Soul Dog: Animal Behavior and Science

06/11/2024

“Foster” dog Lark’s first photo shoot on vacation. From the streets of NM to a dandelion field in CO.

06/09/2024

Lark’s first family vacation. He is a little scared but seems relaxed. I’m so thrilled to be able to have him along (we have an amazing Airbnb host!). The shelter and I continue to fight for his health and we have new things coming up for him soon to help him.
But one thing I know for sure, he is the best boy. There is no telling what happened his first few months of life, except he was an abandoned stray, underweight with a gnarly wound.
Here is to you Lark- your health and having an amazing first family vacation!!!

06/08/2024

Our Soul Dog family would like to make a giant welcome to Frankie! She is a chocolate Newfoundland and will be my wife’s Haley main companion! Everyone loves her including Keller!

06/04/2024

Sometimes fostering is like this.

Tears rolling down your face. Many tissues. Hugging your foster baby.

We don’t get results we want to hear at the vet. Some of them are crushing and life changing.

And I cry. And cry. And hold little Lark (Korbin).

His ears may not work, but his heart beats loud and strong and can feel the love.

Lark has a journey ahead of him. We don’t know where that path will take him but we will try and give it everything we’ve got so he can be the sweet little man he is today.

The world dealt him an impossible hand. But he took it and has been making the best of it. With his pittie smile and sweet personality.

Some days fostering is like this. And, I still wouldn’t change a thing about choosing to foster.

Here is to you little Lark (Korbin) and the path that lays before us.
* this post is not about his deafness, we already knew that **

06/04/2024

This moment is everything.
We don’t know his past. We know the time he spent in the shelter, unable to go outside. And then his transport to here.

He has ears that don’t work.

Legs that struggle.

Lumps.

A massive soft tissue injury.

He is incredible sweet. Despite what the world decided to offer him.

And we know now. This moment.

Lying in a bed of lilies.

Happy.

For this moment he is happy.

At peace.

And that. That is everything.

This is why I foster. This.

06/02/2024

One of Fern’s campaign promises was to help her shelter dogs friends. Today she began her important work of meeting and playing with shelters dogs at TCRAS. Part of her job is to determine if another dog is friendly to dogs or not. Fern has been training since she was a puppy to be a therapy dog and many of the skills she uses for humans, she uses for dogs, such as remaining incredibly calm despite the behavior of the other dog. She also greets other dogs in a friendly way but also gives distance as needed.
Today she met many dogs but we decided to highlight Paprika today!
Paprika is a three year old pointer mix. She has an unknown history from Texas except that she was on the euthanasia list through no fault of her own!
She has struggled in the kennel environment to the point know one knew if she was friendly with dogs. She also struggled with some leash issues and there were a lot of unknowns. Once muzzle trained by their amazing certified trainer Amie, she could more safety be evaluated.
And today, TODAY, she progressed from a tight muzzle to basket muzzle to no muzzle with Fern! We are cautiously optimistic that Paprika is friendly with dogs. She may not play well with small dogs or extremely high energy dogs, but Fern’s size and above with calm demeanors and Paprika will be awesome.
She also went on a doggy day out and had a blast and loves to hike! She would be able to handle passing dogs without worry.
She is extremely human friendly and wants all the love and is very treat motivated and was walking at a nice heel today!
Paprika is a nice friendly dog that is begging to get out of the shelter! Are you their perfect human? Run, don’t walk to come meet this amazing girl. She is a certified good girl from the Mayor of Divide!!!

05/29/2024

Thinking of Tony today.
Don’t see my scars and think of me as unlovable.
Don’t see my scars and think that I am scary.
Don’t see my scars and walk away from my kennel in disgust.
Don’t see my scars and think that I am vicious.
Don’t see my scars and think that I wanted to fight.
See that I had a hard life.
Filled with dark days.
And no love.
See that despite these scars, I am still able to love.
See that despite the despicable acts of humanity, I still love you.
See that despite it all, I am a loving and kind canine friend.
See that I am capable of loving you through all the rest of my days.
See that I just want somewhere soft for my head to lay at night.
And balls to play with during the day.
See me and not my scars and my past.
See me and the love I have and the future we can enjoy.

05/11/2024

Curious about the Mayor of Divide? Then join us at Paradox right now until 4pm! Meet the Mayor. Hang out with TCRAS and other fun people!
We are at Paradox Beer Company 10 Buffalo Ct
Divide, CO 80814 !!!!

04/29/2024

Well the Mayor of Divide has been busy lately. Going to kids races, going to second mom’s stores for all things planting now that sometimes it’s not snowing. She has been saying hi to all the people and getting ready to really begin her job for TCRAS.
On May 11th come celebrate at Paradox in Divide to swear Fern in as mayor and meet all of the other candidates!
We can’t wait to meet you!!!

04/21/2024

The Mayor of Divide Fern got a clean bill of health from her new vet Dr. Baier at Woodland Veterinary Clinic! She was so thrilled to meet Dr. Baier and the amazing Larry who also ran for Mayor!
Her brother and sister came along to also get established- Keller who is a blind catahoula and Oliver, the original soul dog. Keller and Oliver both struggle at the vet but were trained with muzzles with positive reinforcement and are doing much better! Dr. Baier’s charm won them over too.
If you are needing animal care for your fur or fitness friends, go see Dr. Baier!

04/11/2024

The Soul Dog family lost it’s pony today. Our beautiful Brave laid to rest today ❤️ We adopted her with Sandra as a bonded pair and knew she didn’t have a lot of time at 30 some years old. We just tried to give her some amazing times this last year out of the rescue. She was a sassy girl who ruled the group lol. She loved hay even though she had no teeth to have hay. She loved running and literally just having a good ole time. She was goofy and sweet and just a love of a pony. We loved her very much until the very end. ❤️ and still.

04/09/2024

The Mayor of Divide says come on community, let’s help this mama and amazing dog get the help she deserves! Can we as a community raise $2000? We raised more than that for this political race so I know we can do it to help one dog heal and live a better life! Who is with me? The Mayor will match funds up to $500! Combined that would be half the funds already! Let’s help Macy Gray!

Macy Gray is seeking some extra love and support from this amazing community.
To Donate to Macy Gray, follow this link now and read her amazing story below
https://www.tcrascolorado.org/donate.html

Macy Gray came to TCRAS for her second beginning. Since then, it has become clear that Macy needs TCRAS to go the extra mile to give her the best second chance.

She has an obvious limp to her step and appears to be painful along her spine. Macy Gray is also heartworm-positive and has started her treatment for that as well. She will need continued medical care until she is over her treatment.

Despite all that has happened to her, Macy Gray is an absolute sweetheart and loves to be around people. She craves attention and loves snuggling into her fluffy bed in the office to nap.

Our Might Medical Fund was made specifically for dogs like Macy, who deserve the treatment she needs to alleviate her pain. We want to do this before she is adopted to give her new family a head start in life. Donating today gives Macy Gray Hope and a New Beginning, significantly relieving her pain. We hope to raise $1,500 to $2,000 for Macy Gray.

Click https://www.tcrascolorado.org/donate.html, select Might Medical Fund, and send Macy a special love note to let her know you care.

Thank you so much for being that extra hope for Macy Gray!

04/08/2024

Fern spent the weekend in her new role both relaxing and helping! First order of business was helping an extremely fear ridden little puppy! With Fern’s guidance and helping paw, the puppy had one of the best outings he’s had in a long time!
Next up, a tour around Memorial Park in Woodland Park. She enjoyed the feel of the grass, the people, dogs and of course- the water!
Finally it was couch time, along with newly adopted cat Juniper! Fern the Mayor doesn’t just talk the talk in helping animals, she also walks the walk! Juniper was adopted from TCRAS as well and is settling in nicely, letting all the dogs know she is the ruler and they need to be okay with it!
Thank you again to all of Fern’s supporters in helping her win this election. She can’t wait to really settle in to the role and continue helping as she always has!

04/06/2024

A big thank you to BATCH Slapped Brewery/Cidery for being an amazing place to host the Mayor of Divide’s get together last night! She ate her favorite dinner and her people enjoyed amazing drinks! The people and atmosphere were amazing. We cant wait to come back and visit!!!

04/05/2024

We are happy to announce on Fern’s first birthday, that she did indeed officially get elected to Mayor of Divide!!!!! Fern celebrated with her favorite food, pizza!
Thank you to all of our supporters who voted for Fern. We are very excited for this next chapter and doing a lot of good for the animals of Teller County and surrounding areas. Go Fern!
Also thank you to TCRAS for this amazing opportunity and we can’t wait to help out in this next two years!

04/05/2024

Tune in to TCRAS at 4:00pm to hear the official announcement of who did in fact win MAYOR OF DIVIDE!

We will be announcing the new 2024 Mayor of Divide today at 4 pm! Join us right here for a LIVE announcement!!!!!!

04/03/2024

Thinking of you today big man Cinna. We finally did it. Mayor of Divide. You did so much in your life, including running for Mayor and putting a roof over the play yard at TCRAS. You were an amazing service dog and then therapy dog for so many. I walk in your foot steps as a therapy dog too. You would go to TCRAS and help shelter friends with their social skills, something I now do as well. I will humbly serve now in your honor. Rest in Peace my brother. We miss you.

04/03/2024

Results won’t be known for a few days, but if the online polls are fairly accurate, then Fern just won Mayor of Divide. The little puppy abandoned in Texas with her family, on the euthanasia list and hours from being put to sleep, is changing lives daily and just voted into an important role and raised over $15k for the local animal shelter TCRAS. Her life mattered. And I’m thankful today that she was given a second chance.
Congratulations little Fern. You have grown into an amazing young lady dog and we are all so proud of you.

04/02/2024

I find it fitting that the Mayor of Divide race ends today, on World Autism Day. Fern works at the company that’s in my son’s memory, Kreed. He passed away eight years ago and had severe autism. Today, Fern is a therapy dog for individuals with disabilities, in particular autism. She is pictured below doing her thing! She has helped many clients when they are overwhelmed and having difficulty. She provides comfort, deep pressure and a friendship when sometimes the world is a lonely hard place.
As Mayor, Fern will continue her work as a therapy dog, as well as spreading her love and joy throughout the county and helping other animals in Teller.
If you find yourself wanting to forgo some coffee today or throw $2 to Fern’s campaign, we would be forever grateful. In celebration of World Autism Day, I celebrate a dog making a difference in the lives of individuals with autism.
https://givegrove.com/mayorofdivide24/vote/fern

03/30/2024

Yesterday, Fern reach Mayor Clyde’s challenge of getting more votes than he did at his election. We are thankful for this challenge to motivate us and also have a lot of gratitude for Clyde’s faithful service to the office of Mayor. Fern is thankful to be able to raise such votes for TCRAS and looks forward to going down to the wire in the hopes of fundraising even more money for the shelter!
Thank you Mayor Clyde and his security service, TCRAS and all those who have so far voted for Fern!!

03/29/2024

Mayor Candidate Fern reminds everyone it’s the last weekend to vote for Mayor of Divide!
Fern would be so humbled to receive any votes but also would love for people to just vote for anyone! All money raised goes to TCRAS, which is the ultimate goal.
Fern’s promises remain the same! To help the animals of Teller County and surrounding counties. She wants to meet with other Mayor’s in other towns to talk about animal welfare and what we can do to help. We are sponsoring the talk about the link between animal abuse and child abuse- an incredibly important topic.
Fern plans on volunteering at TCRAS as she has been, to help other shelter dogs with their socialization skills. And attend all TCRAS events and assist with fundraising.
This may seem like a lot, but Fern is taking this seriously and wants to help in so many ways for the next two years.
So if you are looking for a Mayor that is ready to work for the animals of Colorado, then vote for Fern!
https://givegrove.com/mayorofdivide24/vote/fern

03/28/2024

Part of Fern’s campaign is to raise money for this much needed event.

This is a free event and will be covering the critical link between animal abuse and child abuse and how you can help prevent it and become a voice for those vulnerable populations.

We will have a great speaker to help guide the discussion and answer your questions. Light refreshments and child care will be provided.

We are excited to be partnering with Community Partnership Family Resource Center in hosting this event, The Link between Humans and Animals.

This is a free event and will be covering the critical link between animal abuse and child abuse and how you can help prevent it and become a voice for those vulnerable populations.

We will have a great speaker to help guide the discussion and answer your questions. Light refreshments and child care will be provided. Reserve your spot today by following the link

https://forms.gle/AX6T8KaMtESuE2wg9
We hope to see you there!

03/22/2024

Fern. A Mayor Candidate ready to serve. Fern volunteers at TCRAS to help socialize the dogs at the shelter. Sometimes, it’s unknown whether a dog is dog friendly or not, which can make a big impact on their adoptability. Fern comes and greets these dogs and helps the shelter staff understand the shelter pup and their socialization skills.
Here Fern met Zip, Beauty, Lucy and Alvin. All were friendly with Fern. Alvin and Beauty in particular were amazing and wanted to play! Zip was down to hang. And Lucy was nervous but grew more comfortable.
This is why we want Fern to be Mayor. To work for the shelter in various capacities from fundraising to volunteering for these behavior assessments.
Thank you Fern for being amazing and in the footsteps of your brother Cinna who passed away.
Vote for Fern! https://givegrove.com/mayorofdivide24/vote/fern

03/22/2024

My baby girl! Go vote! I’m even down if you vote for someone else. I really just want people to vote and raise money for TCRAS! While also voting in an adorable animal like Fern to serve as Mayor. Which in Fern’s case she is being for real in wanting to do good work. She already has an office, desk, and people and animals who she will serve!

Meet Fern- "A link between animals and humans for a better tomorrow"
Fern is sponsored by No Limits Behavioral Solutions
Fern is a 9 month old spayed female Australian Shepherd Mix, who lives in Divide.

" I'm goofy, sociable and I like to carry socks around," says Fern

Get to know more about Fern and her story with TCRAS by following the link
https://www.tcrascolorado.org/mod-fern.html and of course VOTE for Fern!!

03/18/2024

After four feet of snow the pups are wondering when they can walk outside again instead of dolphin jump outside 🤣

03/16/2024

Mayor Candidate Fern says holy moly that was a lot of snow! Please stay safe. Be patient with the plows that are working around the clock to help. Be extra patient with plows that are coming from their own home and have to dig out!
Remember to stay safe on the roads if you do travel, nice and slow!
Dig out by fences so doggo’s like me don’t take that moment to jump over by the fence where the snow may be the tallest! My campaign manager wanted me to write that for sure after having a fun jump myself 😊
Leash your dogs outside if it’s not safe to potty my themselves!
Remember that everything you see people do with their pups on social media is not funny. Not all dogs like to be thrown into snow. And cats definitely don’t like it for the most part.
Well, that’s all from me right now!
Stay safe ya’ll and Vote for Fern! I will be a hands on amazing Mayor of Divide!
https://givegrove.com/mayorofdivide24/vote/fern

03/14/2024

One day a man was walking by a woman surrounded by dogs and she was picking one or two out to take home and foster to adoption

Approaching the woman, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The woman replied, “Bringing the dogs home to be loved and nurtured and taken care of. If I don’t do this, they will die.”

The man laughed to himself and said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of road and hundreds of dogs? You can’t make any difference.”

After listening politely, the woman bent down and leashed another dog and loaded it in the car. Then smiling at the man, she said,

“I made a difference for that one.”

The journey of humans and their dogs- personal, foster and doggy day out’s. Also page for the No Limits Canine Learning Center, trainers and dogs!

03/12/2024

Future Mayor of Divide is working hard this week and can’t wait to serve you!

03/07/2024

Well, Mayor Candidate Fern brought in the big guns! Trainer Amie is helping Fern polish up her skills both around the center where she works and in public. I mean who doesn’t want a high five from the future Mayor? Amie is ensuring Fern is in tip top shape for her dual role in the near future.
Need a science based positive reinforcement and certified trainer? Look no further than Pawsitive Vibes Dog Training LLC! Amie shares our view for the future for the Mayor of Divide. She also works every week with the shelter dogs at TCRAS- the very animals Fern wants to help as Mayor and Fern will be used to support the shelter dogs skills with other dogs in the near future. Match made in heaven!
As always, Vote for Fern, https://givegrove.com/mayorofdivide24/vote/fern