Good Times Dog Training

30/10/2025

Best friends Gus and Allie had their Thursday meet up. Friendship and tasty cheese, yum!

28/10/2025

In Estonia, empathy is being built one post box at a time.

Across quiet villages and forested roads, abandoned post boxes are being transformed into mini dog shelters — warm, wool-lined havens for strays enduring Baltic winters.

Each shelter is refurbished by locals and volunteers using sustainable materials like felt, wood, and recycled wool. The interiors are insulated and slightly elevated to keep out moisture, creating a dry, safe corner where a dog can rest through the cold night.

Some are painted with bright paw motifs, others fitted with transparent flaps to block the wind. Many even have small pouches of food and water — refilled daily by community caretakers. In several cities, these boxes are GPS-tagged for vet check-ins and feeding routes, merging compassion with innovation.

What once carried letters now carries life. Estonia’s small gesture reminds us that sustainability can also mean kindness — and that upcycling can heal more than the environment.

Source: Eesti Päevaleht / ERR News / Estonian Animal Rescue Union

28/10/2025

Greta focused on the raven that is teasing her. The raven in the tree right outside her yard seems to enjoy teasing her. It periodically swopes down, right out of reach, she leaps, and it goes back to it's tree. I may be wrong, but it seems as if they both enjoy the game.

25/10/2025

Many years ago I had a lighted collar tag on my dog Libby. We were walking across a field with horses where we went most evenings. She must have bumped the switch, because it went to flashing mode. The dozen horses, all mine and very used to dogs, charged after her trying to stomp her!!! Luckily she made to the fence and ducked under it. Really scary experience (for both me and Libby).

FLASHING COLLARS: A WARNING. Every year, as the evenings get longer and darker for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we warn people using illuminated dog collars never to put them on FLASHING mode. This is because, on a sensory level, the flashing light can not only be incredibly stressful and unpleasant for many collies, but may even trigger epilepsy in more susceptible dogs. So always put them on STILL mode instead, when you take them out for those darker walks. Or use other means to make both yourself and your dog more visible.

25/10/2025

I know this has nothing to do with dogs, but I found it really interesting. And it is how I wish the world was everywhere--caring for all creatures and their well-being.

In the frozen silence of a Finnish winter, where the night lingers and the air bites, a quiet glow now carries warmth in more ways than one. Across Helsinki and Lapland, streetlight poles are doubling as heated bird shelters — small sanctuaries built right into the fabric of the city.

Each pole looks ordinary from the outside: tall, sleek, crowned with efficient LED lamps. But inside are tiny insulated cavities that gently radiate leftover warmth from the lighting system. These hidden chambers create safe roosts for small birds, offering protection from wind, frost, and predators during the long subzero nights.

The design makes clever use of what already exists. Engineers redirected residual heat from the electrical wiring and LED units, channeling it through frost-resistant micro-chambers. No extra energy, no added land — just smarter use of what the city already produces.

Residents say the difference is noticeable. Birdsong returns earlier in spring, and ecologists report higher survival rates among urban bird species once vulnerable to winter cold. It’s a small act of engineering empathy — proof that even the simplest infrastructure can hold compassion within its design.

Source: Finnish Urban Ecology and Smart Infrastructure Initiative, 2025.

23/10/2025

Gus pointed out he has a birthday coming up (11/11 he will be 11). I think this was a hint!

16/10/2025

15/10/2025

Cool! I've followed Stella for years!

Cartoonist Harry Bliss, longtime Stella fan, created this beautiful piece for the most recent New Yorker cover titled “Cannonball” 🍁🍂🐾

14/10/2025

This came up on my memories. Remember puppy Ruckus? No longer a puppy and living his best life in Colorado. Gus is still an enthusiastic digger.

08/10/2025

Now it's October, I can safely post about Christmas 🤣 My books are open and I'm still mostly on top of my booking list so there's still plenty of spaces. If you have anything in mind or have any questions, drop me a message!

07/10/2025