About me

I'm Penny Alexander. I was born in Australia and moved to England when I was 12 years old. I decided to move back to Australia and am now happily settled in Queensland with my partner.

During my stay in England I completed training in kennel and cattery management, as well as canine courses at college, before attending Jan Fennell’s dog listening course. I completed the introductory part of the course in January 2006, followed by the advanced course in March 2006.

I am currently employed by the Animal Welfare League re-homing dogs and cats.

I have two dogs and two cats of my own.

Billy

Billy, a West Highland White Terrier, came to me very nervous, peeing as soon as he was called, and aggressive to males and other animals. He now harmoniously lives with our second dog and two cats, and is friendly towards other dogs at the Animal Welfare League. I used to take him to work with me to visit the elderly, people with learning disorders and cerebral palsy. They all adored him.

I, like most others, was on the right track to correcting his behaviour, but wasn’t quite there. Something was missing. I went to one of Jan’s seminars and immediately found the missing piece. People who knew Billy before I started Amichien Bonding cannot believe he is the same dog.

From certain euthanasia, because he was biting, to his role as a ‘pat dog’, it is an incredible transformation.

Breeze

Breeze is a 16-month old stray Kelpie. She came to me very hyper and dominant. She had slight dog aggression when I took her on, which is now fading away. She would follow me around the house and charge out of the door when opened, as well as chase the cats. All this has stopped now and she is relaxed as she is just a pack member and not the pack leader. She even enjoys going to the park and playing with other dogs.

So now I would like to help save many other dogs and give them a fresh start, and it all begins with their owners. Working with the Animal Welfare League, I would like to stop this ‘yo-yo’ effect where a dog is re-homed and then returned to the shelter because of minor behavioural issues that new owners are unsure how to deal with.