I looked down and noticed that my boots were on the wrong feet. I took them off and realized I was barefoot on the cold tile floor of the hospital. As I was putting them on the right feet, I panicked that I was not wearing a bra and looked down to see what I had on - my jacket was not done up and I was wearing only a t-shirt and pajama pants. We were in the middle of a February deep freeze and I was numb as my husband, Kris, and I, awaited news from the vet on Duke’s condition....

Unleash your dog’s spirit. This has been a tagline of dogma’s for over 15 years and was inspired by my dear friend and mentor, Jennifer Buchanan. She shared it with me as we were discussing my work years ago and it instantly clicked. It summed up perfectly what my goals were in training dogs and developing our relationship with them. I was reflecting on this shortly after we said goodbye to our dog, Deja. She spent 16 wonderful years at my side and as I thought back on our time...

It’s taken me awhile to sit down and write this post. I’ve started it a few times but struggled on where to start. I’ve said goodbye to my best friend, my soul dog and my greatest teacher. What do I want to share about the experience of saying goodbye? What do I feel when I think back on it? It hurts. It hurts like hell and I get emotional every time I start this post. But, more than anything, I think to that day and what a beautiful morning it was. I remember waking up...

Losing a pet is hard on the whole family. We lost Guinniss in June and saw the effects it had on the remaining pets immediately. Deja and Duke were both lethargic and stayed in bed for hours. For a few days after his passing, neither of them got up to greet us when we came home. Deja stopped eating and they were quiet and withdrawn. It was a big adjustment for everyone and we are still seeing the impact today. In this post, I will share some of the lessons I have learned through...

Emergencies are stressful for everyone involved. For our pets, they will be confused and potentially scared from all of the activity and stress of their families. They may be left behind, rushed out into new environments or placed somewhere strange on their own. This is hard on everyone and the stress can have an impact on your dog’s emotional and behavioural well-being. Below are some simple ways you can help to ensure you minimize the impact of the stress after an emergency.

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