Huzannah Banajee Joseph is the founder of ‘Paw Pals’ which is a facility that offers many dog training and behavior related services. She turned her love for animals into her work, and her passion changed her life and many other lives.
She used to teach horse riding to children, and entering the field of canine behaviour seemed a natural progression from there. We may think it is difficult to train dogs without the medium of human language, but she says that’s dogs have their own language. Her job is mainly to bridge the gap between the dog and the owner. Once you understand the body language of any dog, it is easy to train them.
The most difficult part of her job is not training the dogs, but training the family to accept the dogs for what they are. All families have different relations with their pet. Her main focus is on improving the life within the home for the dog, as well as for the whole family. It is a holistic approach to having a pet at home.
Another challenge is the misconceptions about dog training in society. They think that harsh training with negative reinforcements is the only correct way. But slowly and gradually, mind-sets are changing. Each happy family is becoming an ambassador for her method of training.
Despite these challenges, the work has been an enriching experience for her. The joy of seeing a dog adjust well to the family and live an improved life is all the satisfaction she needs. The pet becomes a whole part in the family, travelling, eating and living fully with the family. The joy doubles when she gets to work with small kids, and make them more sensitive towards the needs of animals. This helps to make the next generations more compassionate about the animals.
She asserts that people need to understand that dogs are more than pets. They can enrich the life of the owner in many ways. History has been a testament to the loyalty, courage and unconditional love of a pet dog, and the emotional benefits of having a pet can change the life in a home.
To young animal lovers who would like to pursue a career in this field, she says that it is important to get the right training. But just loving animals is not enough, you need to be empathetic and accepting of families as well.
Her story and work is a symbol of the everlasting love between mankind and animals.
