Transcript: Nick Poulton on Dog Save The People

Nick Poulton is a book author and a “Dog Dude” host at Dudes & Dogs. He previously worked in TV operations for news channels like the BBC, Sky, and Bloomberg. After leaving his corporate job, he found a new way of life with his dog, Otto, who has become an invaluable member of his family with his wife and young son.

In this episode, Nick speaks with European Correspondent Nina May about Dudes & Dogs and his relationship with Otto.

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Full transcript of Nick Poulton’s interview below.

INTRO

John: Welcome to Dog Save the People, a podcast about how dogs make our lives better. My name is John Bartlett and I'm your host. I am so excited to introduce you all to Nina May, our new European correspondent for Dog Save the People back in September of 2019. I spoke with Nina on the show about how her dogs helped her through her mental health struggles. She is also the creator of Wonder Dog Magazine, a publication telling inspiring stories around the rescue community. Nina will be talking to some folks in Europe for us, and we're so excited for this first episode of hers. That Nina take the floor to tell us more about today's guest.

Nina: Thanks, John, and nice to meet you all. And I am so excited to be the new European correspondent for this podcast and to share stories from across the pond. Here's a little bit about today's first guest. While Nick Paltan had been closing himself off from his feelings and the world, he and his family got a puppy after he left his corporate job, their dog, called Otto, ended up lifting a weight off his shoulders and resetting his perspective. And it was only because of that they started attending the events of dudes and dogs and Mental Health Wellbeing Initiative for men. That's based around the very simple idea of guys going for walks with their dogs and opening up about their feelings.

INTERVIEW

Nina: Hi, Nick, and welcome to Dog Safe the people. We are so happy to have you here today. Now, before we start talking about dudes and dogs, I'd love to hear, first of all, about your relationship with dogs. Did you grow up with one? Do you come from a doggy family?

Nick: Yeah. I grew up with an English setter called Holly, and I was about seven when my parents got her nothing but happy memories. And then, you know, my parents have always had dogs. So when I grew up and left the family home, it was always nice to go home and see them and the dogs they had.

Nina: Can you tell me about how your current dog came into your life?

Nick: My wife, Laura and I had been talking about a dog for a number of years. I was probably pushing more for it than than Laura initially. And then when our son Casper grew a bit older, he became very interested. He's a real animal lover. He kind of sided with that. Yes, we should get a dog. We got wind of this. This litter a Hungarian. We had Whistler. And so Casper and I had the opportunity to actually go and meet Otto. And then we went to on a family holiday, actually to Sweden for a week, and Casper and I came up with a strategy just to relentlessly talk about the puppy until Laura caved in and showed her the photos. It didn't take much, to be fair.

Nina: How has your son's relationship in like so far with Otto?

Nick: I have to say the bond between Casper and Otto is is is incredible. In fact, I would say Otto really looks at Casper as his real kind of bond in the family. I mean, I think he has an absolute adoration of Casper and Casper of him, and there's something beautiful about that child and young dog kind of scenario. It is just magical. And because I think Casper is an only child, I think that bond is even more special or more important for both of them, really. You know, this morning we had a downpour of rain here and we could hear Casper get up and he went shuffling off downstairs and we thought, what's going on there? We heard the dog barking, that Otto barking, and then we we heard the back door open and we looked out and they were just going for a walk in the rain, in the garden with an umbrella. And they were just so happy together, just wandering around Casper, talking to Otto. Otto kind of yapping at him. And, yeah, beautiful.

Nina: Oh, that's great. Yes, I had a dog as a kid and I was also the only child. And I think not having siblings definitely enhance the bond even further than it would have been. But what about for you? How did things change in your life when Otto came into the picture?

Nick: You know, I'd been used to getting up, brushing my teeth, getting in the car and driving an hour and a half to London and working a 10 11 hour day, getting in the car and driving back and then having dinner, then brushing my teeth and going to sleep. Ten years of kind of commuting in a car, I did very little kind of active physical fitness as such. And so Otto joining us, which would have been in the autumn of 2019 after the kind of corporate life Laura was at work and Casper was at school. So I kind of spent my days with him all day, every day. And what he did was force a kind of a pace of my day that I need to allow an hour, an hour and a half in the morning to walk and then in the evening as well. I suddenly just realized how quick that kind of 10 year period had gone and how much I'd missed of the little things in life that are good for you. I had closed my eyes to by focusing on the drive to the office, the work at the office and the drive home with those walks also comes a kind of a mindfulness as people refer to it these days of space, nature, my body and my mind. It just felt like like a weight lifted.

Nina: Well, speaking of getting up and exercising with your dog, could you please tell me about the Dudes & Dogs program.

Nick: It's a men's mental health and wellbeing initiative. Men in general are not very good at talking about how they feel. In fact, we're pretty awful at it. And so the idea is literally to create a safe space where a walk host or dog do to train dog dude can create that safe space for a number of men to turn up with a dog or dogs, and you set off on a walk and you talk, and it sounds really simple and it sounds. What's the big deal with that? But actually, for guys, that's a huge deal going to meet other men that you don't know that you're not linked with through work or friendships. To talk openly is a huge deal.

Nina: I can really imagine that it's not easy to open up to strangers about your inner thoughts and emotions, even when it's supposed to be in a safe space. So did you feel intimidated at first when you went on these walks?

Nick: You're talking here to a social introvert. The thought of going to walk on a Saturday morning or Sunday morning with a bunch of guys. I don't know about my feelings. I can't. Even going back two years have said what? No, why would I do that? I first heard of due to dogs. I saw a post, I think, on social media and straightaway it resonated just because my own kind of journey I was going through with, I guess, my awakening or reawakening to myself through my dog and the walks we were having in the time we were spending together. But it's it's pushed my comfort zone and never left without feeling better for doing it.

Nina: So what do you think it is that allows these gatherings to be a space for that kind of conversation?

Nick: When you're walking with guys, it's much easier to open up because you're not in a kind of sitting across the table from them in a kind of a body language where you could be too feeling too exposed next to each other, looking ahead, looking at your dogs and actually that lack of eye contact takes the pressure away. What it does do is it unlocks real kind of honesty. You could be talking about some very serious stuff, but then you can next minute be laughing because your dog's doing something silly over there or bounding up. And what's next to treat for doing absolutely nothing or two dogs are playing and. And that's the that's the beauty of what they bring is they add that level of safety and it's OK, you know, because it can feel like a big step for guys to join these walks. And we always say, you know, come, come and see what walks about. You don't have to speak. You can just listen. And I would say visibly, you can see guys their body language shifts after they've been walking for 20 30 minutes because they realize it's safe space. There's no judgment.

Nina: Yes, I think that dogs certainly help with that as they are always so judgmental towards us and unconditional with their love. Yeah. So you've become one of the dog dudes who leads these walks. How did you get involved in that?

Nick: Our founder is a guy called Rob Osman, who lives in Bristol, and I reached out to Rob and showed my interest in the whole initiative. I offered to get involved as a as a dog dude if he ever thought I was the right fit. I got my training last year and as dog dudes, we go through a series of kind of training programs with Rob. And then once we've gone through those, we are offered the chance to be mental health. First aid is now a mental health first aid. Think of it exactly the same as a physical first aider, but it is literally for mental health, so it trains you in the different kind of mental health conditions that exist and the different symptoms that can be associated with those. And yeah, I started my walk in the South Oxfordshire in September, and I say this hand on heart, Otto. He's 50 percent of this. If it wasn't for Otto, I couldn't do it. If I'm nervous, if I'm not feeling great, we turn up and he's there with me. It just gives me an extra level of confidence and purpose. So there's a lot of it is down to him.

Nina: Now, obviously, you took the chance and it paid off and you saw how great it is to do this. But what have you noticed in hesitancy of other men who are still unsure about taking the leap and joining in?

Nick: We have to remain realistic that after decades or centuries of actually men being discouraged from doing this kind of thing and opening up suicide is also the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. And when you think about that, that's just incredible. That is a shocking thing.

Nina: Well, Nick, you mentioned it's a huge or the biggest killer, in fact, for men under the age of forty five in the UK. But I have to say as a woman, I was a few years ago also suicidal, and I found the first steps of talking to someone both so difficult because you don't really know who you speak to or who you should speak to, who you call all those things. But then also, once you do make that first step, it's so liberating.

Nick: It's not going to be a light switch moment this this is going to be a slow burn, but it's about sticking to the cause and. Slowly but surely helping guys, and if you can help one guy and they mention it to another guy who then mentioned it to someone else, that's great.

Nina: So if people are interested, where can they find out more about the organization?

Nick: Dudes & Dogs is on the kind of regular all the regular social media outlets Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the website is dudes n dogs. Co.uk. So dudes and dog squad at.

Nina: Fantastic. Nick, thank you so much for your time today, and I wish you all the best of luck and that the mission will grow. Thank you. I really enjoyed speaking with Nick today, and I think Dudes and Dogs is an amazing initiative and it's so important. Dudes and dogs filled the gap in the mental health system because it is free and it's a gentle way. It's got no pressure about it. Anyway, so much for me. Back to you, John, to take us home.

OUTRO

John: It was great to listen to Nina talking to Nick about dudes and dogs, and I absolutely love the idea. Hopefully, they can expand across the pond and create a New York chapter so I can join as well. I'm also excited for Nina to keep speaking with her other European guests and sharing their stories as our new correspondent.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Dog Save the People, a podcast about how dogs make our lives better. This show is a production of, as it should be, a production company and content studio. It is made with the support of executive producer Scott Bernalillo and our producer and editor Jack Sommer. Special thanks to our composer Daniel Lampert for creating the music for the show. You can follow dogs, save the people on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like the show, please leave a review. Please consider signing up to our monthly email newsletter on Dog. Save the People.com on the website. You will also find show merch in our gift shop, including shirts from our Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, my foundation, where profits go to supporting independent rescues and shelters. You can also follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you have any questions or submissions, please drop a note to the email address of bark at Dog. Save the People.com. New episodes come out every Tuesday, so see you next week for another episode of Dog. Save the People. Enjoy a walk with your dog outside and make it a great day for both of you.

Jack Sommer