Turkish Kangal.
Historically
the Kangal’s are known as flock-guardian dogs named after the Kangal District
of Sivas Province in Central Turkey, where the breed is thought to have
originated from. The general appearance is large, powerful, and heavy-boned and
their temperament alert, territorial, and defensive, which is why they were
successfully used as guardians against predators. At maturity, a male can weigh
between 110 and 145 lbs. and range from 30 to 32 inches, while a female can
weigh between 90 and 120 lbs. and range from 28 to 30 inches. The first Kangal
was imported to the USA in 1985, but wasn’t recognized by the United Kennel Club until 1998.
The
man explained to Paul that he had come to reclaim his dog as Poochee was of
great financial value. He was a breeder of fighting dogs and Poochee had come
from a line of champion blood. Poochee
was meant to fight in the arena, and the owner had high hopes of winning due to
his stature and family history. Paul said that dog fighting in Afghanistan is a
lucrative sport. He described how the event took place every Friday, and that it
was similar to a boxing match where there is a referee that determines the
winner. And even though the dogs did not fight to the death, they were frequently badly
injured. It became clear to Paul that his initial assessment of Poochee had
been correct, that he had been domesticated but somehow escaped. But it was
also clear, that if Poochee was returned to the rightful owner, his life might
soon come to an end. It was then that Paul decided to request ownership of
Poochee, and astonishingly the owner agreed without much opposition.
Not too
long after the man left the camp, there were two separate attempts by local
workers to kidnap Poochee. The first time, one of the workers tried to hide him
amongst his belongings and was caught by the guard on the way out. The second
time, another worker took Poochee and tied him up next to a maintenance shed,
with the intention of taking him off base at the end of the day. Because of
these kidnapping attempts, it became evident to Paul that the dog would not be safe unless his status changed.
Paul
acted quickly to find a way to officially adopt Poochee and keep him on base
while arranging for him to be deported back to the UK. As the only dogs allowed
on the camp were working dogs, Paul registered Poochee as one of the contractor’s
official security dogs. He then arranged for the medical examinations, blood
work, and vaccines needed in order to obtain his official medical certificate
that had to be certified by the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture and
countersigned by a certified veterinarian. With that documentation he was able
to arrange the Afghan Export license and UK import license Poochee needed prior
to boarding the plane from Kabul to Frankfurt, and then Frankfurt to London.
After
the arrival in London, sadly the journey was only partially complete. In
accordance with the law in the UK, Poochee was required to stay in quarantine
for the next 6 months. Paul had arranged
for him to stay in a facility in Berkshire, where he was placed in a 3m x 2m
indoor/outdoor cage and wasn’t allowed to leave or visit with other animals. At
the time Paul was living in Luxembourg, but faithfully flew back every weekend
to visit with Poochee on Saturdays. Living in such confines was nowhere near
ideal, but miraculously Poochee adapted without any problems and still managed
to keep his loving and gentle personality. At the end of the 6 months, after he
passed his physical and psychiatric examinations with flying colors, he was
presented with his European Pet Passport, and released to go home.
Reunited
at last, Paul and Poochee headed on the last leg of their journey, and made the
remaining 7 hour 700 km drive to Luxembourg. From the moment Poochee set foot
in the front door he felt home and at peace as if this is where he was always
meant to be. There were no issues of acclimation or long periods of adjustment.
Poochee had never been house trained but Paul never recalled one accident. Poochee
never had to be told not to jump on or destroy the furniture, and instead
provided a calming presence over Paul and his partner. As the breed requires a
lot of physical and mental stimulation, Poochee immediately became accustomed
to the 6 km runs every weekday Morning;
the strength and pull training sessions during the 6 km walk every weekday
evening and 15 km walk every Saturday and Sunday; and free rein of the backyard
in between. He was no longer forced to
scrounge for food, and was instead presented with a large bowl of quality
kibble supplemented with pieces of fresh meat and cooked rice, for which he
could graze over throughout the day.
Paul
recognized Poochee’s intellect and independence and treated him with respect
saying “You’re not dealing with a child you’re dealing with an adult. They
respect you as the alpha male completely, but then you have to respect him as
the warrior he is.”
Paul’s
mission has always been to preserve and save the life of the animal first, even
if he wasn’t sure where the animals was going to end up. On two occasions he
was fortunate enough to be in the position to rehouse the animals with him, but
even if he is not the final owner, this doesn’t stop him from performing these
heroic acts. The parrot has passed on, but Poochee is now 7 years old and weighs
48 kg. His life is fully of joy and he is surrounded by people he loves and who
unquestionably love him back. His favorite pastime is a simple one – spending
his days watching and patrolling his territory while guarding his family flock,
a luxury he would never have had, unless Paul had intervened. Paul’s unselfish
and loving act of kindness saved Poochee’s life. Spending over 8,000 EUR of his
own money, dedicating his time, energy, and resources on a cause that be
believed in simply because to him it was the right thing to do.
Nicely written profile of a real animal lover. It would have been nice to see a photo of the family with Pooches or a picture of Paul.
ReplyDeleteWonderful story! :)
ReplyDeleteJust came across this breed and this storyby accident. It's a wonderful account of a wonderful dog and a really nice man. Paul was so lucky to have people who could let go of Poochee when Paul asked for him. Thanks for a great story. John
ReplyDeleteIf this dog is available I will take him right now. We might have to work out and adoption But there’s not no way that dog will ne in danger once under the protection of my 300 pound gorilla Gene.
ReplyDelete