2024 was the most challenging year I've had in many ways, with most challenges stemming from the devastating loss of my heart dog, my muse, my love, my BooBoo. When she died in April, I sunk into a deep depression, unable to work and just needing time to try...
I can hardly believe it but last month marked 5 years that I've been writing weekly blog content (except for the time I took off during the decline and death of BooBoo). Each year my alma mater, The Academy for Dog Trainers holds their annual Academy Awards...
My pet loss grief journey, eight months in. What's working, what's not and some new resources to share with you.
I was recently honored to be part of the conversation on the RISK! podcast talking about soul dogs, loss and loving the dog you have.
I was recently honored to be on the podcast, Good Grief with Nikki The Death Doula, talking about what a companion animal death doula does, how I help clients suffering from stigmatized losses like behavioral euthanasia, and how to best prepare for the death...
I get a lot of client inquiries with people concerned that their "Velcro dog" follows them room to room and they're concerned their dog has separation anxiety (SA). Is there any evidence of this? Is your Velcro dog at risk for separation anxiety? It sure...
I was recently honored to be a guest on the Starlight Pet Talk podcast, talking about where fear in dogs comes from, how trauma affects some dogs, while also emphasizing how resilient dogs can be and how we can help them adjust to their new lives. Amy, the...
Can dogs be racist? This is a question I get from clients when they sheepishly bring this up in consults and sort of whisper "I think my dog is a racist." I assure them, first, that they're not alone and second, that as embarrassing as this is, that isn't...
I was recently honored to be a guest on the The Pet Loss Companion podcast, talking about my personal grief journey with BooBoo, why I think it's important to share it, my companion animal Advance Care Directive and why I am passionate about planning and...
Navigating the loss of a beloved animal is never easy but it can be even harder when there are children in the family. Often the death of a pet is the first loss a child will experience and as an end-of-life death doula for animals, my strong belief is that...
If your dog growls, freezes, eats faster or tries to bite if you approach him when he's eating, then it's possible he's guarding his food. Food guarding is a completely normal and very common dog behavior but it understandably upsets owners and in some...
Turid Rugaas, a Norwegian dog trainer, came up with the term "calming signals" to refer to the appeasement behaviors dogs do. People will often coin these as submissive or deference behaviors. Many dogs will use this body language signs to de-escalate a...