One We Incident - Two Lessons

Lea isn’t a fearful dog.

She tends to approach new things (or dogs or people) with curiosity.

And she’s big 😛

So it's not easy, at least where I live, to find a harness big enough to fit her. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I found the one she's wearing in the picture above.

If you've done some research on dog harnesses, you might be questioning my judgment right now 🤪 but hang in there with me.

Hada, Lea and I were on a walk and I decided to switch up the route a little bit.

We had to pass through a narrow gate, one we had passed lots of times but only ever “out and up”, never down “in and down”.

Hada passed through first, then I passed through, followed by Lea who suddenly stopped and “dug her heels in” catching me by surprise.

I turned around she backed up further and, with one quick dip of her head, slipped out of her harness 😳😳

There she stood "naked" on the road, looking scared.

Fortunately, there were no cars.

And I managed to keep calm enough to simply call her over as if nothing had happened, and put the harness back on.

Then I passed through the gate again and crouched down, encouraging her to pass through, with the leash hanging loose. It was fascinating to watch her figure it out - looking at Hada (who had passed through without hesitating) and then me before putting a paw forward to "test the waters", sniffing, testing a bit more, then moving the other paw and .. voila .. within a few seconds she passed through that gate with a heart-warming look of satisfaction on her face as we continued our walk.

Boy, this could have gone pear-shaped .. I still cringe at the thought of this happening on a busy road and/or me panicking and her running off …

Such a small incident, two valuable lessons:

• Always expect the unexpected. Staying calm and having a strong connection with your dog is everything.

• That harness sucked! I’d already noticed that it restricted her movement when she walked on my side AND it’s way too easy for her to slip out. I took it off the moment we got home and never used it again.

Here is the kind of harness both my dogs are wearing now (I had one like that for Hada and eventually found one in Lea’s size)

It comes highly recommended by Rosee Riggs from https://separationanxietydogtraining.com/ (she’ll be the expert guest on one of the upcoming podcast episodes)

If you're like me, always seeking new insights that make life with your dogs even better you don’t want to miss the Decoding Your Canine summit.

Ness invited 25 experts to cover a range of topics to support you and your dog:

Join us for Decoding Your Canine June 2024 Summit: Discover the secrets to having the pawfect dog, the Masterclass Series covering training, health and well-being, which starts TOMORROW, June 17 Australian time.

I'll be talking about how to Trust Your Magnificent Mind to Be the "Expert" Your Rescue Dog Needs.

Come and join us, it's free and it will be fun!

This week’s Pawsome Human: Leah Gunn Ermerick - Capturing Love Through the Lens: Pet Photography at Life's End

In this episode, I had a heartfelt conversation with Leah, a Kansas City-based photographer specializing in end-of-life and celebration-of-life photography for pets. 

Leah shares how she started this unique service, inspired by her own experiences and connections with animals. 

She explains the emotional yet rewarding process of photographing pets and their owners during some of their most tender moments. Leah also discusses the importance of capturing these memories and offers insights into how she manages the emotional aspects of her work. 

If you're interested in learning more about her services, including how to prepare for such a photoshoot, and hearing touching stories about the bond between pets and their humans, tune in to this deeply moving episode.

Find out more and get in touch with Leah at https://www.lgemerick.com/end-of-life-pet-photography

Gift yourself a time-out and listen in on our conversation https://share.descript.com/view/c0GPeajSVdG

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The PAC (Phenix Advocacy Center) Summer Auction

Coming up soon .. starting June 21. Plenty of great items (more being added all the time) are being donated to be auctioned to support dog professionals with a kindness-first approach.

I’ll donate a 90-minute Business Strategy session for dog professionals, and a Soul Touched by Dogs t-shirt.

Bookmark the page: https://givebutter.com/c/dLjFN9/auction

Is your dog struggling in the car?

Stay tuned ..

Annie Phenix is working on the finishing touches of her new course where she shared how she managed to help her dogs overcome their car phobia for good, and how you can help your dogs too.

I’ve had a wee sneak preview and it’s fabulous 🐾

More details soon.

Are you a canine professional?

A trainer, coach, behaviorist, nutritionist, holistic vet, or other canine expert with a holistic, kindness-first approach?

Would you like to be a guest on the podcast? Do you know someone you think would make a great guest? Is your business ready for an upgrade to lift the limits on how much you can earn, without working even more, or hiring a big team?

Go (or send them) to https://soultouchedbydogs.com/pros

Check out the Shop

How about a mug with a picture of YOUR dog, for your morning coffee or as a gift, using the proceeds to sponsor dogs in need and help the people who help dogs?

If you’d like one, hit reply and let me know.

Send me a good-quality photo of your dog and I’ll create the design and send you a link where you can purchase it.

They get made to order so it takes 10-12 days to arrive. €15 + shipping.

(Shipping depends on where you are of course but will be somewhere around €5-12. I’ll check for you before I go and create the design, so there won’t be any surprises)

Get your Soul Touched by Dogs t-shirt

The moment I had the idea for the mugs, I knew I also wanted t-shirts 😝 and I’m super happy with mine 🐾🐾😊😊

If you want, you can get yours here https://mavericks.tpopsite.com/product/t-shirt-woman-soul-touched-by-dogs-dark-blue (they come in a few different colours)

If it doesn’t come in your size, let me know. I do work with another supplier so we can find an option that works for you.

Just like with the mugs, the proceeds will be donated to help dogs in need.

And as always ..

If you know another Soul Touched by Dogs, please send them to https://soultouchedbydogs.com 🙏🙏🐾🐾

Until next week,

Anke