Cara and her mum Jayne started trailing with us in Bolton shortly after we started back in 2017. They started trailing with Pettrailer UK as Cara found it difficult to be in a regular class environment due to her being reactive to other dogs.

After years of hiding in bushes on walks to avoid other dogs, Jayne being a very sociable person missed not being able to interact with other dog people when she was out with Cara. Pet trailing with Pettrailer UK had ticked all the boxes: Cara had a job; Jayne could meet others without getting stressed and could also put her amazing hiding skills to good use!

Trailing with us gave Cara the freedom to use her brain, focus her amazing nose and be with her mum in a safe place with other dog people that respected her needs. Her behaviour got better; Jayne regularly comments on how her mind is blown every time she trails!

Well to say Cara excelled at trailing would be an understatement! I will never forget the 1st time I proposed doing a pet trail (looking for a ‘lost dog’) with Cara, Jayne’s face was a picture of pure disbelief that she would be able to do it without reacting. I explained exactly how we were going to do it and guided them through everything – let’s say we never looked back!

Cara smashed it!! She was absolutely fantastic, so focused solely on her task and she really didn’t give 2 hoots about the ‘lost dog’ she found. Cara remained calm, let her mum know that was the dog they were searching for and scoffed her sardines in tomato sauce reward as well as any self-respecting dog would do. Cara calmly walked away with her mum with a tail swinging ‘post-trail’ swagger, a tomato-stained white mush and a glimmer in her eye. This little girl was having the time of her life.

Jayne and Cara’s relationship grew from strength to strength over the following years. With family and friends commenting on how Cara’s behaviour had improved around other dogs. Cara was able to be much calmer in the presence of other dogs, a wonderful side affect of her time trailing with her mum and with people that know how to respect each other and their dogs.

I know 1st hand the benefits and power of trailing from my own experiences of working with a wide variety of dogs with varying ‘personalities and traits’. It is one thing for me to talk about these with people but the day Jayne told me about when Cara almost tripped her up on a walk by plonking down right in front of her and looking at her for a treat was life changing.

Whilst out on a walk Cara had spotted a husky across the road coming towards them, instead of her past reaction of barking and ‘kicking off’ Cara chose to sit down, look at her mum and get rewarded for spotting the dog but not reacting in her usual way to it!! Jayne was absolutely over the moon and in complete disbelief.

I could not have been prouder of both of them. This was not a training session, not a setup, this was real life with a dog whose life had been changed for the better through the positive experiences she had had whilst trailing with us.

We had many adventures together over the years. Cara was a thrill-seeking springer spaniel with such a passion for life. She thought nothing of scaling stone walls on a farm trails, tracking through belly height mud, swimming across ponds and trailing past other dogs in busy environments to solve her trails. To say I have a grin from ear-to-ear writing this would be an understatement! Such a special special girl.

Even in her later years, Cara didn’t slow down, her mind was sharp and despite major surgery benching her for months she came back trailing with vigour. Inevitably Cara began to slow down, but she still trailed like a superstar. We adapted her training so she got the most from her sessions. Even at 13 years young her nose never failed her or her mum on her trailing adventures.

Thank you Cara for all the lessons, the belly laughs and smile induced jaw aches from your trailing antics. The priceless memories and the life altering experiences that will live on forever in my heart, teaching, trailing and let’s be honest all my interactions with not only my own dogs but with every dog I will work with in the future. Gone for now, but never ever forgotten the amazingly special, Cara Stott (2009-2023).