Sharing the Journey with Dogs

30/05/2023

Positive associations. Dogs learn best through making connections with someone, something or some event they enjoy. This past weekend, Winnie and Nova were playing in the dog yard when I heard the ice cream truck's jingle about a half mile away. I watched Winnie, who is more familiar with the truck, and on the second jingle she stood up, held still and listened. As the jingle played again, she dropped the ball and looked at me. It has been at least a year and half since the truck visited the neighborhood, but Winnie knew immediately what it meant! We all jumped in the car to meet the truck, a quarter mile away. I am often asked about whether a dog will remember something or someone over time, and the answer is usually yes if it was meaningful. Helping our dogs feel good about the world around them means making that memory a positive one rather than a fear inducing one, both are meaningful, but only one builds relationship.

12/02/2023

Dogs
Our relationship with dogs takes many forms.
Companion, family, friend, rescuer, therapeutic supporter, life saver. Evolving together for thousands of years.
Sharing our hopes, homes, foods and fears.
They’ve influenced every aspect of our lives.
We’ve shaped their appearance, behavior and size.
It cannot be denied that together we’ve not only survived, but thrived.
Not because of our differences, but the emotional lives we share.
It is not survival of the fittest, but survival of the friendliest.
Lessons learned in silent bonds.
In the end, we choose how we want to be seen.
For dogs, no guessing is needed.
Compassion, forgiveness and understanding.
Faced with the choice, dogs don’t hesitate to take relationships over hate. Perhaps they know our fate.
(Inspired by “Survival of the Friendliest”, B. Hare & V. Woods, Random House, 2021)

06/10/2022

For anyone in the local area, please be on the look out. Please don't call out, just contact the police. Thanks!

10/5/22 Great news, this girl is safely back home!

Ipswich Ma - Do you know who this dog belongs to?
PD is looking for the owners of this dog. They received calls, but unfortunately they were not able to bring it to safety. The dog ran off and took a swim. Last seen swimming in the river at Goulds Creek Bridge. The dog is wearing a collar and tags but they were unable to get close enough to read.
If you see this dog or know who it belongs to, please call Ipswich PD at: 978-356- 4343

06/10/2022

10/5/22 Great news, this girl is safely back home!

Ipswich Ma - Do you know who this dog belongs to?
PD is looking for the owners of this dog. They received calls, but unfortunately they were not able to bring it to safety. The dog ran off and took a swim. Last seen swimming in the river at Goulds Creek Bridge. The dog is wearing a collar and tags but they were unable to get close enough to read.
If you see this dog or know who it belongs to, please call Ipswich PD at: 978-356- 4343

24/04/2022

This is Derby, Salem Massachusetts Police Department's new Community Resource Canine. His job is to bring comfort to anyone who needs it during his public interactions. His Instagram address is Derby_SalemPD. He is as sweet as he looks!!

In recent weeks, two other local colleges have added comfort/therapy dogs to their campuses. These dogs bring joy to many and become integral members of their communities.

30/03/2022

Sometimes starting the day watching a dog and a sloth makes everything more hopeful!

20/02/2022

Comfort comes in many forms!

06/02/2022

This resonated with me on several levels. Fear plays such a significant role in our relationships with dogs. Many of my consultations involve emotional and behavioral challenges based on fears experienced by dogs and/or their people. Dogs struggle with living in our man-made world with all of our expectations of what a dog should know or do. We struggle with providing the best support for our dogs or with concerns about what others may think about our dogs behavior. We are all exposed to media messages about what our relationships should look like and unfortunately these influences sometimes override our hearts and beliefs about compassion and make it difficult for us to cope with the challenges that arise. When I am able to support someone by providing feedback about how their dog sees the situation and give them permission do what emotionally feels good to them, not what all the misinformation and damaging messages shame them into doing, they are able to respond to their dogs in a way that frees them to build their unique relationship. Our relationships with dogs have survived for thousands of years and transitioned through a variety of societal changes, but the stressors of the current times have truly been difficult for us and our dogs. Please give yourselves and your dogs the grace you both deserve.

22/01/2022

A positive story for your weekend. Our connection with dogs is qualitatively different than with any other animal because we have lived and worked together for thousands of years. It is in our collective DNA.

21/01/2022

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning about animal emotions. The course is taught by Karolina Westlund, an ethologist located in Sweden. She is focused on improving animal welfare and understanding behavior. Her teaching style is user friendly and she applies the concepts to real life situations.
I've taken this course and the one on Getting Behavior. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in understanding their animal better.

... closing on January 27th!