Engage me for your next corporate speaking event

Hi, I’m Martin McKenna, known to millions of Australians on radio as The Dog Man, and I’m available to speak at your next corporate event. Many people are fascinated by my unusual childhood of being an Irish street kid who lived with a pack of dogs for 3 years. These 6 extraordinary stray dogs changed my life. They became my best friends and family – but also some of the most important mentors I'd ever meet.

I love sharing the invaluable life lessons I learned from these six extraordinary dogs. They taught me about loyalty, respect, courage, surviving, perseverance and optimism. They showed me how I could become a leader worth following. They taught me how to bounce back from incredible adversity. How to stay strong mentally, spiritually and physically. Ultimately, they revealed how I could respect and like myself.

From a boy who couldn’t even read and write his own name properly – I’ve become a bestselling author in Australia and now have an international memoir, published in New York. These days I'm represented by one of the most prestigious literary agencies in the world, the Writers House in New York. I’m Australia’s best-known dog communicator and in my role within the dog rescue industry, I've come to know the corporate world and most forms of Australian media. I have many insights to share that will give you the winning confidence to tackle any obstacle in the corporate world.

I love inspiring people to be their best – and am passionate about showing audiences how to have a mindset that can help you survive, adapt and thrive in today’s dog-eat-dog corporate world. I guarantee, no one will forget me or the things I have to say!

I’ve been a guest on The Project, The Today Show, Kerri Ann Kennerley and ABC Australian Story. On radio, I’ve been on over 450 radio shows during the past 15 years, including ABC Late Night Live with Philip Adams, National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Classic FM Midday with Margaret Throsby, Triple J, Triple M, 2UE and many statewide and regional ABC and commercial shows. 

 You can hear some of my ideas in the video below...

  

If you'd like to see some more short video clips by me, you can find them here!

You can contact me for more information at: martinmckennadog@hotmail.com

I hope you'll join me on Twitter at: @mckennawisdom

    I look forward to hearing from you.

My Life With Dogs

Martin McKenna,

Author of The Boy Who Talked To Dogs

What was it like living with a pack of Irish street dogs for 3 years? 1975-1978

 

Hi, I'm Australia's best-known dog communicator and the author of the international memoir 'The Boy Who Talked To Dogs', published in New York by Skyhorse and also available on Audible.com. I've also written 3 books on dog behaviour and language, 2 of which became best-sellers. 

I've been a guest on TV shows such as Australian Story on ABC, the Project, the Today Show and Kerri Ann Kennerley Show. I've also been on The ABC Radio National Breakfast Show with Fran Kelly, The ABC Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, The ABC Radio Classic FM Midday Show with Margaret Throsby and over 450 radio shows around Australia.

Here is the cover of my memoir 'The Boy Who Talked To Dogs'.

The boy on my book cover is my son Fintan who is the same age I was when I lived rough. Sean is one of our six rescue dogs.

I grew up in Garryowen in Limerick which is in the west of Ireland. My family was large - there were my parents, Sigrid and Mick and 8 children. Andrew, John and I are identical triplets.

My family when we triplets came home.

Above: Me, John, Andrew, around 2 years. It was always tricky being an identical triplet.

Above: John, Andrew and Martin, aged 4

My parents loved each other very much but my father drank heavily sometimes. Often he was a funny drunk – but sometimes he could get very violent. My home life could get a little crazy. I also had ADHD so I had a very hard time at school. I was completely illiterate and couldn’t even read and write my own name properly. I always felt like an outsider and a freak.

Before I ran away, we had a swastika painted on the front wall of our house. Some kids called us Hitler’s ‘secret babies’.

 

 

Above: this is the only surviving photo I have of the time around when my book is set. Here I am in 1974, the year before I ran away, posing with my hurling team. I’m 2^nd from right, bottom row.

 

I’m very proud of my Celtic heritage and still speak fluent Gaelic – the Irish Celtic language.

I ran away when I was 13 – leaving behind my dad’s violence at home, the bullying at school of the schoolteachers – and all the rest of the complicated humans in my life. I lived rough in the countryside around Garryowen in Limerick and soon hooked up with 6 stray dogs for 3 years. We became a pack.

Understandably, I have no photos of this period of my life, but I’ve found some images on the Internet that strongly remind me of my six strays. These dogs meant everything to me.

(c) Pixabay

Mossy (above):

Was an English springer spaniel. He was a very optimistic, friendly dog and usually stuck to my side like moss to a stone. He always looked bedraggled and muddy and had a tangled coat – he was never as clean or well groomed as this!

(c) Pixabay

Missy (above):

Was a very sweet little dog. She had a fine silky coat and butterfly ears so I’m guessing she had some Skye terrier in her. She always looked a mess but was very kind. She loved being the only female in our pack. She was quite motherly despite her small size and had great determination.

(c) Pixabay

Fergus (above):

Was an extremely curious dog who was always fascinated by smells. He was a wire-haired terrier and always looked pretty muddy. He was such a lively funny dog. Sadly, he used to go off and explore a lot and was eventually shot by a farmer. I found his body in a field and was devastated. I’ll never forget him because he was always so cheerful and merry. Even on our hungriest days, he could bring a smile to my face.

(c) Pixabay

Red (above):

Was a wonderful, loyal, calm Foxhound-cross. He was just the sort of dog you want around as he brought a great dignity and serenity to us all. He had great honour. I really trusted this dog and found him to be a wonderful teacher.

(c) Pixabay

Pa (above):

Was hilarious! He was a really chubby, greedy character who was completely obsessed by food. He could find food anywhere. He always made me laugh – especially when he sat on his rump and slid down the hay pile in the barn every morning like. He looked just like he was on a slippery dip.

(c) Pixabay

Blackie (above):

Was a bit of a bully though I realise now this was because he was probably always hungry. He was a Newfoundland-cross and was huge and very powerful. I was always a little scared of him – but he was such a great guard dog that I decided to keep him around.

Blackie was the dog I first communicated with in pure dog language – and it was an unforgettable moment when we finally connected. It was the first time he let me touch him. The hairs on my arms went up on end and I felt a rush of energy. It felt like magic.

Later, after Fergus, the merry little wire-haired terrier died when he was  shot by a farmer, another dog joined us. This was Skitty, a whippet mix: She was extremely shy like this dog below.

(c) Pixabay

 
There were other stray dogs that drifted in and out of our pack. They stayed for a while before drifting away again. However, the original six dogs I listed above and the later addition, Shy dog, were the dogs I got to know best. We truly became a pack and they became my family and friends.

The dogs and I slept in farmers hay barns at night to stay warm and dry. The hay was stacked almost to the ceiling and we buried ourselves down deep. You soon learned to live with mice leaping about! I moved around the district staying in different barns so farmers didn’t catch me or the dogs.

Together, we loved exploring the beautiful countryside around Limerick. I especially loved running across the fields with the dogs during a white frost. It was like entering another, more magical world.

 
When I returned home, I never went to high school with my brothers. Instead I got local odd jobs. I also played a lot of sport with my brothers. Here we are posing with our hurling team when we were 21 in 1983. I’m still the runt! John is the 4th from the left. Then there’s me in the middle, then Andrew.

 

I’ll always be grateful to my pack of stray dogs who helped me when I was a boy back in Ireland. They taught me the International Language of Dogs. They also showed me how to become a better human. Whenever I’m around dogs I live a well-balanced, happy life and reach my full potential. Dogs always bring me great happiness and inner peace.

 

Here I am with my current pack of adopted dogs. I live on a small farm in Nimbin, Australia.

 

When I arrived in Australia about 20 years ago, I started helping people with their dogs. I explained what their dogs were trying to tell them. For this reason, I called myself a dog communicator rather than a dog trainer.

About sixteen years ago I was invited on a local ABC radio show and there was such an overwhelming response, I became a regular guest. This led to other radio shows and resulted in a book in 2001, The Dog Man (below). Because I was still illiterate, a ghostwriter Mike Hayes wrote it for me based on recordings we made. It became an instant bestseller.

Unfortunately The Dog Man isn't in print anymore.

In 2009, I learned how to read and write using my own poetry. It was an extremely difficult experience but I persevered. Not long after, I wrote my first book, What’s Your Dog Telling You? (below) and it was published in 2011. This has most of the basics about the language and sacred laws of the Dog World. These are the things I learned from my pack of strays when I was a boy. This also became a bestseller.

You can buy it at HarperCollins Australia here!

In 2013 I wrote What’s Your Dog Teaching You? (below) This is full of life lessons about how you can live a better, happier life. These are lessons I learned from my pack of strays when I was a boy – as well as what I observed when helping people with their dogs in their homes during my years in the dog rescue industry. Dogs and the way they behave tell you a surprising amount about their humans. I believe dogs are some of the most powerful mentors we’ll ever have.

You can buy it at HarperCollins Australia here!

Now after a 20 year career, I’m leaving the dog rescue industry to pursue my creative side. I feel like I’ve finally repaid my debt to the dogs who helped me as a boy.

To mark the end of this part my life, I wrote my memoir about where my connection with dogs began – when I was a boy growing up in Limerick, Ireland. The result is The Boy Who Talked To Dogs, published in New York by Skyhorse. My wonderful agent is Daniel Lazar of the prestigious Writers House, literary agency. My book is now published in North America, Canada, Australia and Brazil – and is available worldwide on Amazon. It’s also available on Audible.

You can buy it from Amazon here!

I'm now stepping into the corporate world to share the wisdom taught to me by thousands of dogs over a 20 year career in the dog industry.

I hope you'll join me on Twitter at: @mckennawisdom