Dr David Sands head the Animal Behavioural Clinic, Chorley, treating pet dogs, cats, birds and horses with behavioural problems. He is an internationally established author and photographer and gained his doctorate in ethology for research completed at Liverpool University.

As a freelance animal behaviourist/pet/media specialist, David has been featured in several television documentaries and programmes such as 'Absolutely Animals', 'Pet Rescue', 'Potty about Pets' and BBC's '999' current series on how to deal with a dog attack and recently in 'To The Ends Of the Earth' (Amazon) to be screen in Spring Summer 2001. He has also contributed to UK TV and Radio news programs on related human and pet companionship subjects.

David has scripted a number of animal information videos on small animals, dogs and cats and contributed to and written many animal books including a dozen on tropical fishes, books - Cats and Kittens, Dogs and Puppies and, ' To The Rescue - Dogs ', ' To The Rescue - Cats ', informative guides to providing a rescue or re-homed dog or cat a new life. He is currently writing a family dog book for Harper Collins and has contributed chapters to TV zoo veterinary, David Taylor's Encyclopedia of the family cat to be published by Harper Collins this year.

To The Rescue

In the six years of running the Animal Behavioural Clinic, at Chorley in Lancashire, Dr David Sands has treated hundreds of rescue dogs with behavioural problems ranging acute withdrawn behaviour to predatory aggression. The common theme running through his clinical cases has been 'insecurity' in the dogs. Various nervous behaviours displayed by rescue dogs all stem from the uncertainty of life, abuse, survival when stray on the streets and the effects of an unknown past.

'To The Rescue' , David's guide to giving rescue and re-homed a new life, is based on a summary of the rehabilitation therapies he developed to help 'neurotic' rescue dogs. The book is based on actual case histories, illustrated with his client's dogs - as opposed to 'picture perfect' dogs used in glossy publications.

The summary of To The Rescue' is that happy dogs are not aggressive and happy dogs are not shivering with fear. Rescue dogs react to the conditions of life they have experienced. Treating them successfully is about understanding canine behaviour and why a dog reverts to adrenaline-driven instinctive behaviour (flight or fight).

Every once in a while, however, a happy story shines out from all the cases David treats in his clinic. One such story, about Rocky , is a guiding light for all keepers of rescue dogs.