allie brophy interview

17th December 2014

Hi Everyone very happy indeed to have Allie Brophy with us who will be telling us about her project which aims to educate children and parents about responsibility and empathy towards dogs and other animals. Keeping safe around dogs, being kind to all animals and being aware of situations that may arise and how to behave in certain scenarios. http://dogsarefamilytoo.webs.com

'Dogs Are Family Too' - Pet Education for Children and Parents Sheldon & Friends Helping to educate children and parents about responsibility and empathy towards dogs and other animals. Keeping safe around dogs, being kind to all animals and being aware of situations that may arise and how to behave in certain scenarios DOGSAREFAMILYTOO.WEBS.COM Unlike · · Share

• You, Jason Currie, Tricia Draper, Siân Helen Goodfellow and 6 others like this.

•

Avery Candu Welcome Allie! 1 hr · Unlike · 2

• Jason Currie Hiya Allie hope your well, thanyou for sharing your time 1 hr · Unlike · 2

• John Hodkinson Hi Allie Brophy 1 hr · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy Hi thank you 1 hr · Like · 1

• John Hodkinson Is this where you tell us about your project or am I in the wrong place? 1 hr · Like

• Jason Currie Allie can you introduce yourself

1 hr · Like · 1

• Amy Lewis This is the correct place John Hodkinson 1 hr · Like

• Jason Currie Hi John It is myself and Amy Lewis will be asking Allie Brophy questions and members are welcome to join in 1 hr · Unlike · 1

• John Hodkinson Thanks 1 hr · Like · 1

• Joanna Corlett Hi Allie Brophy when did you start this project and why? 1 hr · Like

• Allie Brophy Hi everyone, thank you for joining. Please bear with me as haven't done this before 1 hr · Unlike · 3

• Jason Currie bare with us guys Allie is gettinga lot of notifications at the same time which may slow her down 1 hr · Unlike · 1

• Allie Brophy I volunteer at Mspca and have been running this project for the past couple of years voluntary. The project aims to help children to understand that animals have feelings and to treat them with kindness 1 hr · Unlike · 4

• Jason Currie dont worry we are used to fb glitches in interviews, gremlines come out to say hi at this time 1 hr · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy I am from the Isle of Man and the project is called Dogs Are Family too. It is aimed at children age 5 - 14 and is run voluntarily with help from sponsors and people in the community who have also helped with this 1 hr · Like · 2

• Joanna Corlett Do the children come to the Mspca or do you see the children elsewhere? 1 hr · Like

• John Hodkinson i know you've done a lot with schools and youth groups Allie, was that difficult to set up 1 hr · Like · 1

• Jason Currie It is wonderful that you do so much voluntary worj Allie can you tell us about your childhood and early love of animals? 1 hr · Like

• Allie Brophy We have visited schools and also a cubs group. Mspca have children visiting there also which is separate to the project 1 hr · Like · 2

• Jason Currie ADMIN NOTE ;; Ok guys i think its best member questions come in about 10 minutes at 730 pm or Allie will be over whelmed 1 hr · Edited · Unlike · 3

• Allie Brophy Sorry everyone the internet connection keeps being lost here, will have a look at questions now 1 hr · Like · 4

• Allie Brophy I have always loved animals since a very early age. I remember my first dog when I was 3 years old and going to meet him. He was playing with a few other puppies at a breeders house. I saw him sitting by himself in the corner and knew that I was going to take him home 1 hr · Unlike · 4

• Allie Brophy Picture of my dog Laddie as a puppy

1 hr · Unlike · 5

• Jason Currie I remember you saying you volunteered looking after animals at a young age it was a great passion of yours ! Even if you were not supposed to lol. Tell us about the great escape the gerbil made ! 1 hr · Like

• Allie Brophy Yes, when I was a child I volunteered at primary school to take the class gerbil home for half term and look after him during the holidays. Unfortunately I hadn't asked my parents who were running their boarding house and the gerbil (Monty) escaped. He was mistaken to be a mouse and my mother screamed as they tried to catch him. Thankfully he was found safe and well under my brother's bed. My parents were not too happy and the school then introduced a 'parental permission' form for children taking home pets in the holidays.

1 hr · Edited · Unlike · 5

• Amy Lewis Great story! So, your current project is set up to help children build positive relationships with animals and give advice can you tell us about why you set it up. 1 hr · Edited · Like

• Allie Brophy Yes I wanted to do something to help children to understand that animals have feelings too and to get an understanding of their awareness on this topic. Along with a couple of other people, Anna Maria and Joan I decided to start the project and put the booklet together to see if we could try this as a pilot if it could possibly be of benefit to even just one dog, child or other animal. Anna worked as a teacher and had experience relating to children and Joan was a police officer already visiting schools about road safety. The project is designed to help children to think about what they would do in certain scenarios and to put themselves in the place of an animal and imagine how they would feel too. We present to the children different scenarios and ask what they would do in that situation and what they think the best course of action would be and this usually gets them thinking and engaging with us 1 hr · Unlike · 4

• Jason Currie Pic of Allie with Laddie

1 hr · Like · 2

• Amy Lewis What was your inspiration for setting up the project? 1 hr · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy My inspiration came from hearing about a dog called Peppi who had been attacked by some children and who had very sadly had a brick thrown at his head causing him to have a severe hemmorage and the dog was very lucky he survived. 1 hr · Like · 2

• Jason Currie omg Allie did the police get involved ? 1 hr · Like

• Amy Lewis Did the police get involved? Was there anything they could do? What is the legal age for responsibility? 1 hr · Like

• Jason Currie didnt see yours amy ADMIN NOTE : just to let everyone know that Allie will be able to answer member questions as well now 58 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy Yes but unfortunately were unable to do anything due to the circumstances and with them being children. Peppi's owner Claire campaigned for help when this happened and the community all rallied round to help and assist with vet bills 58 mins · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy Peppi was severely injured and shaken up and was very lucky he pulled through 57 mins · Like · 1

• Amy Lewis Did insurance not cover then? 57 mins · Like

• John Hodkinson Your lovely, easy to read booklet is a useful tool to help get the message across. Can members access it? Can we do anything to help you provide it to more children? 57 mins · Like

• Amy Lewis Why Do you think the kids attacked the dog ? Did they think it was a game ? Were they being nasty ? Or was it simply a lack of awareness and education ? 56 mins · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy I didn't know Claire at the time who is Peppi's owner or if she had insurance. Some insurances only cover so much depending on the nature of treatment but Peppi needed specialist treatment. Claire will do her best to answer any questions relating to the attack on the event wall tonight if anyone would like to talk with her 55 mins · Like · 3

• Allie Brophy It was very sad what happened to Peppi and whether the children intended to hurt him deliberately by picking up that brick and taunting him, it was complete lack of awareness and possibly learned behaviour if the children had not been taught how to relate positively to animals or understand that they have feelings too just like we do 53 mins · Edited · Like · 3

• Jason Currie ADMIN NOTE :: HERE IS A LINK TO Allie Brophy booklet PDF DOWNLOADhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/MDTBA/621374714655727/

Jason Currie uploaded a file in the group Modern dog training and behaviour advice.

This is the PDF Information booklet that Ali Allie Brophy has put together to help teach kids empathy and awareness around dogs. Please join us Wednesday at 7 pm gmt [in group] to find out more about Allie's work

https://www.facebook.com/events/859120267472861/

Dogs Are Family Too - Educational Project for Children (1).pdf Portable Document Format Download

• • 54 mins · Unlike · 4 · Remove Preview

• Allie Brophy The booklet pdf is free to use if this can be of benefit anywhere. There is also a webpage for children and parents (above) 53 mins · Like · 2

• Jason Currie Plus if you dont mind Allie im just going to show members a youtube video you made which is also very useful . Help video with advice for children. http://youtu.be/vWtyizmxLq8

Some Important Points to Remember for Children and Dogs - Safety & Awareness... YOUTUBE.COM

53 mins · Unlike · 4 · Remove Preview

• Allie Brophy One of our posters

52 mins · Like · 3

• Jason Currie ADMIN NOTE. we will also share this info at the end ) the PDF in group files 51 mins · Edited · Like

• Jason Currie whoops sorry Allie getting side tracked hehe 51 mins · Like

• Amy Lewis Is Empathy something that is inherent or learned ? In what ways did you help teach children animals have feelings ? 50 mins · Like · 1

• John Hodkinson Roughly how many copies of the booklet have you distributed to schools? 49 mins · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy This is about one of the visits we did

49 mins · Unlike · 5

• Allie Brophy At least 2000 copies of the booklet have been distributed around schools. Some were also given out by one of the dog clubs to children attending the shows 46 mins · Like · 3

• Allie Brophy We advise children to always ask the owner if they want to say hello to a dog and make sure it is ok with their parents too. We also advise if their ball goes over a fence to go around to the other side of the house and knock on the door rather than go...See More 44 mins · Like · 2

• John Hodkinson Great result Allie. Hopefully the children will grow up remembering that being nasty toward animals or people is wrong 43 mins · Like · 2

• Terri L Holt I know you said you are in the Isle of Man... In the future, near or distant, could you see your group setting up a recruitment program so people up and down the country can spread the work you guys started so schools up and down the country can make use of the valuable program? (sorry if it's been asked, my mobile is slow to update) x 42 mins · Like · 1

• Allie Brophy We only intended on printing about 200 booklets but this increased to over 2000 as we gained sponsorship of kind people and businesses to help fund the booklets to be printed. This meant we could visit more classes and year groups as each child would be given a booklet to take home and keep 42 mins · Like · 1

• Rach Keggin What would your advice be to a child asking a parent or guardian for a puppy at Christmas? 41 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie Terri L Holt thats a great question 41 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy I'd say we all have the capacity for empathy once we make the connection how someone else feels and relate it to ourselves, but it is sometimes shut out by people who have had bad experiences in their own lives and don't know how to relate to others 40 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie ADMIN NOTE : just to let you know we will be wrapping up in about 10 minutes but Allie maybe around abit to to ask any further questions if her internet connection is in a good mood 40 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy Hi Terri this project has been used also in Ontario in Canada to help children and dogs there too 39 mins · Like · 3

• Allie Brophy The materials are free of charge on Pdf for anyone to use in their area if this could be of help anywhere 39 mins · Like · 3

• Allie Brophy I would like to expand this for others to roll out the project if they wish and have sent it to a few areas to see if this can be of benefit 38 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie thats amazing Allie do you think it may start accross the Uk ? because it certainly seems a very worthwhile education to children ? 37 mins · Like

•

John Hodkinson May I wish you continued success with this valuable project Allie. I have to leave now but thanks for sharing 37 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie Thanks for joining in John 35 mins · Like

• Amy Lewis Seconding what Jason said. It would be invaluable to do it nationwide, personally, I have many close calls with kids running up to me and my dog and I do have to warn them. 35 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy Rach I would not advise buying a puppy solely just for Christmas. A family needs to be able to totally commit to an animal as part of the family and children be aware that they are not toys. 34 mins · Like · 3

• Allie Brophy I had some very positive feedback from an MP in the UK who sent me a letter about my project 34 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy I'm hoping it can be used in the UK also and if anyone would like to use the materials they are available on pdf to download 32 mins · Like · 2

• Amy Lewis What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? 31 mins · Like

•

Terri L Holt I will be sure to spread the work you are doing and home it takes route in the uk. It is very valuable, even just to teach kids to ASK before touching a dog and HOW to touch a dog. It may even save dogs from been pts and kids been scarred for life afte...See More 30 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy The most valuable lesson I've learned is to have compassion and understanding for all animals. They have fears, likes and dislikes just like we do 30 mins · Like · 4

• Allie Brophy Parents have also been very supportive and we've had positive feedback. Some have also asked if we can visit their school or class group when they have heard about what we've been doing. 29 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy I was surprised that so many people had been so positive about it and offered to help. We had businesses sponsor printing of some of the booklets and a really good response to the webpage if anyone has seen the link above 28 mins · Like · 1

• Amy Lewis That's great, have you had any negative responses or have they all been positive? 28 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy We would like to in the future offer this to more groups such as Brownies, rainbows, Cubs and more schools offering this to children aged 5 - 14 27 mins · Unlike · 4

• Allie Brophy We have had a lot of positive response to the project although at first a couple of people thought we wouldn't be able to manage it but we were really pleased it worked 25 mins · Unlike · 3

• Rach Keggin I have this massive habit of wanting to stroke unknown dogs... it's awful really but they are just so adorable. So it's not just kids I guess lol. However I usually ask the owner and then observe the body language of the dog to see it's positive and le...See More 23 mins · Like · 2

• Amy Lewis Have there been any amusing moments along the way? 23 mins · Like · 2

• Allie Brophy Amusing moments would be some of the funny stories the children have shared with us about their pets and also seeing the faces of the children when we walked in with the police dog unit 22 mins · Unlike · 3

• Amy Lewis Are there any specific examples you could give? 21 mins · Like

• Terri L Holt Can I use any info you have provided here (eg why you started ect) in my 'speech' to tell people? I don't like taking info/comments and using them without permission... 21 mins · Like · 1

• Amy Lewis Any how about ups and downs? 21 mins · Like

• Jason Currie ADMIN NOTE : WE WILL POSTING ALL THE HELP LINKS AT THE END and also feel free to look under files and the website to find out more about Allie's work. 20 mins · Unlike · 1

• Allie Brophy This is a card one of the children from one of the schools we visited made for us


• Allie Brophy The children were not expecting to see a dog when we went round to visit them. We were talking to them one minute and next minute 3 officers walked in with 3 police dogs and the children were absolutely delighted 18 mins · Unlike · 2

• Allie Brophy There have been ups and downs along the way especially with funding for the project. We had an anonymous donation for some booklets last year which enabled us to visit more schools it has been very difficult finding the funding for printing the booklets and we have been relying on sponsors or donations from individuals and businesses. 18 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy Yes Terri that's ok 17 mins · Like · 2

•

Amy Lewis Is there a way that people can donate to your cause? 17 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie thats a wonderful card:) 17 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy One of the pictures from the project


• Allie Brophy


• Allie Brophy We are looking for help with sponsors or funding for more booklets to be printed so we can reach a wider audience and offer this to more children who could benefit from the project 14 mins · Like · 1

• Amy Lewis Thank you so much Allie for chatting to us about your amazing project. If people want more information, please visit the website shown in the original post or get in touch with Allie. 11 mins · Like

• Joanna Corlett Can I just add I feel honoured to call Allie one of my closest friends. She is the kindest most caring person I know and she has done all of this work even though she has had a lot of health problems to deal with too. Allie also won a platinum award fo...See More 9 mins · Unlike · 2

• Jason Currie Thankyou for sharing your time Allie !! 9 mins · Unlike · 1

• Amy Lewis If anyone would like to help the details for this are The Copy Shop, Re Dog/Schools Project, 48 Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3AD, Isle of Man +44 1624 622697 8 mins · Like

• Allie Brophy


• Allie Brophy We ask questions such as 'does this cat look comfortable'?


• Amanda White This has been wonderful, thanks very much Allie! 5 mins · Unlike · 3

•

Claire Ratcliffe Thanks for chatting about this project, I feel its VERY important. 5 mins · Like · 1

• Jason Currie Website dogs have feelings to http://dogsarefamilytoo.webs.com...See More

'Dogs Are Family Too' - Pet Education for Children and Parents Sheldon & Friends Helping to educate children and parents about... DOGSAREFAMILYTOO.WEBS.COM

4 mins · Like · 1 · Remove Preview

• Tricia Draper I like this approach Allie I have seen the Kennel clubs dog safety demo loads of times and this is a much more empathetic approach 4 mins · Unlike · 2

• Allie Brophy


allie brophy interview

Documents