In the few weeks since the November 5th election, I’ve been thinking a lot about who we are as a society, especially since we are so painfully divided, and it was not lost on me how much the dog training industry is a microcosm of that society.

When we hear the term “Freeloader”, it conjures  up images of someone who wants something for nothing. The Popeye cartoon character, Wimpy, was a freeloader, always asking for a hamburger that he promised to pay for on Tuesday, which he never did.

Back in the day, as in way, way, back, TV and comic book heroes usually wore masks to disguise themselves. As the Lone Ranger road off into the sunset on his trusty steed, someone always asked, “Who was that masked man?” And then there was Superman who didn’t need a mask because his eye glasses were a total face changer!

My heart still bleeding from the painful loss of my Bully mix, Fanny a few months ago,  I decided that the remedy was to take in a foster dog to help heal; that is a story for another time, so as always, I will digress…

I was raised by a mom who was a bit of a worry wort; actually she seemed like a certifiable lunatic, if I’m being honest. She saw danger at every turn and when you’re only 5 years old, it changes your perception of what should have been an idyllic Disney-movie life and instead turned it into a horror show always looking for monsters hiding in the closet.

I was devastated when I got the news that my Freddie had cancer and a slim chance of surviving. He was my heart dog and the thought of losing him was more than I could absorb because life gives you only one heart dog.

In her seminal book, Don’t Shoot The Dog, Karen Pryor wrote that while you could just shoot your dog, there are other ways of changing its behavior and that applies to other animals in your life, including your spouse!

I decided after adding up all the money I had recently put into my 20 year old car, it was time to consider replacing old Susan, as she was called. She didn’t have many miles so I justified keeping her, however, sadly it was time to let her go.

Spring is here! The long awaited time of the year when we have longer daylight hours as our clocks “spring ahead”. Spring plants are resilient as they rise up through clumps of hardened earth, and best of all we get to look at winter in our rearview mirrors!

I can’t imagine anyone entering a race to go as slowly as possible because for one, it’s counterintuitive and two, we as a society have become used to having things quickly, so much in fact, that we no longer have patience; after all we can get same day delivery from Amazon, instant oatmeal, meals in minutes with our microwaves, and let’s not forget the drive-through or curbside pick up at some restaurants, pharmacies and other retail stores.