Publications

George was an African Mastiff — a Boerboel of enormous presence and quiet dignity. His nickname, Georgie Mouse, belied the scale of the dog and the depth of the bond. This book is his story: a photographic biography told with honesty, grief, and love.

It is also something rarer — an account of how undiagnosed low thyroid function can profoundly alter temperament in some dogs, creating aggression and instability that owners and vets can mistake for character. The book traces the long road to understanding what was happening to George, and the devastating decision that was ultimately made.

Readers have described it as heartbreaking. The photographs speak for themselves.

Undiagnosed hypothyroidism can transform a previously gentle, loving dog into one that is unpredictable and dangerous — not only to strangers, but to the very family it has always known. The change can be gradual, or it can appear seemingly overnight. For owners, the experience is bewildering and heartbreaking in equal measure.

What makes this condition so difficult to manage is that even with diagnosis, medication, and regular blood testing, the aggression cannot always be fully controlled. Thyroid levels fluctuate. A dog that is stable one month may become unsafe the next. Owners find themselves navigating an impossible balance — keeping their pet, keeping everyone safe, and watching helplessly as the dog they love becomes a source of fear in the home.

This was my experience with George. It is the experience of many owners who are never told that a thyroid panel should be among the first tests run when a dog's behaviour changes.

Dr. W. Jean Dodds — the American veterinarian who pioneered canine blood banking and founded Hemopet — has spent decades researching the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and behaviour in dogs. Her work is essential reading for any owner, breeder, or vet confronted with sudden or unexplained aggression. Her website contains detailed, rigorously researched information on thyroid testing, interpretation, and the behavioural consequences of inadequate thyroid function.