Gail with Rusty
I was recently on the RISK! podcast talking about what else? Dogs! If you’re not familiar with Risk!, it’s a storytelling podcast (similar to The Moth, but not always PG!) and my husband is one of the audio editors and engineers. RISK! is weekly podcast where “people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public,” created and hosted by Kevin Allison, of MTV’s The State.
This isn’t my first appearance on RISK!. I previously did a conversation with David Crabb, reflecting on the loss of his dog Charlie, and talking about his new dog. In this new episode, there are two short stories about dogs and then me and one of the storytellers, Gail Thomas, chat about both stories, including my soul dog, BooBoo and hers, Rusty, the loss of them, fostering, loving the dog you have and so much more. And, this special episode is guest hosted by my husband, John.
Gail tells one of the stories on this episode, “Not Rusty.” Gail’s story resonated with me so much as she tells the story of her soul dog, Rusty, and her adopting a new dog named Dezi, during Covid and some of the emotional struggles of bringing in a new dog that isn’t anything like your previous, beloved dog. It particularly struck me as we’re fostering GG, our current foster #62. GG has a lot of qualities of Barbo and BooBoo, which was very endearing to me, but the longer we’ve had her, the more things I’m seeing that doesn’t make her a good match for us and I find myself saying she’s “not BooBoo.”
The other story on the episode is from Victoria Rocha, talking about a childhood dog her family had, the family dynamics of bringing in the dog and how not all dogs can be hero dogs.
Dezi, hiking in Colorado
I really liked both the stories shared on this episode but especially enjoyed the conversation Gail and I had about them, and hope you do too! Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are some of the things we chatted about!
- 11 Ways To Help Your New Dog Decompress
- Debunking the 3/3/3 Rule
- How To Be A Successful Foster Home
- The Importance Of Really Liking Your Dog
I’m here for any of your training needs. If you are preparing for the loss of your own dog, remember I offer my doula services here or you can book my special consult if you’re considering behavioral euthanasia.
Thanks for being here!
