016 | Jennifer Cook & her motley crew of her own, foster and dog-walking dogs, a laid back Aussie attitude goes a long way

016 | Jennifer Cook & her motley crew of her own, foster and dog-walking dogs, a laid back Aussie attitude goes a long way

I loved this interview with Jennifer. Talking with her I understand 100% how she manages to work with all of her canine companions (and their people) so well.

We talk about how she went from IT specialist to having a dog walking service and how she hasn’t regretted it at all.

She talks about what it is like to foster dogs (and mentions that all of you who have adopted a dog from foster care should definitely feel free to keep photo updates on your dog coming indefinitely).
Each one of them has or had their own peculiarities. One of her fosters took months to be housetrained, but I swear I have never had someone talk about cleaning up pee in their house for months on end in such a chill way as Jennifer.

I am sure that is made possible by her general relaxed attitude towards life, combined with a genuine curiosity to learn more about our canine friends.

Though she is not a dog trainer she explains how she tries to adhere to the training protocols used by the trainers of her different dog walking dogs as well as possible.
When she’s not sure how to handle something she communicates with the guardians to figure out what to do.

If I were living in Amsterdam I would hire her pronto. How many dogwalkers do you know that will gladly walk reactive dogs and be willing to follow your training methods?

Links to where you can find Jennifer

Apparently, during the interview, some of the laid-back attitude also rubbed off on me and I almost forgot to ask her where people could find her and her service, but not to worry, you will find the links below.

If you’re wanting some pointers on starting your own dogwalking service, then Jennifer mentions she’s happy to provide you with some information.

 

Jen’s business social media:

https://www.facebook.com/Expatspetsandmore

https://www.instagram.com/expatspetsandmoreamsterdam/

Her own Instagram account (well, more like her dogs’ but that’s to be expected):

https://www.instagram.com/jackson.and.friends/

The helpful Facebook group we are both a member of:

 

Expats with Dogs in Amsterdam: https://www.facebook.com/groups/search/groups_home/?q=expats%20with%20dogs%20in%20amsterdam

 

Jenn is currently fostering for: https://www.poolseasielhonden.nl/

Stanley and Jackson came from: https://www.dutchyadoptions.com/

Want some help obtaining more of a relaxed attitude yourself?

Jump on a call with me to work out what’s keeping your mind occupied and unable to let go.

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Bonus Episode 006 | Does doing the best for your dog have to feel hard?

Bonus Episode 006 | Does doing the best for your dog have to feel hard?

Sometimes we imagine that doing our utmost for our dogs has to feel like we are making a real effort. In other words, it has to feel hard.

But does it really have to?

Are we stressing ourselves out unnecessarily? Is it simply because we are not used to the fact that doing our best can feel like smooth sailing too?

That’s what this episode is about.

Could you use some help making things less hard on yourself?

Jump on a call with me to work out if you might want to change your perception of what doing your best feels like.

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015 | Ruff Around the Edges with Meaghan Marton, Sunny & Puppy, on setting Sunny free from his troubled life and celebrating all that he was

015 | Ruff Around the Edges with Meaghan Marton, Sunny & Puppy, on setting Sunny free from his troubled life and celebrating all that he was

Trigger Warning: behavioral euthanasia

 

This episode is full of amazement, wonder, celebration, grief, sadness, guilt, love and I want to say almost any and all of the emotions from all over the spectrum.

 

It’s long and unedited because a story like that of Meaghan and Sunny, which unfortunately does not have a happy end, needs to be told in full. 

As you listen to the episode you’ll hear how close happiness and sadness really are. You may judge or not, you may find relief in the story or not, you may ask “what if” or not, you may cry or not, but above all you will realize the impact making the decision to put an animal to sleep has on a person.

This topic is not talked about enough. A lot of shame exists around it, and often where there is shame there is silence. We need to talk about it though, for the sake of our animals and the humans that love(d) them.

So before we dive in I want to thank Meaghan for being vulnerable and willing to come on the podcast to share her story.

 

 

 

 

That story begins with a chance encounter with a gorgeous pitbull named Sunny on the streets of LA. It continues with living the vanlife and traveling the continental USA, to end up back in Canada.

It’s a story that speaks of learning as you go along. Like so many of us, Meaghan changed over from punishment-based learning styles to force-free training. She describes how she got to understand Sunny better as she learned more and more about how he ticked, and how it was fear that drove his behavior.

She also explains how and why she finally came to the decision to end Sunny’s life, and talks about the grief and guilt that came with it.

She too, similar to Annie Phenix, describes how tremendously helpful Losing Lulu, the Facebook group that provides support for guardians who have made the decision to go ahead with behavioral euthanasia, was.

Finally, we talk about serendipity and how a cat named Puppy helped her heal.

I hope that mainly what comes through in this episode though is the celebration of Sunny’s life.

 

Links:

Meaghan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meaghanmariie/

Meaghan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeaghanMarieMarton

Running For A Reason fundraising initiative: https://www.instagram.com/running_forareason/

The animal farm Meaghan volunteers at: Charlotte’s Freedom Farm: https://instagram.com/charlottesfreedomfarm?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Losing Lulu on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/losinglulu) – this is an extremely well moderated support group for owners who have made the decision to put down a pet for behavioral reasons. The support here is first class. If you ever felt alone in this painful decision, this compassionate group will prove to you that you are not alone.

Behaviour Euthanasia Decision and Support Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2232229546906347

If this episode brought up things you could need help managing your mind around, get in touch with me

It’s helpful to have someone mirror your thoughts back to you.

Schedule a Call
Bonus Episode 005 | Get-there-itis, parallels between flying and life with our dogs

Bonus Episode 005 | Get-there-itis, parallels between flying and life with our dogs

Get-there-itis is a phenomenon known in aviation to be a pilot-killer. The technical term is plan confirmation bias.

Once a goal is set or in the case of flying, once a destination is set, we tell ourselves, that all will be okay once we will get there. We rationalize that it’s okay to cross boundaries that we had previously considered as set in stone and uncrossable, because

– we’re almost there

– it really isn’t that bad

– yes we may have said we weren’t going to cross that particular boundary, but really when you look at it, it’s by a small amount only, so you know, it’s not that bad

The result is often a set of bad decisions that each one in and of itself would be easy to recover from. Taken in combination however they produce a one-way ticket to disaster.

Simply put, our brain becomes a one-track mind. We don’t stop to wait and see what’s around us anymore. We don’t question what other options are available to us and whether they would be safer and make more sense.

Maybe it’s better to:

-choose an alternate destination (literally called “alternate” in flying)

-turn around

-stop and pause (make a precautionary landing and reevaluate, maybe it’s just a temporary interruption and it will be fine to continue when the weather clears up for example)

Can you see how this may apply to your journey with your dog?

That’s what this podcast episode is all about.

Need someone to help you re-evaluate the path you're on?

Jump on a call with me to see what alternates are available to you

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014 | Ruff Around the Edges with Annie Phenix & her dogs, on the shifts in our thinking about our dogs, and the sad topic of behavioral euthanasia

014 | Ruff Around the Edges with Annie Phenix & her dogs, on the shifts in our thinking about our dogs, and the sad topic of behavioral euthanasia

Trigger Warning: Behavioral Euthanasia

Many of you will know Annie (pictured above with Armani, photographer Tica Clarke’s dog, © also Tica Clarke)  as the author of the book “The Midnight Dog Walkers” and as a dog trainer who specializes in dealing with reactivity and aggression cases and we do talk about that, but in this episode she also talks about life with her own dogs, Radar, Echo (the border collies pictured below), Zemi (pictured as a puppy further below), Cooper and Finn (the bullystick chewing cattledog mixes below; the latter two also being known affectionately as “the hooligans”).

 

 

Annie explains how she shifted her thinking around what she wants from and for her dogs and how the paradigm shift she sees in the dog training industry has made her want to hang up her shingle as a dog trainer again.

That shift has everything to do with seeing our dogs as sentient beings with emotional and physical needs that need to be met ALONGSIDE those of the human. It’s not “either/or”, it’s “and”. A plethora of trainers and new training ideas come up in our discussion and they are all linked below.

We talk about how she only wanted three things from her hooligan cattledog mixes and that was: to get along with people, to get along with dogs, and to come when called.

 

 

 

We also talk about why Annie decided on cattledogs, when “her breed” is the German Shepherd. That has everything to do with Zemi, her Shepherd who Annie has had to put to sleep because of behavioral issues. Zemi who arrived in Annie’s home as a puppy was 2,5 years old at the time. Annie hasn’t been able to have another German Shepherd after, and that says something.

 

 

Behavioral euthanasia is not an option any dog lover wants to choose ever. Annie explains what led up to the decision, and talks about her thoughts and feelings afterward as well.

She’s worked in rescue a long time and is a trainer who specializes in difficult dogs which might have made it even more difficult to accept that “we can’t save them all”.

What brings her the most sadness is the knowledge her other dogs suffered because of Zemi.

If you are considering behavioral euthanasia for your dog or have had to go through it already, please find a host of links on the topic at the bottom of this post that could be of worth you, whether to aid you in making the decision or to help you process the grief afterward.

 

Annie Phenix in her home

Links:

All of Annie’s links:

Annie’s website: www.phenixdogs.com

Annie’s Facebook Group: The Official Midnight Dog Walkers Club

The first book: The Midnight Dog Walkers on amazon.com (out of print, still available in Kindle format)

The new book, to be released September or October of 2022, available for preorder on amazon.com: Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs: Proven Techniques to Help Your Dog Recover from Fear and Anxiety and Enjoy Walks Calmly

Other trainers and trainings brought up in the podcast:

Dr. Marty Becker’s Fear Free website: https://fearfreepets.com/

Kim Brophy’s Dog Mediation Course: https://kimbropheylegscourses.thinkific.com/courses/legs-applied-ethology-family-dog-mediation-professional-course

Kim Brophy’s website: https://www.dogdoorcanineservices.com/

Kim Brophy’s Meet Your Dog book on amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Your-Dog-Game-Changing-Understanding/dp/1452148996

Denise O’Moore’s website: https://www.intodogs.org/

Dogster Magazine, the magazine Annie used to write for: https://www.dogster.com/

Andrew Hale’s website: https://trainpositive.co.uk/

Andrew Hale’s Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogcc/

The Beyond the Operant series on YouTube, also by Andrew Hales: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkbPkJzbljZUxwUoykDTJA2aeWl1q3Hwj

Linda Michaels M.A.’s website (Linda created the Hierarchy of Dog Needs®): http://www.dogpsychologistoncall.com/

Do No Harm Dog Training Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/664027960470508

Chirag Patel’s website: https://www.domesticatedmanners.com/

Trish McMillan:  https://trishmcmillan.com/

Sue Alexander:  https://www.dogsinthepark.ca/

The Canine Enrichment Ideas Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2326424080971527

 

 

Behavioral Euthanasia Support Groups/Counseling/Resources:

The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center Behavioral Euthanasia Fact Sheet: https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/files/documents/pdf/vmc/Behavioral%20Euthanasia%20fact%20sheet.pdf

The University of Tennessee Knoxville Veterinary Social Work (www.vetsocialwork.utk.edu) – This school has veterinary social workers who can help you process your grief.

Resources for pet loss through Colorado State University: www.vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/argus/pet-loss-support/

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has a support page: www.lsu.edu/vetmed/veterinary_hospital/services/counseling_services.php

VetVine® Virtual Pet Loss Support Services (www.vetvine.com/article/657/vetvine-virtual-pet-loss-support-services): A safe on-line space to talk about pet loss. Sessions are led by compassionate facilitators.

Losing Lulu on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/losinglulu) – this is an extremely well moderated support group for owners who have made the decision to put down a pet for behavioral reasons. The support here is first class. If you ever felt alone in this painful decision, this compassionate group will prove to you that you are not alone.

Behaviour Euthanasia Decision and Support Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2232229546906347

Surviving Grief (https://www.facebook.com/SurvivingGriefGarySturgis) on Facebook is a general grief page that also addresses losing a pet.

Lap of Love has some resources on how to know it’s time: https://www.lapoflove.com/

Association for Pet Loss Bereavement: www.aplb.org

Podcasts and Webinars:

https://caabpodcasts.com/index.php/2020/05/01/behavioral-euthanasia/: Trainer Trish McMillian discusses BE with Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB)

https://hannahbranigan.dog/podcast/125/: Drinking from the Toilet podcast with trainer Hannah Branigan and Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Chris Pachel.

https://aggressivedog.thinkific.com/courses/navigatingdifficultconversations?fbclid=IwAR1TOldWjsTTGL3f5nAfYau7DZL5zwYptD1BeiSbyUAl6aome_4RxyqyUwQ This is a $29 webinar discussing BE with Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Chris Pachel.

If this episode brought up things you could need help managing your mind around, get in touch with me

It’s helpful to have someone mirror your thoughts back to you.

Schedule a Call

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