About Beano
Beano came into my life in September 2018, an older rescue with a huge personality and an even bigger heart. He had been estimated at around seven years old and had already been returned to the shelter twice for what were described as “problem behaviours.” When we met him, we saw a dog who was frightened but gentle, curious, and full of character. He couldn’t quite catch a treat properly at first and gave up chasing a ball if it rolled too far, but he followed me everywhere from the moment we got home. He was loyal, affectionate, and resilient, everything I could have ever wanted in a companion.
For a while, I couldn’t understand how anyone could have given him up. As the lead-up to Bonfire Night arrived, the sound of fireworks turned my confident boy into a trembling, frightened soul. Car doors shutting, footballs bouncing, even heavy rain unsettled him. His fear of noise was overwhelming. Seeing him so distressed broke my heart, and I knew I had to find a way to help him.
We tried everything we could; music to mask the bangs, thundershirts, calming diffusers, shorter walks before dark, CBD oil, even catnip and veterinary-prescribed Pexion. Some things helped more than others, and although his fears were still present, over time his anxiety became more manageable, but I could see that fear shaped how he experienced the world. Working with Beano through those moments taught me more about dogs than any book ever could: how patience, empathy, and consistency build trust, and how training is about communication, not control.
He loved exploring, from sniffing the same bush each time he passed because he once found a Chicago Town pizza in there, to his holidays on Newquay Beach, and his walks with my uncle’s dog in an enclosed field where they would chase sticks together, happy and free. And he adored food; he would twirl in circles for a treat long before I ever asked him to. But what made him truly special was his emotional awareness. If you were upset, Beano would quietly wander over and sit by your side, grounding you just by being there. He helped my mental health far more than anything else.
Wanting to understand him better inspired me to learn everything I could about canine behaviour. That journey led me to study Canine Training and Behaviour (FdSc) and later Canine Clinical Behaviour (BSc), deepening my knowledge of the emotional and scientific sides of dog training. Beano was my reason for starting this path and remains my reason for continuing it.
Beano passed away suddenly in August 2022, just a few weeks before the anniversary of the day we brought him home. Losing him was devastating, but his legacy lives on in everything I do. He taught me compassion, patience, and the true meaning of the human-canine bond.
Beano’s Canine Academy exists in his memory, a commitment to helping other dogs like him live calmer, happier lives through understanding, trust, and positive reinforcement. Every dog I work with carries a little part of Beano’s story forward. Rest in peace, Beano.
