It’s that time of year when everyone starts to reflect back on the year and look ahead to next year. And I’m no different. I’ve done a version of this post every year for the last 6 years since I’ve been blogging, with lots of ups and downs, but every year there’s some common themes. I am so thankful for for all of my amazing clients, and how much they want to help their dogs live a better life. And I’m thankful for the dogs in my life – our own, fosters, friends and beautiful, fond memories of the ones we’ve said goodbye to. No matter how long or short a dog is in your life, even as a temporary foster, or a dog you meet on the street, they make their mark on you.
This year, our personal highlight was adopting Gertie (Gertrude Wigglebottom) in February, after fostering her for several weeks. She was foster #11 after losing my sweet BooBoo and we both knew pretty soon after bringing her home to foster that we wanted to keep her. But it wasn’t all perfect, as many of you might remember, just 4 days after adopting Gertie we had an ortho consult, because we had noticed while fostering her that she would limp or not bear weight when running. I suspected she had a CCL tear or maybe some hip dysplasia. So, we scheduled an orthopedic consult but in the meantime, we foster failed. We knew we didn’t want to lose her. But our consult was the worst case scenario I could have ever imagined.
I expected one ortho problem that would need resolution but in fact, it was 5 separate diagnoses, with a price tag of about $20K to do three surgeries. I was devastated and came home and sobbed for hours. Thankfully the surgeon said nothing was urgent and we could do PT and meds and re-evaluate in 6-12 months. So, that’s what we did. We began a multi-modal approach including at home FitPaws physical therapy, at home laser, prescription pain meds and Adequan, omega 3 and other things. I data tracked her muscle mass, since on the xrays you could clearly see her muscle wasting on her left side where the hip fracture was. Her hamstring muscle started at 22cm (L) and 28cm (R). After 5 months of all her exercise, daily walks and hikes, and all the things we were doing, both hamstrings measured 40cm and we’re only using the pain meds as needed or preventatively if we know she’s going to have a big activity day. She no longer lifts her leg and gets the fastest zoomies each night after dinner. For this, I’m very thankful.
I’m also thankful that 7 months after adoption, Gertie and I were certified as a Bright and Beautiful therapy dog team, just like Boo and I were, so we’ll be continuing the work that I did with Boo, with Gertie, mostly visiting assisted living and rehab centers. In October we did a family photoshoot with Gertie and we used the same incredible photographer that did our end-of-life photoshoot with BooBoo a few days before we said goodbye. We recently completed enough visits to get Gertie her AKC Novice Therapy Dog Title and her AKC CGC Certificate! I’m so proud of her and the work we’re doing together. Our visits and training together are such precious bonding moments for us.
Every day I tell her “you’re such a good dog!” And it’s true. She’s been such a light in our lives on many dark days. Like Boo, she’s patient and tolerant of all the fosters we bring through our home and is clear in her communication when she needs a break. I knew she was a great dog when we fostered her but I didn’t know how great. My heart has grown to love her, when after losing Boo I thought I’d never be able to love again. She’s the gift that keeps on giving and I can’t wait to see all the adventures we share as a family in the coming years.
At the writing of this, we’ve had hosted 12 foster dogs this year, bringing us up to 74 total. We are hoping to hit 75 by year’s end – trying to squeeze one in maybe right after Christmas. We will see! Gertie is a wonderful (and tolerant) foster sister. We love fostering and giving those dogs a break from shelter life, and as hard as it is to say goodbye sometimes, we know that we could never adopt as many as we can help by fostering, which is why I created my course, Fostering 101.
I’m also so thankful for the business growth opportunities I’ve had and how well received my self-paced courses I released this year have been. This year I released several courses – Fostering 101, Home Sweet Home (for new dogs and puppies) and my free Body Language course. You can see all my courses here. I was a guest on a bunch of podcasts and had a lot of media appearances and contributions. You can see all my media and press here.
This year I also added certified Pet Loss Grief Companion to my credentials and the doula and pet loss support part of my business is thriving. While it’s a bit odd to say I enjoy deathwork, it’s been so rewarding to help companion others through their grief journeys and it’s been oddly healing for me as well. This has become such a meaningful addition to my business and it’s allowed me to better support clients facing loss and grief, especially those struggling with behavioral euthanasia. This year I even supported a farm rescue navigate end of life for one of its resident pigs and worked with several rescue people whose organizations were faced with behavioral euth for some of their residents. I am planning for and can’t wait to see what is in store for next year and how I will continue to grow my knowledge, education and continue to help change lives along the way.
I’ve now helped over 2900 clients and their dogs live happier, healthier lives and gain a greater understanding of each other since I became a professional trainer and end-of-life doula. That’s over 8300 hours of one-on-one training! These families were struggling with separation anxiety, and other fearful or aggressive situations: dogs biting children, resource guarders, dogs who don’t like to be touched, dogs who growl at or who are afraid of people who live in their home, dogs afraid of other dogs, dogs reactive on walks, making it unsafe to walk them, dogs afraid of going outside or people struggling with big decisions like rehoming or behavioral euthanasia. I’ve been honored to help these families whether from a training or pet loss grief companion role. I’m trusted by a network of vets and vet behaviorists across the country that refer cases to me, knowing their clients will receive the utmost care and competence in training guidance. These are not things I take lightly.
Seeing the love and understanding these humans have for these animals, understanding their dog’s mental wellbeing is just as important as theith physical and making regular sacrifices to help their animals continues to be one of my greatest joys.
So this end-of-year, I encourage you to really love your dog…in whatever way they want to me loved. Yes, it’s perfectly OK to spoil your dogs. I encourage you to be thankful for the time you have with your dog and bask in the good times and fond memories, even if your beloved is gone. Laugh at the things that may annoy you like barking, chewing, digging, peeing, shedding, rolling in stinky stuff, begging for your food, growling, chasing squirrels…because all things that mean your dog is being a normal dog. One day, they’ll be gone and you will miss these moments and those are the precious moments you will remember. You won’t care what a great job your dog did not going through the door before you, how great he was at staying or what a good heel position he held when you walked. You will treasure the times your dog made you laugh because he embarrassed you. You will remember the softness of their fur when you snuggled close. You will reflect on how he looked at you with those puppy eyes that made you melt.
Be thankful and I think you and your dog will both be happier.
Wishing you a healthy, happy 2026.
And, as always, if you need help, you can schedule your session here!
