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Unhurried International

Life at the animal's pace
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Mia is a Trust Technique Practitioner for all animals, a Holistic Dog Coach, an Animal Hospice Care Educator & Mentor as well as an author.

12/11/2024

In the traditional horse world, horses do not have a say. When they don't want to do or comply to something - or can't - there is punishment in one form or another. Stripped off their agency, their NO is not acceptable.

Horses that used to be part of the racing industry - like Doyly was - had plenty experience of that. Some shut down and just go along with anything - they are called "good horses". Others "act out" ... as in running away when they see you aporoaching them with head halter in hand, for example. They often get called "naughty" ... and their humans get all kinds of labels too.

Working with the Trust Technique, an animal's NO is accepted. However, that doesn't mean that's the end of that. NO doesn't always mean NEVER. It can mean NOT NOW or NOT LIKE THIS. It can mean I'M UNSURE or WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? Sometimes it might even mean ASK ME NICELY/RESPECTFULLY.

We can enter a dialogue, slow down. The horse gets back agency. And when they say YES from that place ... it's the sweetest experience. 🤗 Instead of coercion, there is cooperation. Instead of fear, there is interest. Instead of resignation, there is willingness.

Doyly's current caregiver has been put into this role unexpectedly and with very little horse experience. She felt quite daunted by the task. The advice she has been given has been from a dominance culture. She has been unable to put into practice most of what she's been told. Not only feeling intimitated by Doyly's size and behaviour but also meeting resistance within herself acting certain ways.

Learning the Trust Technique and receiving my support has dissipated the daunted feeling. She is feeling relaxed and safe around Doyly and delights in their growing closeness and connection. There was such a look of pride and joy on her face yesterday when she felt capable to apply diluted tea tree oil on his back feet to repell the flies that feel so drawn to some scabs he has there. ✨ Doyly's backend has been a no-go zone for her when we started out. He so enjoyed the resulting relief from the applied repellent. 🐎

As for Doyly's reluctance to be approached with head halter in hand ... he is learning that his NO is heard, not punished, and his timing is considered. He is also realising that when the halter goes on wonderful things follow ... which might be different from his past experience.

It's such a pleasure and immensely rewarding for me to accompany these two on their journey. 🙏

12/11/2024

My posts have been sparingly recently because I've been sick. Still not 100% but definitely on the mend. ✨

Today I met Raven - ex-racehorse - to introduce him to the Trust Technique. 🐎 Just like I have experienced with other ex-racehorses it was a bit confusing for Raven to start with because

human + halter & lead rope = work

It takes a while for the understanding to dawn that I am there for being, not doing. 😊❤

05/11/2024

A few weeks ago I posted about Henry and the amazing effects on him of the full-spectrum h**p oil products I've been adding to my dogs' meals. ✨ I'll share the link to that post in a comment below. 👇

Today I have another wow story to add. 🤗 Marvel has been having this growth on her right lower eye lid slowly increasing in size for over a year. Two days ago it fell off!!! Nothing has changed for her other than adding the CBD oil. ❤ This time I've got photos too. 👍

I am grateful for these well crafted remedies. Plant power at its finest. I'm in awe. 🙏

I am sourcing the products from the Australian company called ARTABAN. A small family business. Their heart and soul shines through their products and customer service. 🌱

**poil

31/10/2024

🎃 Trick or Treat 👻

or, like Henry likes to put it,

🍬 Treat & Treat? 🍭

14/10/2024

Taking some me time up North. A tropical break to unwind and recharge.

5-month old Lunar is hanging out with me ... 🐾

10/10/2024

🐾 KELPIES 🐾

Out where the scrubs stand dark and dense
And the great plains blaze in the sun
Where the wide sheep-paddocks, unmapped, immense
Reach out to the Queensland border fence -
It is there where the Kelpies run.

Where the dustclouds spin on the dry dustpans,
Where the dancing brolgas play,
Where the dingo fashions his furtive plans -
It is there that the little black and tans
Toil on in the heat all day.

There is the kingdom of Nip and Nell,
Of Tweed and Swallow and Sweep,
Of the racing beauties I loved so well;
And many a tale I yet could tell
Of what they could do with sheep.

Hustling their mob through the barley grass
Or turning a wing inside;
Often in fancy I see them pass
Leaping to answer the call 'Here, Lass!'
And the caution, 'Wide, go wide!'

Many a time I see them lie
In the shade of a kurrajong,
Chester, or Connie, or Flip, or Fly,
Searching a foot for a bindi-eye
That has lain in the pad too long.

When the sun goes down in a crimson glow
And a wave of golden foam
I can see them snatched to a saddle-bow
With a 'Come along, pup, you're tired, I know',
And given a free ride home.

We have dogs in the North of world-wide fame,
And champions not a few
Of grander coat and stouter frame,
But none more gallant and none more game
than the Kelpie friends I knew.

By Will Ogilvie (1869 - 1963)

I love this pic taken in 2018 of my assorted companions at the time - a mixed Kelpie mob (plus one short-haired Border Collie 😄).

Front & center: my Lenny (Blue Heeler x Kelpie). Foster Kelpies Ernie (black) and Hazel (well, hazel) and foster dog Oren (black & white Border Collie). My Marvel (Kelpie maybe or maybe not x) behind Oren and my Louie (Kelpie x Heeler?) in the top left corner. 🐶

In the pic they are all ready to “work” … aka as PLAY! Each and every one with their own game:

🐶 Lenny fetching the ball.
🐶 Ernie herding Lenny.
🐶 Hazel herding Ernie.
🐶 Oren herding Hazel and Ernie.
🐶 Marvel pretending to be a working dog but just lying down somewhere to watch when the action starts.
🐶 And Louie herding the whole bunch barking his head off. Perfectly organised chaos!

I love the single-focussedness of working dogs. It’s a marvel to witness their commitment to their given/chosen job. It’s incredible hard to distract them. And their reward is being able to do what they love. No treats or praise tops that joy. ✨

Yes, I am aware that there can be a downside to this mindset as well. And that the life of Kelpies and other herding dogs were and are not always as romantic as described in the poem. Not to mention the animals they herd.

This post is about honouring and appreciating working dogs for who they are. 🥰 Brilliant minds, brave hearts, loyal companions. Well, maybe that’s true for all dogs … but today I shine the light on these guys, especially the Kelpies … who I didn’t even know existed before I moved to Australia! If I was a dog, I think I would be a Kelpie. 😊 I recognise myself in their personality more than any other breed.

Which breed would you be if you were a dog? 🤔And, do you have a Kelpie love in your life? ❤

09/10/2024

This is a healthy shape and weight for a hippo. But not for a dog. 😏

Some time this week is - a Google search offers a variety of dates, so I pick today! 🙂 Although, really, every day we should keep our pet’s healthy weight in mind.

I wrote a blog article on the topic (link in the comments) - read & share! And visualise a world of healthy weighted animals including people. 🙏

Photo by Tim De Pauw via Unsplash

08/10/2024

Signs

There's a robin on my fence today,
A feather by my feet
A heart-shaped leaf that blows along
Beside me down the street

Your song played on the radio
This morning in the car
And just last night I could've sworn
I saw a shooting star

The sun and rain are dancing
Making rainbows in the sky
And on the slightest breeze I watch
A butterfly go by

And people might say these are not
The signs I know they are
That it is just coincidence
Your song played in the car

That it is just the sky
And it is just the birds and breeze
And little windy weather
And the nature of the trees

But there is nothing little
About the way they make me feel
The sense of peace they carry
Is both comforting and real

Because it's just one song
And just one butterfly and bird
Just one star and just one leaf
In one enormous world

And so the probability
Of noticing it all
Is close to nearly nothing;
Almost infinitely small

And that is how I know
That when that leaf floats into view
It isn't a coincidence,
But a sign of love from you

So keep on shooting stars to me,
Keep playing me your song
Whilst you dance atop the rainbows
And blow heart-shaped leaves along

Yes, keep on sending signs my love
I'll always look around
For your butterflies on breezes
And your feathers on the ground

By Becky Hemsley Poetry

This photo of Louie and I was taken in 2017 on a road trip with a friend and her dogs from Melbourne to Brisbane. 🥰 Receiving a sign from Louie in spirit always feels like a giant koala hug. ❤

05/10/2024

Always lots of fun with Cedar and his human. 🐾💖 Connecting, learning together, enjoying life. 🐶😊

02/10/2024

Nudge and Dante surfing the Trust Technique bliss of feeling at peace. ✨🌊✨ Although, floating perhaps better describes their experience? ☁☁☁ Or, sinking? Isn't it interesting how when we relax it can feel as if we are floating AND sinking at the same time?!!

Here is Dante's human's message:

"It was so quick - from the time I put the lead on, Dante went from level 6 to 3 in less than a minute..then to 2 - 1 - 7 - 2 - 1 and I ended the session
He is still sleeping (Romeo and Nudge too)
The 7 was when Nudge started to bark at something outside, Romeo got up to join him at the window. Dante looked up but did not change bodily position, let out 2 small muffled barks then back to relax mode. 💕"

The numbers she is referring to are from the Thinking Level scale we use. 10 means totally out of your mind/panicked, 0 is a sleep-like state of processing and healing. Before incorporating the Trust Technique into their lives, Dante would have jumped up and joined his house mates. Now he is learning that the world can go on without him having to react to e v e r y t h i n g. 🐾

01/10/2024

I didn’t know. Did you? The last 2 decades scientists have been studying AWE. Pondered for millennia by philosophers and in the spiritual / religious context, we now have the science of awe.

The experience of awe was perhaps the most surprising element when providing hospice care for my dying dog Louie. I encounter it again each time I guide and support a client and their dying animal.

Awe is complex and can be difficult to define, it comes in different flavours. It has been suggested that awe can be defined by two characteristics: “perceived vastness” and a “need for accommodation.”

“Perceived vastness” - being in the presence of something large - physically or otherwise - like Mt Everest, for example, or … the end of life. We have a “need for accommodation” when we encounter something outside our normal understanding of the world and a cognitive realignment is needed. Awe has been described as an altered state of consciousness. We enter a self-transcended state, connecting more strongly with a sense of being part of a bigger whole.

The experience of awe while caring for my dying dog really helped me to adapt and adjust my mental structures (beliefs) around dying and death. - From being a dreadful, scary and very sad event to a richer and more complex understanding. One that included beauty, love and gratitude. Fear turned into acceptance. And with that came such a relief. Dying is not wrong. It’s the last part of life. Worth living - with any adjustments needed.

This is a photo of Louie during the end of his life. I am still utterly in awe of the whole experience and everything that has unfolded since, including writing my book.

If you’d like me by your side while you are providing hospice care for your dying animal, please get in touch with me. I speak English and German. I encourage you to read my blog articles on animal hospice care, they share my own experiences, provide practical tips and links to valuable resources as well as hold a death positive space (where it’s not morbid or taboo to speak about death). 🖤

30/09/2024

Another beautiful Trust Technique session with Doyly and his carer to build a peaceful relationship and develop mutual listening. 🐎

29/09/2024

It never gets old for me, the awe and delight my clients share with me when they start practicing the Trust Technique with their animal(s). 🤗

Dante's human sent me these pics with a happy message. She noticed how not only her dogs are calmer and more relaxed but how she herself is better able to let go of her reactions (to the noise of barking). 🎉💛🐾

28/09/2024

When I asked about CBD oil, my holistic vet recommended ARTABAN to me. It's a small, family owned Australian company that creates their products in line with antroposophic principles - starting with the land, the soil the h**p plants are grown in, all the way to the extraction process which is chemical free. 🌱

When I was unsure which products to order for my three dogs, Darren - who runs the company with his family - expertly advised me on the products and dosage, drawing on decades of personal experience and feedback from their clients.

Within the first week of adding the products to my dogs' meals I noticed a sticky, black something on Henry's side. I thought he had rolled in some duck poo even though there was no smell to the black stickiness. I wiped it away and forgot all about it.

Then, 2 days later there was more black sticky stuff in the same area. Curious, I investigated more thoroughly and discovered that a) there was a small drainage hole - so the sticky stuff came from within, and b) the spot was in close proximity to where Henry has been slowly growing what was diagnosed as a mast cell tumour.

When I checked the tumour I discovered that it had drastically reduced in size! Last time I checked it it was the shape of a super-sized almond, about 3 cm long, 1.5 cm wide and deep. Now it's the size of a shrivelled pea! 🤗

Since nothing has changed in Henry's diet, no supplements have been added other than the Artaban products, it's safe to assume that it was their doing. Needless to say, I am extremely pleased! ✨🎉✨ I am in awe of Henry's self-healing abilities once again. Remember earlier this year when his body shrunk and disappeared a fast growing, angry looking tumour in his armpit, supported by homeopathy? 💚

Lenny's body is also showing signs of happy appreciation for these alchemical h**p oil remedies. 🐾

As a side note: I ordered their full-spectrum h**p oil facial cream for myself and absolutely love it. ❤

No, I am not affiliated and do not get any kickbacks. I am sharing this because these are amazing products and I support other small businesses where I can. 🙏

**poil

25/09/2024

Making the Trust Technique part of your life creates more calmness, slows down busy minds and helps to see things with clarity. 👀🙏

When Ruby was dropped off by her foster carer at her new home a few weeks back, the new person immediately knew that this was not a good fit. But she went along with what the rescue suggested: giving it time and working with a trainer. A few weeks in it became quite the struggle as Ruby displayed behaviours she hadn’t before, separation anxiety for example. To the extent to trashing the house or, if left outside, running laps in the yard to the point of exhaustion. She also refused to go into a crate. The suggestions by the trainer and rescue did not help the situation. When another rescue dog, Moth, was adopted, things escalated even further. At that point their human contacted me, wanting to learn the Trust Technique.

Last week was our first session. Since then, Ruby has befriended being in the crate, there were no more growls or lunges at Moth and the two dogs even played with each other. 🥰 Also, their human sees with more clarity that this is not the right home for Ruby. Without going into all the details here of why, this was a hard decision. As most of you will be able to imagine - or maybe you’ve been in a similar situation yourself before - “returning” a dog to the rescue comes with a lot of self-criticism as well as feeling badly for the dog. 😔

What purpose do the harsh inner judgements serve? Does a dog really need your pity? What different thoughts could you be thinking and so creating different feelings? - Like humility, appreciation, gratitude and love? 🤔

💜 Humility - to trust your own gut feelings even in the face of others’ (“authorities”) disagreement or judgements.
🩷 Appreciation - of what lies within your control and what doesn’t.
🧡 Gratitude - for the time spent together and the lessons learned from each other.
❤ Love - yourself and the dog, letting go of drama caused by your ideas of what is good and what isn’t.

And all of this then equates to peace and trust.

💚 Peace - accepting how things turn out.
🩵Trust - that a better outcome is possible.

For now, Ruby stays until a foster carer is available next week. In the meantime, she continues to have the support of the Trust Technique, building her resilience. 🐶

What about Moth - who is scared of the world? 😨 There have been small changes in the right direction for him as well. 🤗 He gets filled with terror about any human (other than his human), so in our session yesterday we discussed how to use the Trust Technique to help him step by step to overcome this fear. 🐾

This photo is of Moth after he was just adopted. He so reminds me of my Lenny, also a Blue Heeler, who was terrified of men when he first came to us almost 10 years ago.

24/09/2024

Dante - 18 months old Mini Pinscher - hasn't had the most nurturing start to life. 6 weeks ago he was adopted into a caring new home. 🐶 There are 4 other dogs living in the same house and one of them is too nosey and pushy for Dante's liking. He is also super vigilant - common for rescue dogs.

Dante's new person is quite dog savvy but wanted to learn the Trust Technique to give her a way forward that deeply resonates with her. ✨

Today was our first session - on Zoom as they live on another continent. 😊 Dante's person feels excited to put into practice what she has learned. 🐾 I can't wait to hear about the changes that will result. ❤

17/09/2024

Life is uncertain. Uncertainty makes most of us uncomfortable, anxious, even scared. We set up everyday life as a stream of certainties … a full calendar of things to do, appointments, commitments, dates, etc create the illusion that we know what will happen. 📖

Being part of someone’s end of life shatters this illusion and we experience the truth: we don’t know what happens next. We know that our animal is nearing their end of life but we don’t know WHEN exactly it will end. We don’t know which breath will be their last.

This uncertainty, this not knowing, can be incredibly taxing. 😳😨🫨 Looking through a lens of fear, we feel drained, scared and unable to sleep. There is another perspective available: A surrender into “I don’t know,” a letting go into the peace of “I don’t need to know.”

When we simply are with What Is, what is unfolding in each moment, we are usually surprised that things are different than we thought they would be, that we are feeling differently than we thought we would. 🫠 When we embrace that we don’t need to know, it’s a huge relief. It frees up inner space. We can be present, truly there for our animal. When we stop to resist that the end is coming, we start to be in each precious moment. When we release the drama, we might find ourselves in wonder and awe … amidst the tears and heartbreak. 💎

I am here for you if you’d like to explore animal hospice care and do death differently with your animal companion.

16/09/2024

I got to spend the day with this cutie and her human. She is a 10-week old Beaglier puppy named Sparkles. ✨ Because it's a 2-hr drive each direction to their place we made it a day of learning rather than just one session. 😊 They learned the Trust Technique and with it Sparkles learned that settling in her crate can be peaceful. ❤ We covered many topics today and they are off to a great start. 🐾

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Videos

Always lots of fun with Cedar and his human. 🐾💖 Connecting, learning together, enjoying life. 🐶😊 #vizsla #pawrenting #doggofun #lifewithdogs

Happy Heidi, happy family! 🐶 I love receiving updates from my clients. Here is one I found in my inbox this morning, "Hi Mia, We realised it’s been just on a year since you worked with us and Heidi and I thought I’d send a little update. We’re now seeing a dog who expresses joy in her life. The attached video is a snippet of where she’s at. Inside - we closed off her dog door and haven’t reopened it. There’s been no need and she’s started to let us know when she wants to go outside to pee. We can sit with her when she’s on her bed, I brush her (semi) regularly (she doesn’t love it but puts up with it.). We walk her on and off lead, her recall is pretty good. She loves a run across the oval and occasionally with another dog. We often take her in the car and I’ve taken her camping a couple of times with half a dozen other dogs there. She seeks us out for a pat, occasionally rolls over for a belly rub, loves an ear scratch. She's still anxious at times, ever watchful, but every time a friend visits they remark on how far Heidi has come (after the initial barking, then sneaking up to sniff their bottom). We can’t thank you enough as the catalyst to getting Heidi to where she is. If you’re ever in the area you’re very welcome to visit. One of us is usually around. Thank you, Mia!" Just to help you fully appreciate Heidi's progress. When I first met her and her family, she had been with them for a year but nobody could touch her or even put on a lead. Therefore also no walks. Vet visits could only happen when she was sedated at home and once in the parking lot of the vet clinic, the vet would anaesthetize her in the boot of the car and once unconscious, she was carried inside. You get the picture. Hooray for Heidi! 🥰🫶🪷✨ #trusttechnique #belgianshepherd #anxiousdog #rescuedog

Yes, this video is quite low light but I think it still conveys the bliss, peace and gratitude I felt when filming it the other night. ✨🌸✨ We currently have a doggy guest. His name is Koda and he is one of these easily worried individuals. One of the ones that mask their anxiety and can give the impression that they are lying there all chilled and relaxed. What gives it away, though, is the absence of any visible signs of breathing ... neither belly nor flanks or chest move. It's a bit of a freeze state. That's why I did Creative Reaction with him, the basic Trust Technique practice where peace is shared, fostering a sense of safety and trust. Marvel, Henry and Lenny had just received some body work from me and were blissfully snoozing by the coonara. I sat with Koda who was in his crate and helped to un-freeze his worried body with the Trust Technique. After about 2 minutes Marvel came and joined us. A few minutes later Henry and Lenny did as well. There is not much that ever makes Henry in particular move away from the fireplace. But the Trust Technique is magnetic. 😊 Entering a still and peaceful inner space produces a change in brain waves, creating very inviting frequencies. It was so profoundly soul nourishing to share with these 4 dogs this deep sense of ease and well-being. Nothing to do, nowhere to be. 🕊☯ There are different levels of engaging with our animals and experiencing well-being and joy. A game shared, a cuddle. Yet to me, nothing compares to the connection and joy I feel when entering this place of mindfulness via the Trust Technique. I am so grateful for Koda's need for support ... that then extended to this beautiful communion with my dogs as well. ❤ Most often I teach and use the Trust Technique for its problem overcoming effects. It's excellent for that. However, I tend to forget to share it with my own animals - not to fix a problem - but for its soothing effects. It's a tonic for the nervous system. An elixir for pea

In April this year I met Heidi (Belgian Shepherd) and her family. They had rescued her a year ago but Heidi was still extremely skittish and anxious. They were unable to take her for walks because they could not clip on a lead. Grooming her was impossible. Going to the vet meant sedating her at home and anesthesising her in the boot of the car in the clinic's parking lot and then carry her inside once unconscious. All of these issues are now a thing of the past. People comment that OMG she is a new dog! 🐶 Here is a recent short video of her running and jumping in the shallow waves with pure joy. A sight that brought happy tears to her family's eyes. 🤗 ✨Another Trust Technique transformation.✨ #trusttechnique #anxiousdog

Peggy and her humans are working on making car rides relaxed and enjoyable using the Trust Technique. 🚗 🐕 We had our third Zoom session earlier this week and they are well on their way to achieving this goal. 🎉 #trusttechnique #happydog

Fun! I always look forward to my monthly sessions with Cedar and his human. 🐾 We worked on something special for Christmas which we are not sharing yet. 💃 🐕 Instead you get to see this short clip of Cedar acing his recall! 💪❤🏅

Slow and steady, with patience and persistence, at an animal's pace, so much can change. Millie has been able to relax even more deeply during her Trust Technique practice sessions with her human. 🤗 You might remember my previous post about her where I described a bit of her process ... she could only allow herself to sit during practice but even though she was swaying she never lied down. Well, ever since after our session last week she now does it - she has released her unpeace and is able to relax more deeply. ❤ So far, team Millie has only worked on the basics, not directly addressing any of her issues yet. Nonetheless, as is often the case when learning the Trust Technique, the daily doses of shared peace show effects in everyday life. For example, the other day when out on a walk, someone gently extended their hand towards Millie who usually would retreat in alarm. This time, however, she took a little sniff. And this morning at a cafe, Millie's body didn't tremble like it always does and when the waitress offered a treat, again, instead of retreating with fear, she gave a tentative sniff. Hooray! 🎉 Celebrating all the little steps. And in today's Zoom, Millie's human learned how to progress and start working on the problem areas - which basically is the whole scary world for little Miss Poodle. ✨💪🐶👍

Monday is Funday with my grandkids. 😊🙃 Out on a walk with Henry and his bestie Rosa. 🐶🐕

What does it mean, 'going at the animal's pace', embracing the quality of UNHURRIED? Yesterday I had a check-in Zoom with Juno's humans - it's been a week since they learned the Trust Technique from me. Already now, Juno has stopped jumping on people - visitors and family. 👍 He is markedly more connected with his humans on walks and able to respond better to their guidance. 💪 His unease about putting on his harness has greatly diminished. 👏 I would like to share a story Juno's humans told me. When the three of them visited relatives including Juno's bestie Banjo, they demonstrated how quickly, effectively and easily they now could calm down the super excited dogs (Banjo had a taste of the Trust Technique when I looked after him recently). The best part was this: Banjo often grabs things in his mouth when he is over-excited and wants attention. This time he grabbed a tea towel from the kitchen. Usually it would involve two or more people to get it off him again. As soon as Banjo grabbed the tea towel, Juno's humans asked everyone to stand still, be calm and not say a word. Then one of them walked up to Banjo and he just let go of the towel. Banjo's humans couldn't believe their eyes! ✨😱✨ When everything is over the top, we can easily be pulled into the same inner state and chaos follows. If we slow things down, we extend the offer to slow down to everyone around us. 💛 And suddenly it doesn't make sense anymore that we stand in the middle of the room with a tea towel between our teeth. 😊😀😉 And we are switching to behaviour that is more coherent. 👍

Is Jak winning the 'most adorable video this Sunday morning' award on your newsfeed too? 😍🏅❤

I love to inspire my clients and then see how they run with it and what they make of it. 🤗 In a conversation with Jak's human recently, he told me that he's been teaching the Dachshund to 'speak' on cue and how he gets all kinds of vocalisations in response. I suggested to take it further - as Mr Snausage loves to use his voice - and differentiate between the different sounds. Speak could be a clear, loud bark. 📣 And there could be a different cue for a qieter mumble. 🐶 I just received this video of Jak and his human working on their 'whisper' cue. 👍 Having fun like this is a beautiful way to deepen a relationship. ❤

Responding vs reacting. 🐾 With the Trust Technique as foundation to help Dachshund Jak be in a focused and calm state, his human enjoys teaching him. And Jak loves it! When he stayed with us recently, I used some of the cues I know he knows and you should have seen the expression on his face when he did as I asked - happy & so pleased. ❤ A few days ago I received this video - their first practice outside, while the neighbour's dog was barking at them. Instead of reacting (and barking back), Jak had better things to do! 😊 May Team Jak inspire many! ❤

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Our Story

Louie, Fiorenzo, Lenny & Marvel - four rescue dogs and their human - Mia - are sharing their ways of improving canine-human relationships. From struggle to appreciation and fun. Too many dogs find an untimely end because of behavioural issues. This is our small way of making the world a better place.

Four years ago Mia adopted Louie (Kelpie X) who had been found as a stray. He is now at least 11 years old (that’s based on the best of 3 vet’s guesses of how old he is) and the spokesman of The Dependable Companion.

Three years ago Lenny (Blue Heeler X) joined the pack. He is four years old. His expertise lies in the athletic division. He specializes in frisbees. He also enjoys trick training and other fun activities. This has not always been so. When we first met him he was pretty much scared of everything. He’s apprenticing to one day become spokesman.

A year and a half ago Fiorenzo (Cane Corso) found his furever home with Mia. He’s almost four years old. His stunning looks draws attention to him wherever we go. He’s a big boofhead and a great success in his role as therapy dog.