As he becomes our new prime minister, now seems like a good time to get to know Andy Burnham. And what better way to understand someone than via their pets?
Keir Starmer’s pet cats – kitten Prince and rescue cat Jojo – joined Larry at Downing Street and are expected to depart along with Keir in the autumn. Before him, the UK had a tendency to have dog people in charge. Rishi Sunak has a Labrador Retriever named Nova, Boris Johnson and wife Carrie own Jack Russel-cross Dilyn, and while neither Liz Truss nor Theresa May have their own dogs, both are noted fans, with Liz even having a framed photo of herself with Lewis the Dulux dog on a table.
So, with Andy now taking on the job of PM, it’ll be a return to dog-loving form. The born-and-bred Northerner is the proud owner of rescue dog Axel, who he adopted from The Dog’s Trust. We don’t know a lot about Axel, as Andy hasn’t yet been papped taking him on a walk and Andy has tended to use social media to discuss politics rather than regaling us with stories about his pet. What we do know is that he is a bichon poo – meaning a cross between a bichon frisé and a poodle – and, according to Andy, has ‘little man syndrome in terms of his attitude’.
That adds up – dog behaviourist and trainer Louise Glazebrook tells Good Housekeeping that this particular breed is ‘clever’ but ‘can be yappy’. ‘Bichons tend to be friendly dogs who love to learn,’ says Louise. ‘The combo of bichon and poodle is a popular one as they are small, fluffy little clouds that many families are drawn to. Many owners underestimate this crossbreed, thinking they are a little lap dog and don’t do much, but they love to play, to learn and enjoy being part of a family.’
Louise says she often sees this particular breed showing ‘barking and boredom issues’ because they need more walking and mental stimulation activities than you might expect. That should be fine for Andy Burnham – we know he loves a jog, so could easily plot in some slower runs with his pooch.
Andy appears to have a few dog lovers in his corner. Former transport secretary and noted figure in Andy’s Makerfield by-election campaign Louise Haigh is the proud owner of Milo, a golden lurcher-whippet cross. Burnham backer Anneliese Midgley has been vocal about the importance of recent changes to the vet sector. And Angela Rayner, who last week said she supported Andy Burnham’s ‘vision’, has previously described her Golden Retriver Luna as a ‘hero’.
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Studies suggest dog owners tend to have stronger personal relationships, as well as being more agreeable and extroverted, versus cat people tending more towards neuroticism. There’s not yet any data on whether dog owners or cat owners make better prime ministers, but we do know that showing a love of dogs on social media makes the public view politicians more favourably – so Andy would be wise to start posting more photos of Axel – sharpish.
Should Andy and Axel move into Downing Street – TBD, as the MP has said he wants to set up a Number 10 up North – there’ll be some work to do with Axel to ensure he handles all that change well. Rescue dogs in particular can struggle with adjustments to routine due to the potential of negative past experiences, but Louise Glazebrook advises that it’s vital to view each dog as an individual.
‘We have to look at what our dog is currently used to and really happy with and how the change will vary that,’ Louise notes. ‘We then need to think about how we can minimise the impact by considering our dog’s own likes, dislikes, needs and worries. If, for example in Andy’s case, his dog was not great around people coming in and out of the house in his current set up, he won’t magically love it at No. 10 should he go to live there. A plan would need to be put together to figure out what is going to help his dog settle in, in the best way possible and not just hoping for the best.’
For any change in location, ‘making sure a dog has items of their own from their home is crucial’, so Louise urges dog owners not to wash their dog’s bed or toys before moving.
Beyond that, she says: ‘Consider simple things like, if you have lived in a flat and are moving to a house, does your dog know how to do stairs? If you have wooden floors and are moving to carpeting, does your dog know not to pee on them or is that something they were never taught? And most crucially, really think about how your time and structure of your day will change. Perhaps your dog is used to one type of routine and that will change. If so, then you need to start to prepping for that change and that could be implementing a dog walker, or purposefully switching up your walking times and factoring in time for 1:1 play and training – so that your dog understands you are still there, you still care and their needs are met.’
