Tag Archives: Paws & People

Story is cruising into retirement!

Posted on by
12

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.

287782_10150751171605175_443792425174_20578912_2741446_o

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!

100_0062

click on a photo and then follow the arrows!

time poor

Posted on by
7

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?

Posted on by
18

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!

IMGP0543

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

Posted on by
13

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

up north in Alaska!

Posted on by
8

It’s workshop season! And what a great start. A trip up north to Anchorage and Wasilla for a variety of topics, freestyle, cross training, team success and treibball. Ask anyone who wants to book me, it takes a lot to get me to leave home. But in this process of prying me away from my comfort, I seem to almost always love every minute, and meet some of the nicest people, from literally all over the world.

I love giving workshops, I love teaching, and sharing, and learning from those I am teaching. It is truly a full circle experience. The bonus to working with such a group of talented folks is that the level at which you can teach is that much higher, and the conversations that much better. Working with talent is always a gift in my opinion.

The groups I worked with in Alaska were so deeply involved in the dog world in one way or another, or another, or another! Mushing, dock diving, obedience, tracking, agility, SAR, hunting. Talented and committed.

The Alyeska Canine Trainers club in Anchorage have an amazing facility. Karen gave me the early morning tour, lucky me! And we tried to use it all, but it is huge. I would be lying if I didn’t say I had facility envy on some level. Folks came from all over Alaska, even Juno. When I asked Martha how she got to Anchorage, she looked at me quizzically and said, “you either fly or swim really hard” and then she had a great laugh!

I was fortunate to get some time watching the Alaska Dogs Gone Wild Fly Ball Team, and to visit the Alaska K9 Aquatics center.

Dinners, driving up the Cooke Inlet to the Alyeska ski resort, which by the way was the only 1 hour of sun I saw while I was there, and then off to Wasilla for a Monday Treibball workshop!

The photos can do the rest of the talking. Awesome all the way around! Just click on the photo to enlarge and follow the arrows.

Thank you Karen and Claudia for arranging everything and taking such good care of me! Nancy

balls of a different sort…

Posted on by
11

treibball treibball treibball … Our World Treibball Winter League finishes it’s last Match, today, March 23rd! What an awesome inaugural season, awesome, awesome, and totally awesome! Players from three countries; USA, Canada, and Australia!

I have been buying balls, pumping them up, selling them, storing them, having my dogs push them, and watching other dogs push them, nearly every day since the beginning of November. It’s been an awesome journey, more leagues to come and titling events to be sure! And hopefully everyone will be seeing our World Pusher shirts pop up around the globe! We’ve been sporting them as often as possible.

pushers

Today however, my husband and I put on our World Pusher shirts and decided to play with balls of a different sort, bowling balls! Bowling for the Tiny Tails Rescue Fundraiser to be exact. Diana does an amazing job recusing, fostering, and finding homes for mostly small dogs, but really any dog that needs to find love and a new place to live.

IMG_1437

I thought, why not, it’s for a good cause, it would be fun to bowl a bit, visit, meet new people, and bid on some stuff in the silent auction. Happy Saturday! Both of us grew up bowling, but literally have not touched a bowling ball in 16 years, today would be a nice casual way to ‘play’ again.

NOT!

We showed up to a packed house! Everyone had their own bowling bags with multiple balls, shoes, and all of the necessary gear for serious league players. I never got the 411 that the Montana Senior Traveling Bowling League dominates this fundraiser, and has for over five years. They come to have fun, but also to BOWL! All of the major cities in Montana were represented today.

IMG_1470

IMG_1464

We were put on a team with some very cool, and very serious players. Strike after strike after strike. Mel, at 89 years of age, ended his first game with a 207. Clapping, cheering, and some serious bowling! I don’t think I have been around a group this collectively happy, and at the same time so uber serious.

IMG_1446

So Spore bought me a Bloody Mary. Good husband. Good Bloody Mary, cheers!

IMG_1466

They set a rigorous pace, in fact we were three frames ahead of any of the other lanes. We were jammin’ right along, there was no goofing off with this crew. My first game was dusting off the cob webs, I was just glad I never dropped the ball. It felt good to be out there again. All my team mates scored near 200, all amazing bowlers. They were congratulatory, but I knew they were treating me like the rookie, because really I was.  But having your ass patted by a octogenarian while he tells you, ‘good game’ kind of seals the deal  ;-)

After my turn I would go bid on some of the silent auction stuff, or buy some raffle tickets. I’m like a kid in a candy store with silent auctions, I bid on things I don’t necessarily want or need, because for me it is just that fun!

IMG_1481

Spore was loving it, the atmosphere, the game, the cookies. These were his people! And the ladies loved him.

Then it all kicked in, Spore and I started with with similar first game scores, 126 & 127. The second game I scored a 157, while he schooled me with a 207. The final game, Spore had a 189, and I finished with three strikes and a 210. Rookie my ass! woop!

IMG_1469

Spore even agrees, we couldn’t have had better folks to spend our day with, he is still smiling. It was like a dose of happiness we weren’t even expecting.

IMG_1475

Thanks to Diana for making a fundraiser a FUNraiser! I hope Tiny Tails made a bunch of money. We had a blast and hope we can do it every year. We may need to buy our own shoes or balls, or something, just to have a bit more ‘street cred’ like our team mates. And by the way, we want the same team mates!

Nancy

look beyond the behavior

Posted on by
12

It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment, especially when we are living or working with another species, like our dogs.

The moment can be crazy good, and who wouldn’t want to be caught up in that? Sign me up right now! But transversely, the moment can be negative on some level, and I think this is where we show some of our true colors. What are we made of and how are we going to handle it?

Here is what my scale would look like for ‘how we (humans) deal with ‘the moment’. On one end there would be those of us that don’t react at all, blank, emotional range of a spoon. On the other end there would be those of us that react, explode, and then think about what just happened after the damage has occurred. Knee jerk both emotionally and physically.  And in the middle of the scale, there would be those of us that are patient and thoughtful, the section of the scale that hopefully adds balance. Not necessarily Mother Teresa tolerant, just average Joe patience.

scan0001 If you have ever raised a child/children, have raised a puppy, or lived with a dog outside of neutral, my guess is that you have experienced bits and pieces of yourself all over this scale. I think there are lots of factors that contribute to how we ‘deal’ with a situation; your baseline level of tolerance, your understanding of the situation, how well rested you are, your mood for that day, your health or lack there of, the environment, time of day, auditory tolerance, olfactory tolerance, and social pressure, etc.

So how can we try to stay some place in the middle of the scale? How do we teeter a bit, which would be living life, without tipping the scales to the extremes? I believe, and through my experiences, it is about looking beyond the behavior you are experiencing int he moment. It takes practice, but it does add more balance, more understanding, and less conflict over time.

For example – With our dogs it’s easy, really easy, to yell at them for barking, but the reality is, you are simply ‘barking’ along with them. And then the scale goes from balanced to heavily tipped in one direction that isn’t necessarily functional. And generally, the barking behavior becomes worse over time, and the human behavior becomes more tipped to knee jerk reaction over time, both emotionally and physically. When a dog barks, ask yourself, ‘why?’. Is something causing them concern, are they hungry, under exercised, over stimulated, scared, guarding, etc? Once you find the ’cause’ of the bark, you can adjust the environment, change what you are doing, add something your dog is needing, find your starting point! The bark is just a symptom, reacting to that does nothing, looking beyond the bark to the cause is the balance. Do you follow that?

The same goes for chasing, nipping, digging, chewing, etc. Choose a behavior. Look beyond these behaviors to what is causing them, driving them, that is your starting point, that is the place of understanding.

It takes patience, and good observational skills. On an ever tipping wobbly scale, it does take intention to try and maintain balance. Instability training at it’s best, you can only maintain balance with a clear and calm mind! When working with another species, or for that matter our own children, I believe it’s worth it.

Nancy

wolf hunt, is it a witch hunt?

Posted on by
25

I wrote a post a while back, simply titled The Wolf – my thoughts. It drew such passionate responses, and some very long responses, that some of them I had to move into the body of another blog post. Many by professionals in the field of wildlife biology. Educated discussions are awesome, we all learn something. People have something to say when it comes to the wolf.

Mothers Day 2010

We are, like it or not, very connected to the wolf. We may not share exact DNA, but throughout the written history of the world, we have, the wolf and human, been very much a part of each others lives and livelihood.

Think about it, when someone starts talking about the wolf, or a wolf, we listen carefully. Besides being raised on a diet of cautionary ‘big bad wolf tales’, the wolf, in and of themselves, are sexy, fascinating, wild, and powerful predators. A lot to stand in awe of. People from all over the world come to the Yellowstone area to hopefully catch a glimpse of a wolf, or if luck is in their favor, an entire pack. And while I believe the raven is a beautiful and cunning creature on this planet,  it’s not quite the same draw. I have yet to see people flock to Yellowstone to ‘hopefully’ catch site of a raven! The wolf garners attention, demands it really, simply by their presence on this earth.

Wolf hunting, and now trapping, are alive and well in the inter mountain area of the US. Fish, Wildlife, and Parks states, at every turn, that this is based on scientific evidence, and there are a certain number of wolves that need to be killed in order to maintain ecological balance. I believe the balance they are speaking about is based solely on the elk population in regards to elk numbers for hunting, by humans. The ‘certain number’ of wolves to be killed this year is in the several hundreds by the way. And this certain number is not limited to wolves or wolf packs that have been causing problems on ranches. The wolf hunt is indiscriminate, it simply means if you are a wolf you are a target.

This wolf hunt is more of a witch hunt, and that is undeniable. If you choose to deny that you are living in ignorance, plain and simple. The culling of wolves from our area is not based purely on science, if that were so than the wolf biologists in the Greater Yellowstone area would be supporting this cull, and they are not. The Predator Extinction Act in the early 1900′s was met with ecologists and biologists warning how this was not the way to increase deer and elk populations for human hunting, and they didn’t support it or recommend it. Let me be clear, it has never been supported or recommended by people/professionals that are actually in the field studying these animals, ever! And if anything in American History we should all learn from so it doesn’t repeat itself, it should be the very real cautionary tale from the witch hunts of the late 1600′s. People lost their lives, most in horrific, painful, and torturous ways, simply due to lapses in due process, mass hysteria, isolationism, and false accusations. Hmmmm, sounds like what is happening to the wolf today.

100_5329

Every ounce of what you hear in the news today about the ‘science based’ approach to this new wolf hunting season is simply shrouded in politics. Anyone interested in the wolf, how they were reintroduced, the science and politics behind the reintroduction, and how hands were accidentally tied after the fact by bargains and agreements and the Endangered Species Act should sit down and read WOLF WARS. Many of the players during that whole process are still in our inter mountain area by the way.

I do believe if an animal is threatening your life or your stock, you should have the right to protect yourself. I do not believe in indiscriminate killing, killing for sport, or gloating about killing in any way. Taking a picture with an animal you just killed in any fashion, and smiling big, borders psychotic behavior in my book. Who smiles at death, especially if you made it happen? Taking an animal’s life for food and being grateful, I get that. Taking an animal’s life because you want to kill something, that doesn’t register as even semi healthy to me, on any level.

And then a friend sent me some disturbing information about wolves and the disrespectful way in which they were being killed and handled, and I came upon this gem of a facebook page Montana Wolf Hunting. It’s graphic, disturbing, disrespectful to life in any form, and it is simply about killing. Is this ALL of the wolf hunters in our area? I would seriously hope not, I would hope that some are ranchers that simply are trying to protect their stock, and purchased a wolf hunt license so they could do it legally. But this group is overt, and would like you to believe this is how all wolf hunters are, sad and scary. The ignorance, hate, and misguided judgment from some of the comments and photos is deeply disturbing. And to be very clear, these are some of the people who hold wolf trapping and hunting licenses sold by Fish, Wildlife, and Parks!

Wolves are predators, so are we. Nature has a way of taking care of itself, yet we seem to keep thinking we need to intervene and do it for her. Humans pollute, spread disease, we consume more than we need, destroy eco systems, kill, and hunt. I think we are more of a threat to this planet than the wolves.

Once again, I look forward to educated and passionate responses and discussions on this topic.

Nancy

hiking is my drug

Posted on by
15

I have been working a great deal lately.

Neglecting the thing I love most, hiking with my dogs.

There is nothing quite like the sound of the high Montana desert in the winter. Silent. Crisp cool air, and total silence.

It allows me to hear each and every paw touching the earth. Their breathing. It’s soothing, stress relieving, and my drug of choice. I think I could be a junky actually.

I love to watch my dogs be dogs as they walk in front of me. We move as a unit that is filled with love, trust, and is conflict free.

I needed today as much as my dogs …

334944_2681379761688_1472135216_33042391_1676298637_o

100_1938

100_1954

100_2030

Nancy

there doesn’t seem to be a correlation …?

Posted on by
12

I’ve had the funniest morning. Not necessarily ‘hahaha’ funny, maybe, but more of a curious and curiouser kind of morning.

While I was out and about doing errands I found myself in a conversation with someone. It was light and airy, nothing too deep. My training business logo is pretty much on every jacket and sweater I own, but since they have been there for nearly 10 years, sometimes I forget that I’m branded.

Paws and People logoThis person pointed to my logo and said, “boy I bet they get a lot of yoga people for clients”. Without explaining that this was in fact my business, I simply said “huh, why do you think that?” And without even stumbling for words, which I think I would have done if I were in the other persons shoes, “well you know, it’s all that touchy stuff, all about the body and meditating and being nice, no meat, save the dolphins, ride your bicycle, recycling, being nice to the planet stuff. And if you are giving dogs treats and talking about their feelings, and being nicer, and don’t raise your voice, which is what that business does, WELL, it’s pretty much the same thing.”

I did laugh, audibly, maybe a bit too much actually. I had no response, none. How do you do a quick and witty come back to something so similar to a SNL skit. Every generalization, and assumption in the book, yet no correlation, and this person took them self pretty seriously, factually even. Has the human race peaked, or was I meant to stumble upon this person?

So through the rest of the morning I have been thinking, a great deal, about how people treat their animals, and does it in fact dictate, correlate, with their life style?

I don’t think it does, at all. I truly believe it is the core of the person, the character, the moral compass with in. Whether we are born with this knowingness or learn from those around us, I don’t know. The outward lifestyle, in my experience does not translate into how someone will treat an animal.

I’ve had  tattooed, motorcycle mechanics, with a huge beards come in with their sweet little puppies, bags full of treats, and train with complete devotion and tenderness.

Men and women handlers/cowboys. Dirt, jeans, scruff, huge trucks, ropes, sometimes guns. Bulls and rams that need to be moved, and they work with grace, and understanding and efficiency. And they sometimes worship and stand in awe of their dogs and their abilities.

I’ve watched teenage handlers, braces, pigtails, nice button down shirts, hang their dogs on pinch collars to get them to sit.

I’ve had 20 something year old boys, who are into the cool, fast, and adventurous life style, take the time to train their puppy with kindness and love. Even buying a cute pink harness.

I’ve had yoga instructors come to train with me who think nothing of slapping on an electric shock collar on their dog when running off leash on trails.

I’ve seen scotch drinking Grandpa’s train their little dogs with such love, patience, and acceptance of mistakes. And I’ve seen sweet apron wearing Grannies chuck their dogs across a room when a down wasn’t perfect enough.

I’ve experienced Mom’s of young children who are devoted to parenting, being there for every moment, and providing an enriched environment, move their dogs to the yard because they can’t be bothered. Move as in, never in the house again.

I’ve watched organic gardeners who reuse, recycle, and renew for the earth, put their dogs in small pens with electric fencing all the way around, and feed them food with no more nutritional value than a leather boot.

I have stood behind people at COSTCO with a shopping basket filled with every organic product in the store for humans, and on the bottom of the shopping cart is a giant bag of cheap crappy dog food, and a bag of chemically laden rawhide chews. Just because someone is doing right for the humans in the family, does not mean they know anything about dog health or nutrition.

There is no correlation that I have found between someones chosen life style, appearance, or health choices, and how they treat animals.

As for me, I’m most certainly not a perfect person, and I don’t think I would fit a persons ‘description’ of what a reward based trainer should look or act like. So if you should run into someone with a jacket with our logo on it, it might be me. I’m tall, sturdy, and direct. I drink wine, I laugh from deep inside, and I dress semi homeless when I’m working. I enjoy people from all walks of life, I have opinions, and I read a lot. I like jokes that are outside of politically correct. I eat healthy food, and I eat fast food french fries because they rock! I love dog sports and training for the highest level of competition. And I treat animals with respect and kindness … from deep inside of me, because that is where the feeling comes from.

Cheers, Nancy