Tag Archives: Nancy Tanner

building a ‘dog pond’ – day #1

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All of my garden and home projects start off with a little idea, mostly on a whim, and when I have time on my hands. Time can be an extra five or ten minutes, but give me hours and things really get changed up.

I never put a time limit on a project, I just want to see my ‘vision’ take shape, and happen. Our gardens change yearly, I have my garden bed that has my ‘mother plants’, I split and seed collect from those plants and have for eleven years. All of the other beds come and go depending on what looks interesting to me. Take this weekend for example.

“Do you want more coffee Nance?

Yes thanks, so I am digging a hole in the front yard, the dogs need a pond.

So how much coffee did you already drink?

Not enough thanks, and I looked on line for a bio falls so we can have a small water fall too. Nothing big this year.

So are you doing this by yourself?

Well the plants are moved, and Ocean has already started to dig, lets just go with that shape, do you know anything about pond pumps because I sure as hell don’t, and that is kind of a big part of it.

Um, we have other house projects that need to be finished first?

No, get your gloves and the wheel barrel, let’s dig. Actually the kids, Ocean and I will dig, you take the dirt to the compost pile. I think the dogs and kids really need a pond, don’t you?”

We have no master plan, nothing drawn on paper, and are new to the pond element thing. But we had SO MUCH FUN yesterday digging and learning. We decided to start small this year, get a feel for it, and leave room to expand next year if we like it.

This will be a more ‘naturalized’ splash pool, with a water fall. Actually, the term we learned yesterday is, “pondless waterfall’, no depth really and just gently moving water. Cool beans, this is what I want! Not too deep, no fish, no water plants, just dog/kid cooling off fun, and hopefully beautiful!

We watched about 15 videos, and investigated just as many pond materials sites. We are getting a better feel for the rocks we want to use, water flow, and depth.

Pond supplies ordered this morning. Rocks will be ordered tomorrow.

So our start! Day #1

the Scent Project – why scent can be a great assist to our dogs

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When I tell people I developed Aroma Mists for dogs & their people, the Scent Project, the polite people restrain themselves from rolling their eyes, the truly ‘I have no boundaries for body language folks’ roll their eyes with gusto! And to be fair, I kind of get it. Not all people, but for sure many, have a weird association when they hear the word aromatherapy. It isn’t hard to conjure a new age image.

But I believe times have truly changed. I would like to believe we are more accepting of the plants around us and the uses they can provide for well being. But why use aroma therapy with dogs? Is it even effective?

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Aroma/Scent therapy is the therapeutic use of plant-derived, 100% aromatic essential oils to promote psychological well-being. It is used as part of an integrative approach, adding that extra layer of assist. Beneficial to both humans and dogs, aromatherapy elicits a more positive emotional response, whether it’s to lift the mood, add energy, or to relax and take a well needed deep breath.

For dogs, olfaction, or the process of smelling, is the dog’s primary sense. They’re considered macrosmatic animals, which means their nose knows. They can detect cluster scents, scents at a distance (up to seven miles), and detect a single scent over a variable contaminated surface, during all weather conditions I might add.
For example, a human has 5 million receptors to detect scent, a dog has 220 million or more. Using scent to create emotional balance makes good sense.

For humans, we are considered microsmatic in the smelling world. This means that we need to work harder to gather information with our nose. There is a reason we use dogs for scent detection work! Scent needs to be pure and obvious, and most of the time pleasing to the nose in order for it to create a positive emotional response. Plant based oils tend to be pleasing and therapeutic for humans.

History –
Let’s take a quick step back in time so this information I present has a bit more depth.
Aroma Therapy is a Greek compound meaning – Fragrance (aroma) Treatment (therapy).
I will be using Aroma, Scent, and/or Essential Oil Therapy interchangeably. Aroma therapy is an art and a science that uses the scent and essence of varied plants in liquid or vapor form as an inhalant, or an application to treat a variety of physical and mental conditions.
Aroma Therapy in history was used both medicinally and simply to make things smell good (natural perfumery).

The term ‘Aroma Therapy’ was not used until the 1920’s, but recorded history notes the use of Frankincense and Myrrh for healing, cosmetics and embalming in 4500 BC.
In 400 BC Hypocrites (known as the father of medicine) studied the benefits and effects of hundreds of scented plants and herbs. His belief was “good health can be promoted with aromatic baths and oils.” It was most likely the Romans that developed the technique for steam distillation and extraction of aromatic floral waters, but the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Persians also used these essential oils and aromatic plants during daily living.

Notable -Egypt most likely developed the first culture with a fragrance industry.

Notable – Cleopatra use to have her sails soaked in rose oil, so when cruising down the river she could attract suitors.

Notable – French Chemist Rene Maurice gate Fosse accidentally discovered that lavender oil relieved pain after a lab burn to his hands.

Francoise Rapp, internationally renowned aroma therapist and alchemist, leader in natural perfumery, and in her literature and books regarding the use of plant derived essential oils for health and beauty, almost always mentions the beneficial use with animals. Dogs, horses and cats in particular (my guess with that is because we live in such close proximity to them). “Their sensitivity to their environment, their ability to gather information with their nose, their honest approach to accepting new information that is almost all of the time, nonverbal.”

Kristen Leigh Bell wrote a lovely book ‘Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals’ and has been promoting the use of plant derived essential oils for dogs and cats for over 10 years. The AHVMA has also published a few articles in their journal on the beneficial use of lavendula while working through behavior modification programs.

Jeanne Rose – The History & Use of Essential Oils – This amazing duo includes a PowerPoint presentation combined with a 37-page lecture book with both history and background of common herbs.

Why use Aroma/Scent Therapy? Aroma Therapy is used to influence and/or modify the mind, body and spirit. The use of nature’s most concentrated substance is excellent to calm dogs who may be aging, fearful, agitated, stressed, uncertain, too joyful, a puppy, or hyperactive. Unlike herbal calming tablets, which take time to digest, aromatherapy essential oils are inhaled and quickly begin their work. Scent therapy, or essential oil therapy is taking plant derived essential oils that promote emotional wellbeing, and pairing them with a pleasant event. Intention is important, as is an integrative approach.
Odors affect our emotional states and moods by what is known as associative learning, the process by which one event is linked to another because of a past experience. Burning rubber smell while driving, how does that make you feel? Why? The smell of the ocean, the scent of blooming roses? How do these scents make you feel?

At a conference in 2006, Dr. Randy Kidd was one of the speakers. He was the first Naturopathic veterinarian in the US. He had some interesting things to say about plants, oils, and dogs. “If you watch your dogs at home, or when you’re hiking and taking a break, (and assuming you don’t use herbicides/pesticides in the area) watch to see where they lay down and then take note of the plants around them. You will almost always find they are laying next to, or by a plant that has properties for calming. I have yet to see a dog choose to lay next to a hot pepper plant”!

What are essential oils? It is very difficult to describe an essential oil because they are not visible when in the plant. Only nature can produce whole essential oils. They are tiny droplets contained in glands, glandular hairs, sac or veins of different plant parts – root, flower, fruit, leaf. They are the ‘essence’ of that particular plant form and responsible for giving the botanical its unique scent and ‘fingerprint’.
There are no synthetic or partial synthetic components in plant derived oils. PLEASE NOTE – if a ‘spa’ product has ingredients beyond a plant name, it is not a true essential oil, it is a perfume with no therapeutic qualities.

Oils are extracted in a variety of ways; cold expeller pressed, CO2 extraction, and steam distillation. Distillation is the most common for the oils I use, and it works very similar to a ‘whiskey still’. When the plant matter or particular part of the plant is in the vat/still with water, the oil of the plant comes out one side, the ‘hydro sol’ comes out the other. The oil is extremely concentrated. The hydro sol or floral water, is water with micro droplets of oil. Both are effective in their own right, applications and benefits vary.
Essential oils that are safe for dogs
•    Lavender
•    Rosemary
•    Lemon grass
•    Marjoram
•    Green mandarin
•    Neroli
•    Chamomile
•    Rose
•    Valerian
•    Sweet orange

Why did I start to use scent/aroma therapy with dogs? The start of The Scent Project ™ .
I am a professional trainer and work with dogs with a variety of ages and temperaments. I am integrative in my approach and work with the whole dog; socially, emotionally, physically and nutritionally. I have also been into gardening and all that comes with it since before I can remember, and for certain, long before I started to work with dogs professionally. Essential oils come from plants, plants start growing in the dirt, dirt happens to be the essential starting point in a garden, and that is where I come in! I love playing in the dirt and growing things! My house is almost chemical free in regards to cleansers, cleaners, soaps, and the like. It has been this way for over 25 years. A personal choice, nothing more nothing less. When my son was a baby, I found out he was allergic to what I was eating, via breast milk. I cleaned up our families diet, whole foods only (fruit, vegetable, meat, rice, beans) and went to task and learned a great deal more about anti inflammatory and calming herbs and plants. His body and skin needed this assist, and with my gardening knowledge it was only a matter of hooking up with specialists in the herbal world.

In 2008 when I was coaching one of our Relaxing your Reactive Rover classes, I had the idea to start adding essential oils to the class environment. It was a tricky group, all of the dogs had seen or experienced evil, and the owners had lost their confidence in handling their dogs in public. The reason I thought about adding something natural is that at that time, psychotropic drugs were being prescribed like Chiclets for dogs. I was flattened with the amount of drugged out dogs I was seeing, and it was not helping, it was masking what was really going on. And the worst part was that handlers were under the impression that the drugs would ‘cure’ their dog, and they didn’t have to do any work. I had the knowledge, experience, and great intentions with essential oils for my family. With this group of dogs, at first, the scents I used were a bit too strong, they were the blends I had made for my children. The also had emulsifiers, and preservatives which are common in human grade products (they don’t bother us in general). So I cut back and started to use micro droplets, and eliminated the emulsifiers and preservatives. Over the course of six weeks I started to see a change in the dogs and people. In addition to the great work they were doing, everyone was breathing, and breathing deeply and with comfort. Eyes relaxed, body posture soft but still aware, and deep breathing. YAY! Great work started to happen!
I started to sell custom blends to my clients. I was super honest that I wasn’t selling a cure or a substitute for doing good work. My aroma blends were made for an assist, to add another layer so to speak.

What I found was, clients who used my aroma blends became more intentional, more observant, and chose to do more work. They became self-motivated, and all moving in the right direction.

Our mists are designed as an integrative tool, a layered effect, not to be relied on solely or seen as a cure all. Having the intention to do better, or to create a more balanced environment is the start. Creating a plan for your dog and assisting with scents that promote a more positive emotional state is a bonus for the dog and a bonus for the handler! As one of our clients has said… “from Mother Nature, through your hands, to our dogs nose… it’s all good!”

With our products, we went through a year of blending trial and error to come up with just the right scents that were light enough for a dog and still pleasing to the human nose. We found that humans wouldn’t use it if they couldn’t smell it. I think we might be funny that way. We did trials with 50 family pet homes, 2 veterinary offices and two shelters. We did our research!

Benefits -
If you create an association with a pleasant calming scent and a good experience, you are creating a memory, a CER, a positive Conditioned Emotional Response. Then you have a tool to use, bring with you, have at home, that can assist you and your dog.
The Benefits are limitless for… Dogs … and People
•    Breathing deep
•    Freshening the environment
•    Relaxing in new environment (on sight…)
•    Lifting the mood
•    Soothing car travel
•    Easing a noisy environment
•    Creating focus
•    Grounding some out of control energy
•    Relax eyes, mind, spirit
•    etc…

Just some of the possible Applications & Use …
•    mist room
•    mist bedding, linens
•    mist mat and crate area
•    mist inside of car mist inside of pant legs before a walk (scent travels up for you, but it is also nose level with your dog!)
•    mist leash before clipping it on
•    mist collar before putting it on
•    mist brief case before a meeting
•    mist area around your home computer
•    mist work area between appointments, privates, phone conferences to refresh yourself and environment
•        etc…

Conclusion –
If we know our dogs are gathering information with their nose all of the time, it makes good sense to create a scent that can assist with calming, focusing, relaxing. A balanced emotional response, that is a good thing!

Cheers & Good Scents, Nancy

references -

http://www.jeannerose.net

http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/Book_Holistic_Aromatherapy_for_Animals_p/9074.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Aromatherapy-Book-Inhalations-Applications-Library/dp/1556430736

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-09-20/health/fl-alternative-medicine-pets-20110919_1_holistic-veterinary-medical-association-alternative-medicine-laser-therapy

http://www.ahvma.org/

http://www.thescentproject.com

what exactly is a training collar?

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what exactly is a training collar?
Lately I have been researching and studying  advertising and marketing strategies, and I have found that there is a fine line, sometimes even an enormous gap between creative and totally misleading.

When I go into stores these days, I go about my business and do my shopping, but I now look at labels with different eyes, eyes that actually need glasses but that’s a different story for a later time. I look at the label lay out, what catches my eye first, colors, and what the label is trying to sell me, verses what the product actually is.

Let’s take a pet store aisle, just for giggles, and look at the sign that says ‘Training Collars’. I’ve never really understood this strategy to be honest with you, but let’s just go with it. Every time I see that sign and look at the collars I secretly wonder if they are sprinkled with pixie dust, or have a bit of magic behind them. A collar that can train your dog? All by itself? It’s better than a crystal ball for god’s sake!

The next time you go into a pet store with your dog, walk over to the sign that says ‘Training Collars’, take off your dog’s gear and put on one of the Training Collars; pinch, choke, webbing, shock, they’re all lumped together so apparently they’re all capable of ‘Training’. Now, put your hands in your pockets, stand back and watch the magic unfold before your eyes! Ta Da…

No pixie dust magic I am going to guess, but I don’t want to spoil your fun, just go and try it anyway.

That’s because a collar does not train your dog, you train your dog. You are in control of what you put around your dogs muzzle, neck and/or chest. You are in control of it, it does not work without you on the other end of the leash or control box. This sign would allow you to believe that the collar is in control of your dog, which takes all responsibility and accountability away from the handler. This is where we humans get into a bit of trouble.

Most of the collars, not all, in this aisle are not designed to spray rainbows by any measure, and they are not designed to actually train anything, or even assist with training. They are designed to cause pain, fear and/or discomfort so you can teach your dog avoidance. That goes against building life skills and a relationship.

Guess what happens when the ‘Training Collar’ comes off? Generally you have a dog that has learned nothing other than what to avoid. Many times these dogs have no reliable behaviors when all of the gear comes off. When gear is the focus, relationship gets lost, and without a strong relationship there can be no good teaching.

The problem I have with this type of marketing is that it takes responsibility away from the handler, it is misleading by a long shot and it desensitizes consumers as to what they are actually purchasing, and for what reasons.

If a sign were to say ‘Pain, Fear and Discomfort Collars’, would you buy one? Would you feel that you were doing something that would be beneficial for your relationship with your dog. Would you put in your next Christmas letter that baby Fido got his first ‘Pain, Fear and Discomfort Collar’ and we are so excited about it? Why not, there are boat loads of people who say they just bought a new ‘Training Collar’ for their dog. The terminology and marketing have desensitized and allowed us to feel good about using them.

What about a sign that says ‘Training Takes a Life Time Collars’, would you feel discouraged and overwhelmed? Collars and harnesses that are made for comfort and to assist with training goals are also made for handlers that understand training doesn’t happen overnight, in a weekend, a year or even five years. It is a life time commitment. This can seem overwhelming and daunting to some.

When you buy something for yourself based on advertising that is appealing to you, you are making a choice that will affect only you. You can live with those choices, good , bad or indifferent. When you buy something for your dog, you need to choose wisely and look past advertising and marketing. Really look at the product and do research. After you have done that, you need to have personal accountability for how you use it, and know why. You are doing the training with your dog, not the gear.

If someone ever comes out with a Pixie Dust Collar … let me know!

Nancy
this was a post from my original blog, that I accidentally crashed with one click on my keyboard,  in 1/2012. Happy to have found it …

Story is cruising into retirement!

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It’s time to change things up for Story, here is wishing him a brilliant retirement!

I wasn’t in the market for a puppy. Not really, but if you are a dog person you kind of always are to be honest. Franny was around five years old or so, Ocean almost three, we were hitting our stride. Franny was trail running with Spore every day, Ocean and I competing in herding, agility and freestyle almost every weekend and more.

And then I saw an article in the paper, “Quality Border Collie Pups”. I had never seen them listed that way, and was curious so I called. The call led to a four hour visit, the visit led to an additional phone call, and a few days later we met half way and brought Story home. We were the first non-ranch home to be approved for one of her puppies. I promised to give him a rock star life and to use his working abilities, he would be more than a pet.

Baby story

He came from the Ross line of border collies, a Scottish line, and a fine one I might add. Not a single dam thing wrong with these dogs. Solid in every which way.  A gift.

His litter name was ‘Jig’, because his markings looked like a jigsaw puzzle. The kids named him Story B. Jones. It was a combination of a story book series that my children were reading at the time, and their love of books. To me it was perfectly pimpish, I loved it.

He was my first dog that was strong, out going, athletic, super social, and 100% comfortable in his own skin. Nothing to modify, life was good, so we had unlimited time to train, train to my hearts content, and it turns out Story’s. I had never had a solid dog of my own, solid on every level. Rock On!

So we went to town doing everything, literally. My immediate goal was owner trained Service Dog. I was working through some limiting health issues at the time, so this was an awesome fit. The cool thing about this journey was that I did everything with him, exposed him to more than my other dogs had ever seen, and involved myself in several sports to keep him flexible, both mentally and physically. After 18 months he pretty much let me know Service Dog worked sucked for him, he was way to social, and wanted work that was more explosive and dynamic. I am so glad I was working in other areas at the same time as it let us continue right along with training without missing a step.

Agility was super fun with Story. He went from polite and accurate to running like a steam train. Power, force, 100% each and every time! You could feel his energy on course, I loved it, every minute.

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Herding, well he did it all without me doing anything. He was amazing and breath taking to watch on stock. Balanced, settled, great distance, and powerful. He never had problems with green sheep or rams. He worked them all the same, and they all listened. This is something I wish we had put more time into.

Freestyle, this was our thing. Story and I came together and really blossomed with freestyle training. The creativity, the complex sequences, and the focus. He was honored, at 17 months of age, with a guest appearance on the Martha Stewart Show. It still makes me smile that at his youthful age he handled that whole experience in stride, like he was born for it. He made me smile through that whole journey!

Martha Stewart

And then along came treibball. This has been the only sport Story was not initially excited about. He was disgusted that I would actually ask him to put his face on the ball. I had to slow down with this sport and wait for him, make it worth his while. And now, two years later, he is an awesome player, a World Pusher with the World Treibball League!

small ball

Story’s image has graced newspaper and magazine articles, and has been part of our advertising campaign for the Scent Project. This image is one of my favorites from early in our freestyle training, and appeared in the Bozeman Chronicle.

me & story

Story has worked with hundreds of our clients dogs, from puppies and adolescents, to dogs that didn’t trust other dogs, or had reactivity issues. He has such a lovely way of greeting dogs and knowing when he can move forward, and when he should give more space. Since he has not an ounce of malice intent, he seemed to be able to put most dogs at ease, some actually learned to play again. But about two weeks ago he let me know he was done with this type of work. He looked out the car door at the dog we were going to be working with, and I swear I heard him say to the other dog, “sorry, you’re on your own dude”. He crawled into the back seat and that is all the information I needed to have. Retirement, lounging, hiking, treibball, a demo here and there, it made me smile, it was time.

Story has worked in -

196 puppy classes

97 adolescent classes

116 freestyle classes

28 agility classes

402 private trainings as a stimulus or trigger dog

He has had an amazing career, possibly more to come but in a much less stressful way. We are changing gears! So here is to my big, brilliant, and beautiful boy, Story. You are a gift each and every day. Love to you, all the way around!

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click on a photo and then follow the arrows!

she has never apologized for her choices, ever

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She has never apologized for her choices. She has never lied. She has lived her life with raw honesty, take it or leave it.

I chose to take it, and have not one single regret.

My Franny is reaching the end of her life. She has gone from a senior dog who was very active, to an old age dog who is slowly fading. She is actively dying before my eyes, and I have to stop and wonder how this all came to be. I know, I understand the circle of life, I understand that death is part of our life experience, but when it starts to happen, in front of my eyes, it seems so not real. I don’t know how else to say it. From vibrant, active, and opinionated, to slowly letting go. She is doing this gracefully, me not so much.

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I have written about Franny extensively. The blog series I wrote last year, ‘Living with a Dog Outside of Neutral’, was a very cathartic experience for me. I had never intended to write about my experiences with Franny, because at that point we were still living them, actively, every day. I think there is a fine line between sharing valuable information and exploiting a relationship, I had to wait until I found my voice to tell her story. But we are both very much a part of each others personal biographies, large chapters in each I would think, and I reached a point where it was time.

I met some wonderful people through this series, shared similar experiences, and have been invited to talk for small groups and clubs that work with dogs that are outside of neutral. But I also was contacted by a few who had nothing but negative comments, were extremely condemning, and had the need to point out all of my mistakes along the way. These few must have missed my the line in the opening paragraph, “I will do my best to tell this story with the unapologetic and raw manner in which she lives”.

On the final post in that series I wasn’t ready to comment on the success or failures of all of the work Franny and I did together. Now I am. I believe that all of the time spent reading, researching, training, and building a strong relationship were worth it, totally and completely. She has been an amazing teacher. Things didn’t go smoothly, hardly ever. Franny and I didn’t just color outside of the lines, we scribbled freely. We had to learn, so we did it together. When I hear of training programs where animals have been rehabilitated, I am still not certain that is what Franny and I ever did, or if it truly is possible for any animal, us included. Franny became very successful in environments where she felt safe, but there were plenty were she didn’t feel safe. Those environments never worked, ever, for us. Triggers were triggers, some lessened but they were still there. But we came to a mutual point, ‘the DMZ’, and we moved forward together. This was only possible through mutual trust, safety, and a strong relationship. Neither of us perfect. What worked in spades for Franny and I, and all of our dogs have benefited from this, is management and structure of the environment.

One person wrote to me and asked why Franny never reached the point of perfect, where she could handle all situations under all distractions, ‘your a trainer for God’s sake!’. To me that isn’t perfect, that’s a stuffed animal. Not many dogs, or humans for that matter can handle everything, all of the time, with grace. Trying to turn Franny into a sweet, loving, gentle neutral dog would be like moving Mt. Everest to a new continent. Not possible. Apples and oranges.

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I started out as Franny’s guide. You see, I have been on the planet many decades before she was born, I have life experience that I could share with her, hopefully teach her. Holidays, birthdays, camping, weather, kayaking, movie time, etc. I had the privilege to introduce her to things, share what I knew, pass along some knowledge. But now it has flipped, she is my guide. She has become old, past senior years, she has entered a life stage totally unfamiliar to me, and she is doing this on her own. She must sense death is not far off, I can see it in her eyes and by her actions of wanting to be near me, next to me. She will experience letting go, taking her last breath, and saying good bye, all before it is my time. I cannot help explain this to her for I haven’t been there yet, I don’t know what it’s like. She is so brave to me.

Our time left together will be our time. Days, weeks or months. I don’t believe in a rainbow bridge, and would bet money she wouldn’t be sitting there waiting for me, I can only imagine her saying, fuck that.  I wish her freedom and a chance to fly without human judgement. So to my Franny, even though you don’t read, this is for you, I hope you can feel it in your heart.

You have taught me so much

Taught me the purpose for my skills

Taught me who I am

Taught me to live with raw honesty

But most of all you taught me to do what is right

I love you

 

 

time poor

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When Spore and I started our lives together, we decided that we wanted to live simply. We found out pretty quickly that our vision of simple was quite different. Spore was thinking cave man homesteader, pull away from society, live off the land, tree bark for toilet paper kind of simple. I was thinking no TV and walk to work simple.

Compromise. We had to learn it in spades. Small house we both agreed on. I said no to tree bark essentials, he said no to a washer and dryer. I said no to a wash board and ringer. He said OK, no dryer. We were making progress. He said composting toilet, I said no way no how. He said no extras just the minimum, I said OK.

Simple is not simple to plan, but it’s also not terribly complicated. Chop wood, carry water.

We were learning that living simply could be a monstrous time suck, and some days physically and mentally exhausting, and frustrating. Loosing your entire market garden to one random hail storm is not an easy pill to swallow. Busy from sun up to sunset on most days. There is a reason that some homesteaders killed each other, ate their young, and went crazy. I was choosing to not go down that path, just yet.

Ocean, Garden

But, surprisingly enough, I was loving our simple life. I’ve never been opposed to hard work, but I learned that I function much better without material clutter. I started to love going to bed each night, (yes a bed, after I talked Spore out of the tent in the yard), exhausted mentally and physically in a deep satisfying way. Things felt real, rich, tangible, and known.

We were young, we didn’t have children or dogs yet, simple was totally doable.

And then one day we looked at each other, maybe it was a blank stare. We now had a dog and two babies, and jobs in town. Laundry sat on the clothes line for days, I considered rain an extra rinse cycle. Wood needed to be chopped, the garden harvested, and goodies to be canned. Our dog and two babies took up all of the time I use to have to take care of our basic needs. I felt completely time poor, and exhausted in a not so good way.

spore & pip garden

So we hit the compromise table again. My new focus was our babies and my dog. Somethings around the house had to give, be made a bit easier. My declaration to not being super human stuck. I held up my simple white flag, to our simple little life, in our simple little home. And I was gifted a lovely dryer. Woop… I think it might still be the best gift I ever received.

Over the years we have added more dogs, birds, fish, and bunnies. Our children are growing up and are getting pretty involved and busy in their activities. My dogs are all hitting their senior years at one level or another and it is ripping at my heart. And I have some modern conveniences in our home that I am so grateful for.

Most days I have ample time for my kids and dogs. I mean hours worth, and I planned it this way. I also work full time, and still grow a market garden. But the ‘keep it simple’ is always at the forefront of everything I do.

I would consider myself to be time poor. There are very few days, if any, where I am at a loss for something to do. Even though my scientist friends remind me that time is a constant and does not change, if you are a mother you know for a fact that it does. Time goes by way to quickly with my dogs and they go from puppy to senior in no time at all. I have learned to stop and cherish each day with them, not that they are all good or productive, but that we are here and doing this journey together. My kids are growing way to quickly and I would like the clock to slow a bit, enjoy the time I have with them for just a little longer.

On days were I am feeling really time poor, I stop and take a deep breath. There is always 20 minutes someplace in the day to sit down with my kids and listen to them. There is always 20 minutes to go into the yard and play with my dogs and work with them.

Cutting out the extras and knowing what is most important is the simplest way to live, and love, and be grateful. Time poor doesn’t have to mean ‘no time’, it simply means there is no time for extras, only what matters most.

Nancy

 

 

 

when is a rescue no longer a rescue?

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Marketing is a powerful tool.

A good marketing plan can shape how we feel, how we act, how we move, how we eat, what we eat, where we live, what we think, and so on. Sit back and think for a moment, what are you currently doing in your life that has not been shaped by marketing on some level? hmmm

During the past decade, one of the most powerful marketing trends in the United States has been focused on adopting pets from Rescues and Shelters. Ethically, morally, socially, and neighborly, it has been marketed as not only the cool thing to do, but the responsible thing to do. This in and of itself is great, animals in need of forever homes garnering attention in every corner of America. A spot light on those animals that for whatever reason need a better, and more suitable home than the one they started with. And because this marketing trend surpasses the animal world, is backed by movie stars, politicians, and the uber wealthy, it is very successful! Yay for the animals!

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Some dogs that have come from shelters and rescues have made the headlines over the years; Agility Champions, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs, Canines for Conservation, and cherished family pets that turn out to have a lot of talent. These stories bring another layer to this marketing trend. Sometimes you can find that diamond in the rough, and how cool is that.

But not all are remarkable, or pretty, or talented. Some are simple, some with lack luster looks, some have seen evil, some have experienced dangerous situations, many have lived in dysfunction, some are timid, some are just simply not the right fit for the humans that chose them. And there are plenty more reasons why these dogs end up in transition with rescues and shelters. And believe it or not, this is great for marketing too. There are a plethora of people with very deep and kind hearts who are looking for a dog to cherish. They want to help the under dog. Provide a safe place, give them hope, experience happiness, and let them fly.

Just as every dog in transition has their own story, every person that wants a dog has their own reasons.

But here is my question, or statement, or opinion, or observation. I’m not sure what it is because depending on the day it seems to take on a new life form.

This powerful marketing trend to adopt is good and right on all levels, I support that. But this same marketing trend has kept these dogs carrying around their baggage from their past life for way too long. Marketing has shaped us to continue to use the terms ‘my rescue’, ‘he/she’s a rescue’, ‘it’s a rescue’, ‘pound puppy’, or ‘second hand mutt’. But why? Once you adopt your dog aren’t they now yours? Shouldn’t we be using the term ‘MY DOG’. Let them leave their past life behind and move on, a fresh start, re framing how the world works in a better way, hopefully.

There seems to be some moral or ethical Brownie Badge when you refer to your dog as ‘my rescue’. In that one word phrase you have let, whoever you are talking too, know that you have done a good thing out of the kindness of your heart. I have never seen the same emotional response in a conversation by just saying ‘this is my dog’. Ta Da, MY DOG!

Sometimes marketing plans that work so well on us humans, and shape our behavior, can back fire on our dogs. Many times, dogs that are adopted and called ‘a rescue’ are thought to be less intelligent by some, less trainable, less social, less of everything. ‘Rescue’ can be a powerful word picture for some people. Odd, anti social, over the top behaviors are sometimes tolerated, because, well you know, it’s a ‘Rescue’. What?

When a person commits to the words, ‘my dog’, they cannot blame or excuse their human behavior or their dogs behavior on the past. It is pretty defining, and requires accountability in my opinion, or rather my world. My dog, my responsibility, my companion, my joy, my life, my world. It is full commitment, committing to another living being, fully and totally without any verbal barrier or excuses, or dismissals because of their previous experiences.

Whether you refer to yourself as a guardian or an owner, do it fully, not half way. Rescue a dog, adopt a dog, but then call them yours. My Dog.

After all, I don’t believe they can be re rescued every single day for the rest of their lives in the same home with the same person. How freaking exhausting would that be!

Nancy, who is currently surrounded by four sleeping dogs, who are all My Dogs.

it’s the 99% of the time that kindness counts

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When we first moved into our Montana neighborhood, on a cul de sac, I was so excited. Families, children, dogs, close to schools, neighbors to chat with at the mail box, all of the good stuff.

You see, we moved to Montana from Wyoming. You might say, yeah, big deal, it’s pretty much the same. Oh no it’s not. Wyoming is a bit rough around the edges and a bit lawless. We were 75 miles from an interstate, and had lots of sage brush in pretty much every direction.

Everything there is extreme. The summers are roasting hot, the winters are freaking cold and frozen, the wind lifts roofs, and the perfect days are just so perfect that it’s hard for the mind to comprehend. But our neighbors were good people, to the bone good. They may not have been chatty, or super social, but they were kind and hard working. If I ever needed help, real help, they were there for me every time, and visa versa. We all looked out for each other, and not in a nosy neighborhood way. There was a sincere kindness, and realness to our life there, rough but very real.

When we arrived on our cul de sac, there were 19 children and 13 dogs. I thought that for sure this was going to be it! We were told that the dogs could be off leash and the children could play safely, everyone looked out for everyone else. Wow! Happy Valley.

Well it was a nightmare with dogs off leash everywhere, so we built a fence, planted a hedge, and built a garden. So did a few of the other homes. Things became a bit more peaceful and a bit kinder. Not so many neighborly conflicts. Our dogs were happier, and I was happier having them safe from some of the other dogs in the neighborhood.

Then we found that kindness was subjective. We were only one of two homes on our circle that didn’t go to the same church. Kindness was reserved for church friends, cold shoulders for the rest. This was actually OK with me, I was learning that things weren’t very ‘real’ after all, so doing my own thing was not a loss really. I had my kids, dogs and garden, life was good.

But this is also when the ‘sand box’ wars started. That oh so precious moment when a parents point of view slips out of a four year olds mouth, and you learn that kindness is really masked contempt and judgement. These little people spewing their parents hatred at my children because they didn’t go to the same church.

At one point I was told that ‘cleanliness was next to godliness’ by one of these charming four year olds. She didn’t even know what it meant, other than she was pointing to my laundry on the couch. So I told her to fold it if it bothered her so much. Funny, she never came down again.

Then years went by, everyone kind of fell into their own groove, and only minor neighborhood conflicts. There have been births, deaths, marriages, and two new families. Our dogs and children live a good life, my garden has continued to grow.

And it only took one trigger, just one the other night, to bring me back to that feeling I had when we first moved here.

We have four dogs, two are seniors. They are never off leash in our neighborhood, and we respect others properties. We still have to look out our driveway each time we take them for a walk to make sure our neighbors dogs aren’t cruising around.

Our one neighbor four houses down stood in the middle of the street and was throwing a tennis ball for his dog, right at our home and onto our property. You see we are the home at the back of the circle, it was a direct throw. So his dog came running down the street and right at our home. You can imagine four herding dogs watching another dog charge their home, it didn’t go well.

I went outside and started walking into the street and put my arms up in that universal questioning gesture. Any person from anyplace in the world, except my neighbor apparently, understands this gesture, everyone! He looked right at me, and thru the ball in my direction, and his dog came running at me to get to the ball. Again my dogs were going nuts watching this all go down. His action was intentional, disrespectful, and adolescent, and he is a grown man, my senior.

We exchanged words.

Everyday for the past four days his dog has been cruising around the neighborhood, he has been walking his dog off leash, and throwing the ball in the street, oh but only half way down now. He is actually making a concerted effort to be disrespectful and unkind. And he continues.

I know that some of the kids in our neighborhood read my blog. Thank you, I appreciate you checking in, truly.

So here are my thoughts.

It is important for every family to be kind and loving to their children and animals. It is also important to be respectful and kind to your neighbors. This doesn’t mean you need to be buddy buddy, but rather to honor their existence on this planet and be kind, be real. Going to church and learning about kindness is not necessarily ‘living’ that same kindness.

When you are out in the world, and amongst people and animals of all walks of life, this is truly where kindness counts the most, this is the 99% part of your life, the part that truly counts. Doing it, not just talking about it.

My friend has talked about home re model ideas like moats, turrets, and draw bridges. I think I might take him up on his offer sometime soon!

Be kind, be respectful, and most of all be real … Nancy

when the common thread is love, it all works

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My husband and I had been together for about three years before we were married.

Akaroa - Tree Crop Farm

We worked, lived, traveled, and played together. He even convinced me that helping him with our house remodel would be a great adventure. I was young and game, and gave it a go. Why not.

We were learning about each other.

Spore learned that I like curvy, creative, and artistic lines. I didn’t mind paint splatters, I thought it made an area unique, and who doesn’t like more color? Uneven was interesting to me. I had no desire to create anything that was linear or square. It was the last remodel I was asked to help with.

We were learning about each other.

My very first gift from Spore was a hawk & trowel. I think he figured that plaster work might be my true calling? The second was a Husqvarna chain saw. And at what point does a man say, “yes a chain saw, that will be the perfect gift for her”. The third gift was a pair of hockey skates. I started to get the sense that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t learning much about me at all. While I accepted the gifts graciously, I had to wonder, what the hell?

But we were learning, yes this was learning.

I learned to appreciate his love of straight lines and all of the things he could build and make for us. He learned to appreciate my love of everything different, animals, gardening, and the food I could make for us. We allowed each other to be who we needed to be. And this worked.

We were learning. It was definitely a new skill set for the both of us.

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It wasn’t until we started bringing animals into our home, and having children of our own, that we found our common thread. Compassion and love for living beings. We are different parents, he is a man parent, I am a woman parent, obvious differences I hope. He is about adventure, and freedom, and spreading wings. I am about home, and nurturing, and safety, and dam it do not jump off the roof, the snow is not that deep!

But we both love. We love our animals. We love our children. We love our home. We love our garden.

This morning I was reminded how deep this love goes. I called Spore to let him know that Franny ate something, the first something in almost a week. The joy and happiness on the other end of the phone was palpable. You would have thought Spore was just told that he won the freaking lottery! And then we went through our list of what we were grateful for. We have a lot, and it is between our house walls.

Franny and Piper

Sometimes I think it is easy to get wrapped up in life and really forget about the important stuff. And everyone’s important stuff is different I believe. That’s what makes things so cool.

My children and I had a great breakfast together and talked about their projects coming up. Ocean is sleeping next to me right now. $eeker and Story are waiting to go play outside and are resting with their toys near by. Franny is freshly bathed, has a little food in her belly, and is sleeping in her rocking chair. She isn’t walking well just yet, but she looks sated. I am stoked!

Nancy

Roger Abrantes is in my kitchen

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I’m a Mom, a business woman, a dog trainer, a gardener, and a wife. There might be a few other things that I am, be these are the relevant ones, and they keep me plenty busy.

This past week I was doing the final preparations for a seminar that I was hosting. The advertising and marketing end of this event had been finished months earlier. I was now just making sure that everyone had the hotel rooms they wanted, the menu and numbers finalized, gift bags stuffed, wine and tapas gathering set to go, pool tables reserved for ‘after after hours’, film crew on the road, and so forth. I love, I mean love, hosting events. It’s simply my thing.

Because I had so much going on, so many details, my kids activities, my dogs work, and my business, I kind of never got into the cool emotional space of what was about to happen over the weekend.

And then I found myself in that very surreal moment in my kitchen, heating up chili, putting chips in a bowl, and filling a water glass for Roger Abrantes. I stopped in mid stream and just stared at him, for a very long second, most likely way longer than that, but not enough to be creepy I hope. It was that moment, that crazy moment when life hits you smack in the face. Holy crap, Roger Abrantes is in my kitchen.

You see, I went from Ian Dunbars book How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks, right into Abrantes book, The Evolution of Canine Social Behavior in 2005. Apparently that’s how my brain works, tricks and evolutionary behavior go hand in hand. ;-) The following year I had seen Abrantes at a conference in Portland Oregon. I liked him from the moment he started to speak. It doesn’t hurt that he has a great accent that makes listening easy, but he also made difficult material digestible. That, in my opinion, is a gift. I knew that some day I would bring him to Montana, but I just didn’t know when. He was officially on my list though.

Over the past seven years or so, I have read most of everything he has published, in English of course, and followed his blog. I like what he has to say, it’s really that simple. This past year I felt it was time, Montana was ready for Roger! So I e-mailed him, he e-mailed back, I gave him a time frame, he gave me his, I said great, he said yes! WOOP! It was really that easy, that straight forward, and that perfect on every level.

The seminar filled beyond my projections and quite early. This is always an awesome feeling, and a really good sign. He had a topic lined out for our group that sounded great, he was going to be in the USA touring for a couple of weeks before hand, so flying into Bozeman wouldn’t be as big of an ordeal as coming from over seas. I didn’t have to panic the night before about international flights and all of the ‘hoo haw’ that can come along with them.

I worked a full morning, had appointments out on ranches, worked my dogs, went to my children’s drum ensemble, and whipped up the worlds best bison chili before heading out to the airport.

And then there he was. Telling me about himself, his travels so far on this tour, all the while eating my food. He stood in my kitchen like he had been there 100 times, that lightness of being, that easiness, that only world travelers share. Maybe I did stare past the point of comfort, just a bit. Roger Abrantes is in my kitchen!

We went over some of the weekends details, schedules, ate some more, and talked about changing the seminar topic. Roger wanted to do something special for our Montana gathering, something he had never done before. As the host this was both a potential nightmare, and super exciting. Advertising one event and presenting another is a gamble at best. Sometimes it’s a silky transition, and other times a washboard country road with nails and tacks everywhere! My feelings were, if this brilliant mind had an idea, we should go with it, I would handle the rest. Besides, Roger Abrantes is in my kitchen!

And then my children came home from school. If there was ever a moment of kindred spirits, this was it. Piper, Renn, and Roger started talking about everything and nothing, they were all so easy with each other, and so perfect. I did the dishes while they chatted away, it was perfect. This was going to be a good weekend!

Like any host, you feel the need to arrange activities for your guest, even if they tell you they need to work. There is an obligation to entertain, well those are my feelings anyway.  Dinners, a trip to Yellowstone, pool, etc. We set up bits and pieces of Montana for him to experience. Mother Nature had other ideas, snow, wind, rain, and just a wee bit of sun. It was Montana beautiful by any standard, but the Montana blue bird sky is the jewel, and made just a guest appearance for a few minutes.

Our conference room started to fill on Saturday morning. Some of the most talented trainers from Montana, Colorado, and beyond started to fill the room. It was a gathering to be sure. Smiles, hugs, and greetings from friends I haven’t seen in a very long time. New faces and people to get to know better. Relaxed, comfortable, and ready to rock!

Roger started speaking and off we went. He set the pace for the weekend, and then introduced his new seminar just for us! “The 20 Principles All Animal Trainers Should Know”. This turned out to be so perfect on every level. We had family pet owners, professors, shelter staff, professional trainers, and a few horse trainers there. This met everyone’s needs, and encouraged better training for stronger results, using scientific principles.

Gaining new knowledge, refreshing some things I may have put on the back burner, and trying to wrap my head around new concepts are all well and good. But for me, I learn best with someone who can also impart life experiences, wisdom of the ages, sage. For me this is what makes it so real.

The two day seminar went by too quickly, as is the norm. It was awesome, no glitches to speak of, and as the host, this is always a good thing.

While Piper is teenager busy, and didn’t get to spend too much time with us outside of the conference, Renn by far made up for it. It would suffice to say that Renn has a mentor of sorts, in pool, food, and travels. And what a cool mentor to have! Roger mentioned that because he liked my kids so much, I was OK. But for me it is the other way around. Anyone so kind and honest with my kids, and who my kids like hanging out with, is OK with me. So the feelings are mutual.

roger and renn

I have lots of photos from this weekend, but this one makes me the happiest, and probably the only one you will see. Everything good!

Next time Roger is standing in my kitchen, I hope to have better control over my staring, hopefully it won’t be too surreal next time, but more like a world traveling friend coming to Montana to teach. OK, I will let you know how the staring goes next time.

Here is to learning, laughter, and kindness … may we all have more of it!

Nancy