Donatella (2025)

31/07/2024

Donatella just turned 10 years old.

I’m not entirely sure how this happened, because I clearly remember bringing home a highly energetic puppy whose ears looked far too big for her body.

She was a rambunctious pup and remained that way for 8 solid years. She was a stubborn puppy, and, quite frankly, walks with you her not all that pleasant. But I knew the work would pay off, and now I look forward to our walks around the neighborhood. She has definitely taught me a lot about patience during your first few years.

I was told to be prepared what that she could face as she aged. I remained prepared for bad news year after year and never allowed myself to imagine what she’d look like with a gray muzzle. She developed some health problems, like Cushing disease. As she entered middle age and sprouted more gray hairs, I allowed myself a sliver of hope that I’d see her into your golden years, but a big part of me still held back. Through that time, I learned more and more about being present, appreciating each moment we shared together.

And now, she is 10 years old. Officially a geriatric canine. We do all of the “old lady” tests at the vet, and you she has her own pill organizer so we can ensure she gets all the medications and supplements she needs each morning and night.

She’ll always be my puppy, and I’ll do my best to make her feel like one today, tomorrow and for as long as I have the priviledge of caring for her.

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20/01/2024

at its finest 😂
When Bono, aka , isn’t the center of attention, makes himself the center of attention

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05/01/2024

My dog was fear reactive. I almost gave up on her

Since my old English sheepingdog died, I spent hours looking for a puppy. I´ve spent hours online networking breeders and
connecting with them. The love of a dog has always been a stabilizing force for me. Dogs were my saviors.

Then Donatella came and my whole world was turned upside down. She became afraid of everything when she was about 4 months old. After our vet rules out any phsyical condition that might cause a behaviour change, I sought advice of a "dog expert". He immediately sniffed out my crisis of confidence and responded:

"You got a Ferrari, when whta you need is a minivan"
"You got an elite athlete, bout you are little league"

They sensed the surface irony of my situation I had upheaval for a dog.

I was sure something had to work. This is when I met a trainer specialized in conduct behaviour and seemed to be a good fit for us, Virginia .

“You say you want a ‘family dog’ — what do you mean?”

I felt strongly that I should not harbor unrealistic ideas that set Donatella up for failure.I imagined taking her to Little League games, and having friends over without lengthy introductions that required visitors to sit still, avoid eye contact and ignore her before everything was cool. That was not unrealistic expectations for some dogs, but it is for Donatella.

“Work with the dog you’ve got,” Virginia told me.

I realized my reactive dog and I had things in common. Both of us craved stability, and panicked when we lost control.

Back when Donatella was in training, I took a leap of faith. I can see now, after many years of training with her and understanding her fears that I have the world´s best dog. I was able to bring 2 new puppies home without the fear of her attacking or rejecting them. We are having awesome walks together and they even sleep together sharing the same pillow.

If you are struggling with your dog, the best advice I can give you is dont give up, find a specialized trainer that understands you and keep working even if it is the worst day ever. The time invested in training is the best time you will ever spend!

22/12/2023

Who needs diamonds when you have a dog?

This year has had its ups and downs and has been quite a ride. I totally think that having my girls besides me has helped a lot. We lost Mica a month ago to cancer and it was really hard for Donatella, but she is getting over the loss very well.

I hope next year bring many good surprises and happy moments like our Christmas photo session. Thank you Sofia for these wonderful photos!

I want to thank all of our friends who have gone above and beyond to help us through our hard times in any way they can.We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Happy New Year!

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15/08/2023

Hi all!
We have been away for a while.Yesterday we were able to visit a new park in our hometown and decided it was time for us to come back. I needed time to deal with the fact that Donatella was diagnosed with Cushing syndrome.

I just thought that I was getting a death sentence and felt a bit lost. Right now, after finding a doctor that knows how todeal with the syndrome and finding a support group (K9cushings.com), I know this is a lifer-altering canine disease.

The first two months have been overwhelming, as I started learning I read some horror stories. Also, the "vet" (at the end I found out that she is not a registered vet at all) that was treating her was giving her a higher dosis than what she needed and provided zero support to us at this time. But I thank her rudeness and lack of knowledge, because that made me look up for a second opinion, and it was great. We tested her again and she has the right dosis, she is actually doing great.

Donatella is really lucky, she has not experienced so many bads days and her overall her quality life is significanlty improved with treatment. I am educating myself and am fully aware of what this disease is capable of. I am preparing for the emotional rollercoaster ride that can result from this disease. I dont give up hope. My girl can live many years if she is properly treated.

What I have learn so far is, becoming an educate advocate for my pet is the best defense. Second, having a vet who is experienced in the diagnosis and successful treatment, and who listens and welcomes questions is vital.

If you have gone or actually are going through a similar process, I would like to hear your experience and learn from it.

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10/05/2023

It's Mother's Day in Mexico. In my family, we celebrate it with my two dogs, since right now they are the children of the family. Like every proud grandmother, my mom , she has her cellphone full of photographs of her grandchildren, Mica and Donatella, in her handbag. She isn't the slightest bit fazed that her grandchildren happens to have four paws and a tail.

More than simply companions, dogs are considered children in my household. So it follows that my fur kids' family tree branches out to include aunties, cousins, and, of course, the ultimate dispenser of spoiled affection-grandmother.

My mom spoils her granddogs on a regular basis. As her granny, it's her prerogative to get them what they want.

I think granddogs have a couple of advantages over real grandchildren. Firstly, you don't have to carry them everywhere. When you get tired, you can simply put them on a leash and let them walk by themselves. They never grow up, which is fun. And most importantly, they don't get colicky and vomit over your shoulder.

I really enjoy watching my mom having fun with my two dogs.. Enjoy your granchildren mom, Happy mother´s day!

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05/05/2023

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Mica!!

She turns 11 years old today!

I totall believe that Mica is the physical reprsentation of happiness. She is always happy and full joy. I hope we still have many years with her around us.

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01/05/2023

Where is Donatella?

Hi, friends.

It’s been a while. I hope you’re well.

It’s a mixed bag over here.

My long absence from this space has a main culprits.

In one of our previous posts I mentioned that Donatella might have Cushing disease. We’ve had many health scares with Donatella over the past months. Ultimately, her vet has diagnosed her with Cushing disease. Once I thought we were going to lose her and ended up in the ER.She’s okay now . She’s been stable for a while–knock on wood–and we feel like we’re on the right path with the meds she is getting now. However, it has been a lot and I needed some time to process all of this.

But ww are back now, sharing how Donatella keeps improving with her reactivity and now with disease.

thank you so much for this awesome pic!

How have you been?

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27/03/2023

My 9-year old australian cattle dog, Donatella, is having tests done in order to confirm if she has Cushing’s disease. If you follow us, you are like me…..our pets are not LIKE family….they ARE family.

In hindsight, Donatella starting showing symptoms around a month ago. Her personality was just not as ‘bubbly’. She seemed depressed and lethargic. I also noticed that she just could not get enough to drink. Then she started urinating in the house regularly – which was just not like her. This is why last Monday I took Donatella into her vet for testing. Her blood work is not looking that great and showed high levels of protein in her urine.

So far, we are running tests in order to have a full picture of what is hapenning before the vet can diagnose the disease
properly. My heart is breaking to see the changes in her personality and thinking that she might be sick.

If you have experienced Cushing disease, I would love to talk you about what happens next, what can I do and what can I expect in the following weeks.

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20/03/2023

!

I'm so glad cold season is over so can begin!

Donatella is allergic to grasses, weeds, pollen, some insects, and other environmental pollutant. Right now (and thank God) she has been under treatment over a year and allergy season should not be as bad as other years.

Is your dog allergic to something? How bad does it get?
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11/03/2023

I finally took some vacations! I have worked really hard to not feel guilty about traveling without my dogs.
It was also super timely as I was getting ready to be away from Donatella and Mica for a week.

My dogs are my kids, and I hate being away from them for any length of time — even though they the best pet sitter. My dogs are the focal point of so many of my daily routines, and I believe if you take on the responsibility of having a dog, they must be a priority. But I don’t think that means you shouldn’t ever travel without them!

Sometimes, vacationing with dogs is fun, and sometimes, it’s just really impractical. If a vacation is going to involve lots of experiences that aren’t dog appropriate, I think it’s best not to drag the dog along just so they can be in the hotel.

A big part of getting rid of the guilt was saying and believing that traveling without my dogs doesn’t mean I don’t love them — it doesn’t make me a bad guardian — and recognizing that they don’t feel abandoned by me when they stay with a sitter. Saying all that aloud sounds a little silly, but they are the thoughts that go through my head as I start to pack for a trip. In talking to friends who are also obsessive dog parents, I know I’m not alone in feeling like this. I actually think that traveling without my dogs is really good for me. I love spending time with my dogs, but I also really enjoy some activities that just aren’t dog friendly or appropriate.

How do you manage your nerves around leaving your dogs and enjoy your vacation when you travel without the pups? Tell me in the comments!
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15/02/2023

What My Dog HAS Taught Me About Love

Donatella has taught me to love unconditionally and love in abundance. When a dog spreads love, they don’t submit half of their heart but love wholeheartedly. They love without expecting it back. They are the perfect epitome of love.

It is always a joyous feeling to be loved and feel loved. The love that we show for those close to our hearts should always be unconditional — and that is what Donatella has taught me.

Truth be told, Donatella has taught me the experience of transcendental, selfless, and unconditional love. This is possibly the most amazing aspect of true love. No matter what the circumstances, no matter what the hardships are it is unconditional and everlasting.

Donatella has been by my side when the stress levels were high.
When I havent’t at my best. No matter what, I can rest assured that my dog is going to stick by my side. In a world where nothing else is guaranteed, that’s the best comforting thought.

I came to realize the full depth of what dogs offer us.

They may not understand every word we say, but they definitely apprehend a great deal of what we don’t say. They feel our sorrows and comfort us in distress. They share their naive enthusiasm for life. With an urgent look of “take me for my walk, please” they give the grief-stricken a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

I have learned that love is eternal.

What have you learned from your dog?

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25/01/2023

I’m going to be vulnerable with you. I’ve had big trepidation about this episode and sharing it with all of you.

As you might know, I have been counter-conditioning Donatella against triggers while on walks for some time now.This involves her them treats consistently while passing other dogs or people on our walks.

She’ve shown great improvement and only have the occasional outburst which usually occurs when another dog is reactive or when we’re not on our treat game. We have been managing great on walks with this approach but I have not challenged her with many social interactions, mainly due to COVID times.

We have also been doing some focused obedience training. I felt like we were making great progress with this training too and was ready for another challenge. With this additional confidence I decided that perhaps she was ready
to be around other dogs. We were invited to a dog birthday party this last Sunday and I thought she was ready.

I knew it would be a challenge for us as there would likely be an increase in distractions, however, I felt our hard work was preparing us for this very situation. Everything was going fine, until we reached our friends at the park.

The first thing that Donatella saw where a bunch of balloons (birthday party of course), her biggest trigger.The next thing I knew the balloons had triggered her reactivity and did not let any dogs around her. After many years of obedience
training and leash training, this was the first time she had lunged at other dogs so bad.

I apologized with the owner of the other dogs and tried to make Donatella relax aside from everyone.I was mortified but it was certainly helpful that nobody wasn’t cursing at me and was understanding in that moment.

I want you to know that I didn’t take the birthday party lightly. I had thought at depth about our training and felt that this was an acceptable challenge for us to undertake.

I’m not a bad dog owner, bad things can happen but I did try to prepare and more importantly I put in the effort to learn from the experience.

Here are the reminders from that day that have made me a better dog owner:

✅ Listen to your intuition and gut when it comes to your dogs! I should have paid attenttion to Donatella's reaction towards the balloons
✅ I’m not perfect! Unexpected things can happen despite planning; dogs and people are not perfect. However, how we react to what has happened is just as important as getting something right. How we find a way forward or take the opportunity to learn from something traumatic is what defines us.
✅ Be a better advocate for your dog. I hadn’t properly prepared my dogs for this scenario. It’s not uncommon to get complacent with time or when you have had reduced exposure to triggers.

This episode goes out to every dog owner who experienced a reactive moment like this and questioned their leadership. Our dogs need us, yes, sometimes we can do better but we cannot always avoid situations that go bad. Take your worst day and learn from it; that is how you can be the best owner for your dog. Lastly, don’t keep it quiet or hide it away. Doing so will bring you shame about it and if you’re ashamed you won’t grow but your feelings of inadequacy will and that will harm you and your dog more than you know. If you’d like to ‘out’ your worst day as a dog owner with me, know that I’m a safe space and will be a listening ear

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31/12/2022

A Dog’s New Year Resolutions

2022 has come to an end! We want to wish you all a Happy New Year 2023!

My girls have some new year´s resolutions with you.

▪️ Get MORE dog treats! TREAT YO SELF, says Donatella ! You deserve it!
▪️ Stop stealing Donatella´s toys (says Mica)even though she has the best toys to drool all over I’ll just drool over my own dog toys.
▪️ We will not beg for food from people like my moms never fed me a day in my life. We’ll stick to my yummy dog food and be satisfied.
Stop stealingshoes because moms always complaining that she can’t find a match! - This is Mica´s special resolution.🤣
▪️ Stop farting in other people’s space that is because a dog gotta do what a dog gotta do.
▪️ Stop barking at guests although we are super excited to see them and just showing them some love and saying wassup.
▪️ I will stop being afraid of the vacuum cleaner although it seriously freaks me out! - Donatella´s special resolution.

Aren’t those some funny dog New Year Resolutions? Simba wouldn’t be able to stop half of them this year! He already has his number 1 dog New Year Resolution going pretty well for him though. He’s been listening very well which means MORE DOG TREATS!

We will have to work on some of the New Year Resolution’s and it will definitely take some time. These girls are sneaky little dogs when they want to be!

Which are your New Year´s Resolutions?

Thank you so much for our awesome pictures!
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#2023
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29/12/2022

We all love our dogs.

We know they’re imperfect. We know there are things we need to work on to help them live healthier, happier, fuller, safer lives… but could you imagine wanting your dog to be a whole new dog?

Donatella requires a lot of special care and attention with her food, behavior, and comfort. It takes time and effort to help her behave safely in public, to keep her happy and comfortable at home.

We take those little steps to make things better for our dogs, not to change them into new versions of themselves. Then why we try to change ourselves?

We are a couple days away from 2023, we can make someNew Year’s goals or ideas. I can suggest that this year you try to treat yourself as well as you treat your dog.

Maybe this year set a goal to love you as you are just as you love your dog as he or she is. If a little tweak needs to happen–you need to apply a proverbial window cling to social media or shift your eating habits to include foods that don’t irritate your body or you need to get more rest or whatever it may be–if you need to make a little tweak to improve your lifestyle, go for it.

And also be kind and tolerant with yourself just as you’re kind and tolerant with your dogs.

You both deserve it.

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24/12/2022

We want to wish you all Merry Christmas! We hope you have an awesome day with your family!

12/12/2022

It´s Christmas ...This year I want to create some holiday traditions with my girls!

This is our Christmas bucketlist!

▪️Bake a dog friendly Christmas cake
▪️Take some festive themed photos (we already do this!)
▪️Christmas treasure hunt
▪️Winter walkies
▪️Tuck into a Christmas Dinner

We do some of this activities already, but this year we want to do them all! Is there something else
we could add to our list? Do you have a bucketlist too?

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12/09/2022

Mica´s cancer story

During a routine exam, we discovered a large growth on Mica´s abdomen. The vet suggested to remove the growth and perform a biopsy. The exam determined she had squamous cell carcinoma and we really had no idea how long it had been there growing on her.Through additional testing, we learned that the carcinoma was localized and had not spread to any other organs.

We faced a whole host of emotions, but were mostly scared for what lie ahead.
We waited very impatiently that whole next day for a phone call from the surgeon.
Finally, the surgeon called to tell us that they had gotten clean margins and felt that they had gotten all the cancer
That was a couple of months ago.She is our miracle baby and I thank God for her every day. We could not imagine my life without her.

Now, I understand the importance of checking your dogs every month for any abnormalities, bumps and even their jaws for any growths.
Please, it is the least you can do for our furry friends!

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Donatella