Naturalist Chris Packham meets Big Issue vendor Martin McKenzie… and his fluffy dog Bella

When Bella meets Chris Packham, she engages in what the wildlife presenter describes as an “ancient greeting ceremony”. That is to say, she licks his entire face. 

“Oh, she likes you,” says Big Issue vendor Martin McKenzie. 

Bella is Martin’s daily companion on his pitch outside London’s Victoria Station. The fluffy, hyperactive Yorkie has just received one of Big Issue’s fetching (pardon the pun) new dog tabards, created in partnership with Animal Friends. 

Chris Packham wears many hats: renowned broadcaster, environmental campaigner and Big Issue ambassador. But first and foremost, he’s a dog lover. 

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Martin: She likes you a lot. 

Chris: I like her… a lot of people would say, ‘Martin, oh, you’re letting that dog lick your mouth. That’s a really dirty thing.’ But I’ve got to tell you, it’s part of a greeting ceremony. Because 33,000 years ago, Bella was a wolf, and when wolves are feeding their young, they bring food back having chewed it up and partially digested it. When they get to the den, the cubs rush out and they lick the mouths of the adults, and that stimulates them to regurgitate the food. What we see in dogs is that cub behaviour retained into adulthood, and it’s very much a greeting. So you’ll notice if you leave Bella, or when you wake up in the morning, she’ll want to lick you. 

M: 100% 

C: It’s sort of re-establishing that bond between the two of you. And then people say, ‘Well, it’s dirty.’ But when you cut yourself, the first thing you do is lick it, don’t you? And that is an instinctive thing, because our saliva has bacteria in it which help cleanse the wound. Ditto the dog. In days of old, when there were battles, they would allow the camp dogs to tend all of the wounded by licking their wounds. That’s where that expression comes from. So if anyone ever says to you, ‘Don’t let that dog lick your face,’ you can tell them actually, it’s a very important bit of their behaviour, and it’s not dirty at all. 

M: Well, usually I follow up by saying I’ve never fallen ill from any of my dogs licking me yet.  

Read more:

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• Where is ‘home’ for a dog? It’s in the relationship with their human. The rest is unimportant
• The Wanted star Nathan Sykes shares how dogs give him purpose: ‘I can’t imagine not having a dog’

C: I’m 64 years old, and dogs have been licking me all my life, and I’m still breathing, as far as I can make out! Tell me a bit about Bella. 

M: I got her three years ago. She’s fascinated with the ball. That’s all she cares about. She’s got a better wardrobe than me, and she’s got a very expensive palette. She loves proper food – chicken, venison, beef, lamb. If you were to put a regular tray of dog meat down, she’d just look at you as if to say ‘are you being serious?’ and then walk away. 

C: What about some of your customers? Do they bring her treats and things? 

M: They do indeed, but only the best, because she is really fussy. 

C: If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been homeless? 

M: Nearly two years now, all in. I was sofa surfing beforehand. Unfortunately, my friend had to be admitted to hospital, so I was recently back on the street. I’m currently camping. My dog stays with a friend. I picked up Big Issue, it always seems to get me back on my feet. 

C: It’s not just about the money, is it? I mean, it’s also about social contact. Having Bella must be a real asset, a dog is always a conversation starter. 

M:  Yeah, a five-minute walk down the road can take me half an hour. I have to keep stopping because somebody wants to say hello to Bella. 

C: The other thing that I’m really impressed by is that she’s out on the pavement here, not on a lead – in London. She’s very well trained. 

M: She’s got a very good discipline. She knows the difference between right and wrong. She’s not silly.
She also anticipates if [the ball’s] gonna go on the road, she’ll stop chasing it. She’s super intelligent. She also knows not to hurt other animals. We’re still working on the fox thing. 

C: We don’t want any fox hunting in London, we’ve got enough problems with that in the countryside. 

M: She can’t help it, but I’m trying to get her out of it. 

C: What about Christmas. Is it the season of goodwill? Do you notice that on the street? 

M: 100%, the generosity of some of my customers enables me to get indoors from time to time, such as
a hotel or backpackers. The goodwill’s there, but the cold temperatures are setting in. 

C: She doesn’t come in the tent with you? I love sleeping with my dogs. 

M: I do love sleeping with her. But I wouldn’t get any sleep. She’ll be too much of a guard dog. She’ll be barking at every little noise, if anybody shouts, or there’s a crackle, bang, bang from a car exhaust, she’s very distressed. I miss waking up to her on my pillow in the morning, nudging me in the face with the ball in her mouth, trying to get me to wake up and play. And of course, I’m gonna wake up and play ball. 

C: Well, I hope you have a good Christmas. I really hope you find some accommodation. I hope Bella gets her venison sausages. 

M: Oh, yes. 

C: It’s been brilliant to meet you both. She’s absolutely gorgeous. 

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