Dog Lovers, Unite!

What’s got four legs and LOTS of love?

DOGS!!

I am a huge dog lover and my two border collies are such a huge part of my world. Weekend hikes, evening cuddles, and brewery trips are my family’s favorite things to do with our dogs.

Because we love our dogs so much, we’ve invested a lot of time and energy into making sure they are well taken care of and well trained…and boy are they! If my wife and I had a nickel for each time one of us were asked if we were dog trainers, we’d have $5 (that doesn’t sound like that many times, but do the math)!

Our dogs are like little celebrities in our neighborhood; everybody knows them and people love watching them play frisbee, run our DIY agility course, and do fun tricks. And because they’re so well trained, we’re able to take them to lots of places and trust them to behave according to our expectations.

However, it wasn’t always this way. Our first dog was a rescue…literally, we rescued her directly from a neglecting, abusive owner we met at the beach who couldn’t take care of her. She was the best family dog; she was so sweet, never left our side, and cuddled us every night. She was also reactive, aggressive towards men and other dogs, and lacked confidence, assurance, and emotional stability. My wife and I worked so hard with her, managing to reduce her reactivity and boost her confidence. However, after a couple attacks (off-leash dogs approaching us without permission), we had to let her go.

It was one of the most heart-breaking decisions we’ve ever had to make, and we cried a LOT.

As a dog owner, I know firsthand the importance of being a responsible caretaker. These animals provide so much for us and it’s important to make sure they’re given the tools to thrive and succeed in our world.

This week, I partnered with Dog Life Inc to film a Masterclass in dog training, specifically for new pet owners of shelter dogs. Dog Life Inc is on a mission to reduce the amount of dogs returned to shelters or euthanized, simply because the owners were unprepared. What a mission!

Go follow and support them on Instagram at @doglife_inc

Dogs are part of the family, am I right?

Tell us your dog’s name, breed, and your favorite thing about them!