Dahl Animal Behavior and Massage

25/06/2024

Cooperative play. Love these organic demonstrations.

17/05/2024

My day gave me the joy of a sunny spring afternoon, soaking up dog love and spending time with my talented sister. Thanks for the brilliant photos, T.L. Stokes!

29/03/2024

I reconnected with my hero Dr. Jane Goodall this morning reading her interview in the NYT following a pre-90th birthday celebration with a gathering of dogs. She has been a brilliant model of curiosity, compassion and understanding in my animal behavior education. Once upon a time, in response to Stanley Bing's touching story about his dog Elizabeth in the January 1990 issue of Esquire Magazine "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" https://classic.esquire.com/article/1990/1/1/the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-world), I was moved to write a letter to the editor. The letter was published in their May 1990 issue, along with a response from Jane. I was thrilled beyond words and that brief moment of connection continues to brighten my heart.

03/03/2024

Where I found joy today or “snow-sleet-sun, these dogs don’t care!” Catherine Swearingen

03/03/2024

My happy place. (Photo courtesy of Catherine Swearingen)

18/01/2024

Enlightening feedback collected by one of the teachers from the duo-class of third graders who invited me to be part of their annual Action Network Speaker Series focusing on homeless pets. We assessed engaging Lili Chin illustrations to understand the impact of human behavior on dogs. I shared simple steps of calm observation and respect when meeting a new dog, as well as how the students can behave with their own canine companion. And encouraged the students to become ambassadors to promote safer interactions with dogs. ❤️

I’m so glad I had a chance to listen to their feedback session. Ya never know what’s soaking in. Best reward.

31/12/2023

Gratitude to my clients and colleagues this year and to all of my canine teachers. Happy New Year. 🎉🐶

(Photo courtesy of Kent Phelan.)

01/10/2023

And it's a wrap! Another extraordinary continuing education experience through the annual The Aggression in Dogs Conference. Ending with the always insightful Sindhoor Pangal sharing her observations of "streeties" in Bangalore. Grateful to Michael Shikashio and his team for their brilliantly creative efforts, offering high standards of learning and teaching.

01/10/2023

Especially excited about one of today’s speakers at the 3rd day of the Aggression in Dogs Conference, Dr. Wailani Sung presenting “It’s time to see the VB: The complexity of aggression cases seen by veterinary behaviorists.” Guest dogs can’t wait! Wailani Sung

30/09/2023

Listening to the engaging Irith Trietsch Bloom sharing case studies at the Aggression in Dogs Conference. My favorite kind of school. .

29/09/2023

Excited for Day 1 of the Aggression in Dogs Conference, attending virtually. Each year Michael Shikashio presents an expert-filled cast that gifts me with ideas to ponder, to practice and to share with clients. As you can see from the photos, my canine guests are mesmerized, too.

20/01/2023

A sunny day for neighbors Betty and Kodi to get their walkies on. Betty discovered a bone treasure. A very good day for dogs.

14/01/2023

Dear Lucca entered my life several years ago as a high-boundaries behavior client who has blossomed into a trusting and affectionate soul. I occasionally have the pleasure of hosting him and his canine sidekick, Olive. Lucca has blown past my expectations and has become a professional cuddler. (Photos by T.L. Stokes.)

21/12/2022

From my page “Saying Hello to Goodbye,” I’m sharing Susie’s words of love marking the loss of her dear Marshall.

With permission from Susie, I'm sharing her loving tribute to Marshall:

Marshall
1/24/12- 12/18/22
Some losses knock the breath right out of you, this is one of them.
Now, I love to look at his collar. It tells the story of him.
It's faded, like his beautiful Brindle coat became as it softened with the velvet white hairs.
It is shredded and frayed, like the scars on his skin, from multiple knee surgeries
It's soft and comfortable, like his cuddly self, and comfort he provided.
It's a little less strong, as was he, the last few months.
It's well worn and tells of the adventures he had, hiking, camping, swimming, chasing, running, flying through the air for frisbees and balls.
It has connected us, so I could drag him out of a frozen lake, or a pond covered in duckweed that he thought was solid.
His hair is embedded in that collar. It smells like him, it feels like him, it even kind of looks like him.
I will always have that collar. I will always have my Spirit Dog.
One collar, one life.
Run free, beautiful Smarsh. No more meds for you, no more pain. Take the gang for a ride in that 'Roo 💔🌈💔

02/10/2022

Heading into the last half of the third and last day of the Aggression in Dogs Conference, streaming from the East Coast. Michael Shikashio is a wizard at creating space that draws professional trainers, behavior consultants, veterinary teams, rescue and shelter handlers and canine companion guardians who want to learn humane and safe methods for their various relationships with canines. My brain is sparking with new ideas that I can offer my behavior clients to support their goals and help build their bond with their furry beast. Big thanks to the brilliant speakers and to Michael and his hard-working production crew!

01/10/2022

Another shout out for this weekend’s Aggression in Dogs Conference: Jen Shryock and Helen St. Pierre (Family Paws) providing engaging and extremely helpful safety guidance for families and kids.

30/09/2022

Virtually jumped into the annual 3-day Aggression in Dogs conference this morning at 6am. Ok...maybe not jumped, but I'm looking forward to learning how we can mindfully adjust our expectations of our canine companions to create a less stressful and more engaging environment for them to thrive. Outstanding speakers are my caffeine this weekend!

https://aggressivedog.com/conference/

12 Speakers. 14 Sessions. 3 Days. Learn from the world's foremost experts on aggression in dogs!

29/09/2022

Jaco and Sprout meeting their new fan club at the Northwest School of Animal Massage campus today. Turning on the charm while they help students practice. Along with Lola Michelin, Helga Karisch, Heal Animal Massage and Susie Alix. (Photos courtesy of T.L. Stokes.)

20/09/2022

It's important when your young mind is learning to take time out to rest. Fred nose.

09/09/2022

Sweet 13-year-old Calliope melting with her 2nd massage. ❤️

05/09/2022

How can you best support your adolescent canine companion? Below is a quote from a compassionate and informed posting on the “Behavior Vets” page. Gratitude to Celeste Vespaziani for sharing this resource.

“If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.”

06/08/2022

The Northwest School of Animal Massage wrapped up this week's Acupressure course today. Jumping in with their professional skills for the students' final test were island dogs: Shawnee, Rio and Cappy. These boys..."pick me!"

03/08/2022

Cedar made his debut as a demo dog at the Northwest School of Animal Massage acupressure class today. Such a Good Boy. Followed by some rewarding stick time.

21/07/2022

Sharing a post from my page "Saying Hello to Goodbye." Thanks to Sarah C. B. Guthrie for allowing me to share her words of love for Mory.

Mory's person, Sarah C. B. Guthrie, has given permission to share her beautiful testimony about her dear canine companion.

"I am so very sad to share with you that our very beloved Tobermory Jenkins “Mory” Guthrie the Golden Chow and Senior Studio Dog and Senior Joy Advisor passed away last week after a long battle with osteoarthritis, after an extra year of life together that was a bonus gift. His passing was peaceful and at home with Tom and I at his side.

We are heartbroken.

He was a good boy who came to us from Texas thanks to Big Dog Rescue Project. We adopted him when he was five years old. Our first meet and greet was the day we took him home.

Mory looked like a lion and had the heart of a lion—loyal and proud—but he was also a bit of a Muppet—wanting to love everyone and earnestly trying to understand what the people and dogs around him wanted in order to be friends. He had no sense of irony or sarcasm and worked me out of those bad habits in our six and a half years together.

He was also the source of Joy—in our day to day with that big beautiful smile of his—and in the practice of daily walks and looking at the sky that inspired my life and art so deeply.
If I was sad, he gave me little kisses and licked my tears. If I was stressed, he sat next to me and insisted on pets, knowing how much better I would feel. He would also do that if I was on Twitter too much. And would come to get me when it was time to go to sleep.

I always called myself Mory’s human companion, rather than dog mom, because we helped each other out as friends and companions do. Our relationship grew over our years of working together to understand and care for each other.

He helped me get through very difficult times and I am deeply grateful for the gift of having been in his life. Grateful to Ashley Lauren for matching us with Mory and for fostering him until he came to us and to Crystal Nichols for making sure we were going to be good people for Mory.

We miss him so much. 💙"

21/06/2022

Sharing a client kudo...she has raised the bar in documenting feedback, which encourages me to reach higher. Insightful, compassionate, and humbling. Here is a snippet in preparation for our training session tomorrow:
"I can see how things have changed for us and I can see that our training together is so different now - and so much has to do with my attitude. Before, when Pippin wouldn't do something or would misbehave, it would be the end of the world. Now it is just part of how we identify holes in his training - that is a huge difference."
Happy sigh. (Client's photo.)

27/05/2022

Thanks for your trust, Sweet Daisy. Your melting melts my heart.

29/04/2022

Learning…it’s a mutual practice especially with clients like young Skyler who has diminished eyesight. He’s helping me rethink training experiences to best support his needs. Sweet, goofy and curious. I’ve nicknamed him Fabio. Grateful to his person Elizabeth Nelson for this opportunity.

10/04/2022

Senior Daisy. The face that radiates "thank you for my massage." A real treat for me, too.

23/03/2022

Iola Stetson's Silken Windhounds and terrier Sunshine rest up after their massage school demo dog duties...and prep for Day #2. School of Animal Massage

06/03/2022

Praise for Allie Bender and Emily Strong as I finish up their engaging 8-week online Pet Harmony "Enrichment Master Class." So impressed with their commitment to professional standards, steady encouragement and focus on animal and human welfare. My brain is happily soaking up tips and resources to support my clients and their companion animals.

New client, Max, is a big fan, too.