90 Your Dog November 2017 http://www.yourdog.co.ukThe last
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Q
Tell us about your
fi rst dog.
“I grew up with Keeshonds
because my dad bred them;
my fi rst dog of my own was
a Keeshond called Moppet,
who was born when I was
sixteen. I looked after the litter
she was in and took her with
me when I went to university.
She was very active, loving,
devoted, and loved being
around people.”Q
And what about your
current dogs?
“At the minute, we have ten
dogs, including nine Siberian
Huskies. I race and train them
in harness, and have been
lucky to be quite successful
in racing. Most of them live
together in a pack, but Bailey,
who is a rescue Husky X
German Shepherd, is more
of a companion and I do the
Kennel Club’s Good Citizen
Dog Scheme with him.”Q
What is the biggest
issue facing dog
owners today?
“Potentially, one of the
biggest issues for owners
is the question of access;
maintaining access to parks,
and having the freedom to let
dogs off-lead.
“It’s not so much of
a problem in the countryside,
but if you visit the seaside
there are often restrictions
in the summer, or for some
it’s all year round. In the
town, authorities are fi ndingit easier to introduce lead
restrictions in parks.”Q
What do you enjoy
most about being
a dog owner?
“Defi nitely the companionship,
without a doubt! We have
lots of dogs because we
race them, but at the end of
the day, they’re pets before
anything else.”Q
Where did your love of
dogs begin?
“I have always been around
dogs, with my parents
breeding dogs around the
time I was born. My parents
were both vets too and they
met at vet school; when
they met, my dad had
a Keeshond and my mum
had a Golden Retriever.”Q
What is the best advice
you’ve ever received
about owning a dog?
“I think my parents’ attitude
towards dogs was the most
infl uential thing. They alwaysbelieved that dogs
are a big part of the family
and if you treat them with
respect, they’ll treat you with
respect too.”Q
Tell us a funny story
about your dog.
“We went to visit friends with
fi ve of our Huskies, and our
friends also had some Huskies.
They were all mixing really well
and were well behaved, and
then we turned around and
one of our girls was standing
on the kitchen table! I said:
‘She’s never done anything like
that before!’ but I’m not sure if
they believed us!”Q
Which breed do you like
but would never own?
“There are quite a lot of
breeds I would like to own,
and I really like big dogs.
I think I would choose a
Maremma; they’re lovely, big,
white dogs. They’re fabulous,
but there’s a bit of a size issue!
Although our Huskies are
relatively big dogs, they keepWe speak to the secretary of the UK’s
biggest canine organisation about her
lifelong love of dogs.
themselves to themselves, and
you barely know they’re there
most of the time.”Q
What is the most
indulgent thing you’ve
ever bought for your dog?
“We have two ornate metal
dog beds with mattresses
in them, which we bought
a while ago, but the dogs
won’t even touch them! They
much prefer a bit of Vetbed
placed on the fl oor.”Q
What is your favourite
dog-related fi lm or
TV show?
“I suppose if I’m looking to
the past, I would say ‘101
Dalmatians’ or ‘Homeward
Bound: The Incredible
Journey’. I think that
‘Homeward Bound’ is such
a clever fi lm and I love it.”Q
Where is your favourite
place for the perfect
dog-friendly holiday?
“I think it’s great that more
and more hotels are accepting
dogs and being so dog
friendly. When we go to
France, everywhere is very dog
friendly, and when we take
Bailey with us he’s allowed in
all the shops and restaurants.
We recently stayed at The
Grand in Brighton, and they
were amazing from the
moment we walked through
the door; they even gave
Bailey a bowl of water before
they asked us what we’d like
to drink.”ue t a t g. ey a ays e at e y b g dogs, t ey eepABOUT CAROLINE
Caroline Kisko joined the Kennel Club, the UK’s largest
organisation dedicated to the health and welfare of
dogs, in 1998 as external affairs director, and has been
the secretary of the organisation since 2000. She currently
has nine Siberian Huskies and a German Shepherd at her
home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.Caroline Kisko
Caroline and her beloved
companion, Bailey.Image: The Kennel Club.90 Last word CS(SW) CC.indd 90 22/09/2017 16:27