The day after I said goodbye to my spunky soulmate Finn, I needed to connect with him, so I went to the park, where he passed peacefully. In the spot where we ran into our beautiful neighbors John and Javier was a three by four foot perfectly shaped leaf-filled heart, in January, in Chicago. From that day on,… View more
I believe you get back what you put out into the world. I can’t tell you how many dogs I’ve met named Barkley who live up to their name, so I’ve been referring to my almost official rescue dog as my easy breezy Mabel girl. Mabel has settled in so remarkably well. The most challenging… View more
Saturday morning arrived, and I was so excited. I met was Stella-now-Mabel Tuesday night, and she seemed sweet and playful as she happily gobbled up the treats I took for her and her foster brother before leaning against me. After her foster mom left, Mabel was nervous about the new sounds in a new environment with… View more
The FDA inspected us last week (routine for registered products). I went into it thinking, “We’ve got this.” Following super strict food safety and production processes is a we-love-dogs-more-than-anything-the-world policy, not a business matter. However, there was some confusion about our filed paperwork which led the fear-authority part of me to become overly nervous answering… View more
I received an email last week seeking a donation for a shelter from a Girl Scout attempting to achieve a Silver Award. As I read what could have easily been a scam, I thought it also sounded like a child requesting treats to help homeless dogs. So, I asked a few questions, carefully choosing my words,… View more
I met a dog named Prince at the shelter a couple of weeks ago. He was a sweet peanut who looked like a cross between Timon from Lion King and Hobbes from the iconic comic book strip. As I sat on the floor with him nestled in the crook of my arm while I rubbed his belly… View more
When I left the dog shelter Monday, my heart and soul were peaceful after volunteering with two dogs. One dog was silly and sweet, and the other was super shy, so she and I sat on the floor together after a short stroll outside on a beautiful sunny day, and I let her tell me what… View more
When I trained dogs, I seemed to attract people struggling with leash reactivity, and it always made sense to me. It’s how I fell in love with and into dog training, Finn’s barking at other dogs. My favorite clients were always the ones whose happiness with my services or their dog wasn’t contingent on behavioral… View more
The day after Gavin and I moved into our current apartment, we went for a walk. It was a perfect 70ish-degree day, sunny and quiet. I let him pick our route. I wanted my sweet boy to find his way in his own time. Our slow, sniff-filled stroll was heavenly. We both blissfully be-bopped along, glancing and… View more
