K9 Rehab: Meet the trainer helping to turn around aggressive rescue dogs in Burnley and Pendle
She helps to turn around aggressive rescue dogs who have reached the end of the line.
Lisa Tennant, who founded K9 Rehab in Reedley in 2011, says she takes in and trains 15 to 20 rescues a week who have nowhere else to go and are in danger of being killed as they have either bitten or shown aggression to people or other dogs. She calls them "last chance dogs" who face being put to sleep if left unclaimed in pounds for seven days, and who she has helped to find new homes or work, such as with Lancashire Police, after a course of training.
"The plight of rescue dogs is bulging at the seams. It's ridiculous. There's never been so many dogs in rescue," said Lisa.
She believes many people abandon their pets due to unwanted behaviour that training could correct, adding that they all "deserve a chance to get another life rather than to be sat in a kennel or a rescue 24/7".
As part of our Homes For Pups campaign, we met with Lisa to learn more about the crisis facing dogs in the area:
Abandonment of larger breeds
The rehab has taken in many "bigger breeds that other people won't take". It includes XL Bullies, who were overbred in lockdown and in many cases raised to be tough then abandoned in droves following a ban on ownership in England in February 2024. It’s now illegal to own or possess an XL Bully without a valid Certificate of Exemption, following increased reports of injuries and deaths caused by dogs, linked in some cases to this breed. It’s also an offence to breed, sell, give away, abandon, or let an XL stray, or have one in public without a lead and muzzle.
Lisa calls them "stubborn" but "lovely" and "trainable", advising people to be firmer with them.
"Unfortunately, a lot of breeds have been targeted as status symbols. People are now saying that the Cane Corso is going to be the next one. A lot of the dogs we get, like the Malis [Malinois], the Cane Corso and the XLs, which are our favourite breeds, the Rottweiler and Doberman, they're all amazing dogs. You just need to know how to drive them, and you can turn them around."
Abandonment of smaller breeds
Smaller breeds like Dachshunds are also being abandoned due to undesirable behaviour associated with the purpose they were bred for, according to Lisa. These dogs are vocal because they have been bred to alert people about something they have been tasked to find.
"Lots of dogs are in rescue and the pound because they need a job and people don't know how to educate them," she said.
Likewise, she claims that many stray dogs have been forced to hunt to survive on the streets and may struggle to fit into domestic life without training.
Impact of the cost of living
Lisa works alongside numerous animal charities and says she tries to keep her training "affordable" to help prevent pet owners from giving up their dogs due to financial struggles. She also hopes it will encourage people to consider adopting a rescue who might need training to help them settle after abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
For help and support with training, search for K9 Rehab on Facebook.