12/09/2025
As my dogs enter their senior years, I’ve been reflecting on our journey together. There’s so much I’m grateful for—and a few things I wish I’d done differently:
• More walks on a long line, giving us space to explore and adventure together
• More parallel walks, instead of on-leash greetings—allowing for gentler transitions
• More rewards through food, praise, and celebration
• More back-tying to encourage calm
• More redirection, and fewer corrections—more influencing, less control
• More advocating and protecting when they need it
• A fresh food diet from the start, to better nourish their bodies
• Regular healing sessions, to care for both their body and spirit
• Learning to groom, bathe, and handle them myself, to build deeper trust between us
• And more time in nature—a gift for them, and a grounding place for me
But maybe most of all, I’ve come to see how closely my well-being and theirs are connected. The care I offer them begins with the care I offer myself.