by Kate LaSala | Apr 17, 2024 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
Last week, as many marveled as daylight plunged into darkness during the eclipse, our world plunged into darkness just two days later, as we said goodbye to our sweet BooBoo, one day after her 15-1/2th birthday. We had a beautiful 4661 days together on this...
by Kate LaSala | Oct 9, 2023 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving
Many of my friends with human kids love to say “don’t blink” meaning that if you blink you will miss your kids growing up and they will be gone, off on their own. This sentiment resonated with me even more for our dogs, who are with us for...
by Kate LaSala | Sep 18, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
There’s often posts and memes that circulate on social media that get under my skin. Videos that people think are cute or funny when I see a stressed dog. Videos of dogs and kids that anyone educated in dog body language would see as incredibly unsafe and...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 14, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Companion animals are family for me, as they likely are to you. And thinking about or dealing with their loss is often a topic that just isn’t talked about. And as a society, we tend not honor pet loss with the same gravity as losing a human. Or we do for a very...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 31, 2023 | Dog Training, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
As someone who specializes in fear and aggression cases, a few times a year, I have clients who are facing the consider of rehoming, surrendering or behavioral euthanasia. I am also a certified companion animal end-of-life death doula, so I am uniquely qualified to...
by Kate LaSala | May 29, 2023 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Resource Guarding, Separation Anxiety
Let me first start this post with my standard disclaimer: I AM NOT A VET. But as a trainer who specializes in fear, aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety, I always ask clients about their dog’s medical history and I’m always scanning for...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 5, 2022 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs
This week we said goodbye to our goofy, adventurous, always happy, Mr. Barbo. These goodbyes are never easy but I can take solace in knowing we shared a beautiful, fun life together, filled with over a decade of adventures, snacks, travel in 18 states (via car,...
by Kate LaSala | Aug 1, 2022 | Dog Training, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Separation Anxiety
When you share your life with a dog struggling with fear, separation anxiety or are caring for a sick or senior dog, it’s easy to get so immersed in caring and protecting for them, that you push your own needs aside. This is a topic that comes up with...
by Kate LaSala | Jul 25, 2022 | Dog Training, Pet Loss & Grieving
As I’ve written in the past, I currently share my life with two senior dogs. Mr. Barbo, who will be 14 in just 2 weeks and BooBoo will be 14 in October. And I know, as lucky as we are to have two large dogs reach these senior ages, it’s also...
by Kate LaSala | Mar 28, 2022 | Dog Training, Dog Training Regulation, Dogs and Babies and Kids, Fear, Aggression and Reactivity, Pet Loss & Grieving, Rescue Dogs, Separation Anxiety
Updated: I am an end-of-life companion animal doula and pet loss grief companion. You can read more about my service offerings here. Resources last updated 4/25/26. (Barbo and BooBoo have both passed but I’m keeping this text preserved.) I’ve written...
