This site is dedicated to raising awareness of Animal Intelligence by means of an illustrated lecture of one hour, designed to educate and delight audiences around the world with true stories of animal heroism both in wartime and peacetime.
It is illustrated from the history of art with many great paintings, sculptures and monuments. From iconic Victorian works such as Sir Edwin Landseer's 'Saved!' (left) and his "Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner", to "Greyfriars Bobby" and the marble stallions of the Parthenon frieze; from Greek bronzes to contemporary Animal War memorials; and enriched with the poetry and writers like Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Wordsworth.
Fees, after tax, will be donated with GIFT AID to Animal Charities, supporting animal care & training.
It is illustrated from the history of art with many great paintings, sculptures and monuments. From iconic Victorian works such as Sir Edwin Landseer's 'Saved!' (left) and his "Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner", to "Greyfriars Bobby" and the marble stallions of the Parthenon frieze; from Greek bronzes to contemporary Animal War memorials; and enriched with the poetry and writers like Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Wordsworth.
Fees, after tax, will be donated with GIFT AID to Animal Charities, supporting animal care & training.
This is not an Animal Rights site or even necessarily an animal lovers' site. It is based on the pragmatic view that if Animal Intelligence is acknowledged and understood then animals the world over will be better cared for and treated with greater respect because of their usefulness to humans. They will be valued: and not just dogs and horses, but all animals.
There is a groundswell of awareness growing more insistent every year that all animals have a unique intelligence and it can be harnessed for the benefit of the human race. Thus dogs can detect cancers before any other tests; they can warn epileptics and diabetics ahead of any obvious signs; they can take blind people safely over busy roads; they can comfort and "talk" to Autistic children; they can comfort the dying; they can remember things that people forget; they can help to dress and undress people with disabilities; and they can save children and warn parents of impending danger. The stories people tell, in the lecture, indicate that animals can be faithful for a whole lifetime and beyond. They harbour no resentment for the millennia of cruelty and abuse that they have suffered at the hands of human beings. Evidence from antiquity suggest that dolphins have been rescuing drowning and ship-wrecked human beings for centuries. This is attested on Ancient Greek vases and bronzes like the one on the left. But why should they? Until the advent of underwater cameras this phenomenon could not be recorded on film. Now it can and has been.
'The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner' (below) was painted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1837, the year the young Queen Victoria came to the throne. The sheepdog, a Border Collie, is frozen in grief as she presses her breast against the shepherd's plain wooden coffin. The Bible and spectacles on the wooden stool tell of the simplicity and loneliness of the crofter who has been her best friend. John Ruskin, the famous Victorian art writer and critic praised the work's simplicity and integrity of feeling. It was published by The Art Union of London as an engraving and went all around the British Empire taking the faithful love of animals for their masters around the globe.
HOW TO BOOK This lecture may be booked by means of the contact form. It is suitable for any Arts Societies, for all fund raising events especially animal charities, as well as for company and corporate events. It is an entertaining ' lecture with a difference' for private groups.
This is also a NADFAS lecture and advertised on the NADFAS website in the UK. Availability, booking dates, and fees can be discussed via the Contact Form. The lectures can be booked up to two years' in advance and travel expenses are normally met by the Societies.
This is also a NADFAS lecture and advertised on the NADFAS website in the UK. Availability, booking dates, and fees can be discussed via the Contact Form. The lectures can be booked up to two years' in advance and travel expenses are normally met by the Societies.