Chrissy 00:02
Welcome to The Dogs of our lives Podcast. I'm Chrissy Messick, your host and owner of the nature of animals, my dog training and behaviour consulting business. This podcast is your place to dive into real life stories of transformation with dogs and their human guardians. Having spent seven years working closely with humans in their dogs, I've witnessed firsthand how these relationships can change lives. Now, I'm excited to share those experiences with you. As we explore life with our animal companions. Get ready to hear journeys from challenging behaviours to heartwarming successes, and everything in between. Our episodes will feature personal stories from clients, colleagues, and professionals all centred around our favourite animal companion friends. Each episode, you'll gain insights and valuable tools. From those that have walked the path that you are on with your dog. We'll discuss mindset shifts, growth, training, tips, lessons learned, and so much more. By the end of each episode, you'll feel inspired, have a deeper understanding of your dog, and walk away with actionable steps to improve both of your lives. Are you ready for a healthy and long lasting relationship with your dog? Then let's dig in together.
Chrissy 01:16
Oh, hello there. And thank you for joining us for today's episode. Today we're talking to Joanna and we're going to talk about her partner Glen who passed away from glioblastoma and how Lolo their dog helped them go through this process. And we're also going to talk about Glenn's process and why they got low low specifically for his passing, you're going to learn a little bit about glioblastoma cancer. And then we're going to talk about Joanna's bond with Lolo a little bit about low lows challenges. Joanna's emotional response with this and then others judgments from this. We're also going to talk about navigating reactivity with dogs, and changes in her values and beliefs with our approach to the type of training that we do. So we're gonna go a little bit deep today. So get your Kleenex ready. And I hope you enjoy listening to this episode. So hello, Joanna, and thank you so much for being on being the first guest on my podcast. So yeah, so just thank you for being here and being willing to tell your story and be vulnerable, being open to sharing so that other people might, you know, learn something from this experience. And this episode or topic is basically how Lolo has helped you through the process of Glenn's passing from his glioblastoma cancer, I'll just, you know, ask you some questions. And then you just can feel free to elaborate. We've been working together for about a year, a little over a year off and on, you know, just working with low low. And then it's kind of transition to, you know, helping you and helping you process and stuff as well. Just go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself, and the environment you live in, as well as just a little about low low.
Joanna 03:12
And I just want to say thank you for having me on. It feels like an honour. And I feel like it's a really important story to share. And I love that I get to share it with you. Yeah. So my partner of 20 years, Glen Kaelin got diagnosed with the kind of cancer you never want to get diagnosed with, which is called a glioblastoma. It's the most lethal kind of brain cancer. And it's kind of that nightmare, where they say you have this thing you have a year to live. And so that's what happened. The survival rate is about 18 months, and he survived for 17 months. So a little over a year. Well, a couple months after he got the diagnosis. I had some good friends over. And we were all just talking about how I was going to do this by myself without Glen because where we live is an off grid house. It's a straw bale house. It's a beautiful house, but it's a very hard house to maintain. And it's also at the end of a mile long, very rough and difficult dirt road. And so I would be up here by myself. And it was it's been very clear to me from the beginning that this is where I want to be I don't want to leave. And it never crossed my mind even when Glenn got sick. And so as I was talking to these friends about how I could do this by myself and feel comfortable. One of them said, I think you need a big dog. And I've always had dogs in my life. I've always loved dogs. Glen and I have had four dogs Lola was the fourth dog that we had together. But when our last dog Hershey died, who was a beautiful little Beagle, Glen did not want another dog because he just didn't want to go through the pain of losing another animal. And so we hadn't talked about it. But that was the moment where I just was like when it's time we have to get another Dog, I am going to have to have a dog with me if you're not going to be here. And so the very next day, I found Lolo, and he was on the summit dog rescue website. At that point, his name was Maggie. And he was a little puppy. And he just looked like a good match. You know, it was just a picture. So you don't really know. And I called Emily. And Glen and I went to meet NaVi, it just went from there. And we did a lot of the home visits that they do, and they gave us all the information we need. And we all decided that this would be a really good place for Lolo. And Lola would be just a really good match for us. And so we adopted Lolo on October 31 2023, before Glenn started to get really sick. Lola was such an important part of this process for Glenn and I, Glenn started to get very, very ill. And what this disease does is it takes away your function, then compared to ALS, it just starts to take away your functions very slowly. And then very, very, very quickly. For that entire process. Lolo was biocide, and at the end, Len would always smile when he'd see Lolo. And he always had his hand on Lolos back or his head. And Lola was next to Glenn the whole time. So just that part was very healing. Because I think that we got to a point where Glenn didn't really understand what was happening and didn't know where he was and didn't know who I was and didn't know who he was. But he could relate to low low. That was an incredibly beautiful thing to see. And right after Glenn died, he died at home, he died in his own bed, low low, got on the bed and just lay his head on Glenn's hip and closed his eyes and just fell asleep there. And so we just let them be together for a while before we transitioned and move to the next step. So that part was all really important, and beautiful and meaningful. Since Glenn has died. I have just gotten closer and closer to this dog. Like I said, I've had dogs my entire life. But I've never felt this sort of bond with a dog when Glen was dying, which was about he was in hospice for six weeks. And I stopped working and Lolo and I were together 24 hours a day for six weeks, he never left Glenside. And he never left my side. He was always with me. And so I just feel like that created this bond that I've never felt with another creature. There's many reasons why I'm getting through this grief and the way I am which I think I'm doing pretty good and functioning pretty well. And one of those reasons is low low. And I just I have to get out and I have to take care of them. And I have to take them on as walks. And he makes me laugh and he brings me joy. And I love learning and I love the work that we're doing together. That's that's the story. Ah,
Chrissy 07:50
I teared up a little just listening to that. So what breed is Lolo? And how old is he now? And how old? Was he when you adopted him?
Joanna 07:59
So Lolo is a half German Shepherd, half golden retriever. And we adopted him when he was seven months old. And he is now almost exactly two and a half years old. Okay.
Chrissy 08:10
And then how long ago did Glen Pass away? Glen?
Joanna 08:13
Way on December 12? Two, so 2023. So five months?
Chrissy 08:21
So not very long at all? No. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, thank you for telling us that. Now that we're all crying really hard. Yeah, I know. I know. I was. Okay. So going back in time a little bit. Just briefly tell us about your childhood growing up? And what did you learn about like values and beliefs, and how it shaped your thoughts, feelings and attitude around animals?
Joanna 08:49
So that was such I've never thought about that. And I'm so glad that that's the question. So I we always had animals growing up. There was always cats and dogs in the house. I don't think there was ever a time where we didn't. And it was mostly both, like one or two cats and a dog. And then as I got older, it ended up being just dogs question feels really complicated to me, because there was so many things happening, which is that my mother loved animals so much. They were such an important part of her life. And she actually died on May 4, so about seven months before Glen died. And when she was dying, the last thing she spoke of, you know, and she was hallucinating and on this medicine that was making her hallucinate and she was dying. So I think combination of those things, she was just giddy with excitement about all the animals that were on her bed with her. And so she was talking about all the dogs that were on her bed and all the cats that were on her bed and all the bunnies that were coming to visit her like she died surrounded by these imaginary animals. So that said that was part of her but the other part of her is the last few dogs This is so hard, she did not take care of her last two dogs. And one in particular, it was just so unbelievably painful to watch. And it was a Springer Spaniel that needed wide open space and a lot of work and a lot of movement and a lot of stimulation and a lot of enrichment. And none of that happened. She was a very, very, very sedentary person. And the dog had a tiny backyard to roam around and, and no walks. And the dog was a nightmare. And I hated that dog. Because I was kidding bit all the time. The dog was basically chewing its paws up. It was bleeding all the time. It was it was a horrendous thing, too, when I was pretty young at the time, I think that was a college. So I didn't take action as I would have now, which is to get that dog house. Right? So it was both, you know, it was like, she loved animals. But this thing was happening. And she wasn't acting and I don't I don't know where that incongruency happened. Anyway, that was funny growing up with animals. And I hope I think what I took out of that is the love of animals, right? And for me personally, that, that if I'm gonna have an animal, they're going to have a full and rich life. At the
Chrissy 11:20
time with that Springer Spaniel. Were you aware that the behaviours was because of the environment? Or were you just thinking about dog?
Joanna 11:30
I think it was both. I think I knew it, because I remember saying, like, you know, he's chewing his paws, because he's gotta move. Yeah. I mean, I, I'm someone that needs to move. I'm a very physical person, I need movement in my life. If I don't get it, I don't feel good. So I just knew intuitively that that's what was going on. And it was also not even intuitive. It was just completely obvious. So I think I said it, but I don't think I advocated as much as I again, would have now. And I think she just brushed it off. Right? You know, it's like, the best I can write and this dog is, I think that was her thing. The dog is loved. That's enough, right? And it was just so clear. It's like, it's so not enough. This dog is in so much pain and discomfort. Yeah,
Chrissy 12:15
there's an interesting dynamic there that people have with, they totally love their dog, their dog is loved. And it's fulfilling their needs, but the dog is not getting their needs fulfilled. And so it's very damaging to the dog. And I think that happens quite often. And it sounds like that you took from that, that awareness that? Like you said, if when I'm going to have a dog, I'm going to give the dog what they need, you know what I mean? And so, yeah, so that's an interesting awareness.
Joanna 12:52
I think I did with Lola, what I'm doing with myself is that I watched my mom. And I decided, however, consciously or not consciously that I did not want that life. And I would never create a life for myself in the way that she did my comfort and joy and my body, and health and my body was actually the most important thing to me. And if I could get that taken care of, then the other things would happen. And I feel like that's what I do with Lolo. I want him to enjoy his body and to have fun in his body, knowing that it's a place of pleasure and ease.
Chrissy 13:28
Yeah. And you both are getting your needs met. Yep, exactly. Okay, thank you for sharing that. You mentioned before that you've had dogs and some cats, but I guess just go into a little more detail about your experience with you know, the dogs and cats and kind of what was your thought process around them and like how you lived with them and stuff.
Joanna 13:50
Um, you know, they were just kind of there. They weren't. I never had dogs that I needed to take on walks because we always had a yard. Well, I guess that's not true. So growing up, we never took the dogs on walks because we the yard and we always had small dogs. And so they would just play in the yard. With Glenn. I did take the dogs on a walk. But I definitely felt like Glenn bonded more with the dogs than I did. They just were kind of there and I loved them. But I wasn't developing a relationship with them. We didn't need to do any training. We always got our dogs when they were older. So the walks also mourn as important and he was definitely more bonded like especially with Hershey the Beagle.
Joanna 14:36
To me, they were just kind of part of my life. I cared about them, but I did not have the soul heart connection I have with Lola. Yeah.
Chrissy 14:43
Yeah. It sounds like it was the engagement and interactive relationship part of it wasn't as much as it is now. Yeah,
Joanna 14:54
not at all. Okay,
Chrissy 14:56
well, that's, you know, that's, I think that's very common, you know, until you have a dog that kind of really forces you to, to get in there and pay attention. Do you know anything? That's what Lolo has been doing. So I know you talked about a little bit already but bringing you and Lolo together, which I know Glen was a huge part of that. And you adopted him from summit dog rescue. So it sounds like there wasn't wasn't anything specific that made you feel connected with him when you saw his picture. When you adopted them. Is there anything specific that that that brought you together? Besides you know, like needing a companion? It's
Joanna 15:35
kind of funny. I mean, nothing like soulful or beautiful. It was more that the description was he's medium level energy. And I was like, that's good. I don't want low, medium energy. So it was just that. Yeah. And that was all it was. And then, I mean, when I first met Lolo, he was very high energy. And he did that thing where he jumped all over me, right. And I remember, this isn't gonna work. I don't I don't want this. But then, as we started to walk him more, and I started to understand that he was just a puppy. And he was learning because again, we only had older dogs. I hadn't really dealt with a pup puppy before. So I didn't understand the energy. Yes, we just started to be together more. I just felt like, this is the dog. And then I remember there was one time it was maybe like the fourth time we met and we were at Emily's house and I Lola was in a chair and I sat in the same chair, and I kind of leaned into him. And Emily said, don't over touch. Don't ever touch the dog. And I did it, you know, I pulled back. But I remember thinking, Oh, this dog, I am an overture. And I'm gonna have to really work.
Joanna 16:52
So yeah, it wasn't really anything. It was sort of random. And then we just were like, we really want this to be our dog. And
Chrissy 17:00
it sounds like he was perfect for Glenn, you know, and going through that process. And I remember the picture you showed me, you know, with low lows head laying on him, either. Yeah, right after he passed away, I think. Yep.
Joanna 17:15
It was right after he passed away, like literally, maybe 10 minutes.
Chrissy 17:19
Yeah, so that was super important and just very meaningful for all
Joanna 17:24
of you. Yeah. And it was interesting, like Lolo, because Lolo actually isn't such a cuddly dog. Right. Glens. Last couple of months were just spent sitting on the couch looking out the window. And a lot of times, Lola would be sitting next to him, and then Lola would jump off the couch. And it was very upsetting for Glenn. Um, so whenever Lola would jump off the couch, it was really painful for Glenn. Like he really, you know, he kind of became this like little three year old
Chrissy 17:52
boy. Oh, interesting. Now, he couldn't talk
Joanna 17:55
anymore. Glenn couldn't talk anymore. At that point. His whole face would drop. And he would like reach. And I would just have to say, you know, we got we have to give him a space like he's, he'll come back. Right. Like, I just remember being like, he'll come back.
Chrissy 18:12
covered that
Joanna 18:13
story. I forgot about that. Just very, that's how it was just hard. Glen just needed to be with him. And Lolo just didn't want to
Chrissy 18:21
wait. I mean, which is very normal. You know, and that was wonderful that you gave low low, that space. And then he came back when, when he was able to do that. So that's really nice. Yeah. So what have been some of your challenges with low low, so like with him, and then your, I guess, emotional response to that, and then others judgments or acceptance of low low and who he is and his quirks and you know what we're working through.
Joanna 18:52
So it's kind of ironic, because when I did the application for some at dog rescue, and I also hadn't done any training, so my language is really different now was when I wrote the application, but I remember saying like them saying, What's your ultimatum? Like? What do you definitely not want? Is it a dog that drools? Is it a dog that insists on getting on the furniture, I can't remember, but they had this list of things. And I was like, I'm open to anything, but I am not I do not want an aggressive dog no matter what, that is my limit. And again, that's not the language I would use now. But I actually got what I put my limit on which is a dog that is reactive, and really lunges and barks at other dogs. And so if I had known that, that that's what was gonna happen. I probably wouldn't have gotten Lolo. So I am so grateful that I did not know that because he is the best dog for me and my situation and he loves being up here. And so great situation for him because we can choose if we're around other dogs or not. But that has been the challenge is that he's reactive to other dogs. We've had some very frail Lightning moments, especially at the beginning, when I didn't know it was happening, I didn't know how to stop it, or I didn't know, I just didn't know what to do the challenge. And you and I've talked about this is because of where I live, I could actually just not ever deal with it. And never ever have Lolo, see another dog, like, I could just be like, fine, we just will never go see another dog, I feel like that a lot. That would be a good option. Because it is really hard. But I also know I don't really want to do that. I really want to expand his world. And I want him to be comfortable with other dogs. And I want to do the work. So that we have more options. So that's what you and I have been working on. And it has been really exciting to see him grow and slowly get more comfortable with other dogs. So I'm committed to continuing to do that work. I just I really want that for him. And I want it for me, you know, so I can be more at ease in the world with him. Like basically what's happening is what I've learned from you is Lolo is nervous and scared, he doesn't know what's happening. He needs to protect himself. This is the only way he understands how to do it. And what you and I are doing are rerouting his brain patterns so that he has different options, and that he understands where the safety is. And then he does have option. And that being said, it's really scary. When a big dog like Lolo barks and lunges, it is scary. And it could go very, very bad. And I don't ever want anyone to get hurt human or dog or any animal. So it's just navigating that dynamic. You know, I'm coming to terms with it. But it is really hard not to have. It's not really hard. It's just different not to have an easygoing dog. You know, there's all these people in town are like, oh, all the dogs got together. And they all have this random spur of the moment play date. And I was like, yeah, that's not that's not going to be our experience. Yeah, yeah. And that was that's just a loss. Right? Like, I'm not gonna get to go to the park with everyone else in town and the summer and have these Friday after work, easy playdates where everyone's just having a great time and no one's paying attention to the dogs. And everyone's hanging out like that will not be part of my life with Lolo. So yeah, I'd say that's the experience. Yeah,
Chrissy 22:08
Lolo is super sensitive. And I remember when you first got him, you know, he was seven months old. And that's still teenage years. So we do know a little bit about Lolos history. He came into the shelter with his five siblings when he was eight weeks old, from a shelter outside of Kansas City, Missouri. And the six puppies, they spent two months in the overcrowded, noisy kill shelter. And not one of them was adopted, and they were going to be euthanized at the age of four months. So summit dog rescue, got the plea and took two of them and arrange the other four to go to rescues here. So all six came on at transport. And then Lolo went to Boulder humains puppy club for multiple sessions. And he did well. And then he lived in a foster with two awesome dogs and made some dog friends while in Foster. So we do know a little bit about his history, which is helpful. I know, as soon as some a dog rescue got him, they worked on, you know, introducing him to dogs. And you know, just did it very slowly and carefully to make sure everybody was safe. And so he was getting practice of meeting new dogs. And a lot of times as dogs become a year old, or a year and a half, they can become more selective of who they interact with. And they're becoming more an adult. And so Lolo was becoming more selective about who he played with and who he interacted with. And so we are just in the process of slowly introducing him to dog friends. And it takes time. But once he becomes a friend with a dog, he's like, amazing with them. And so we're slowly, slowly gaining dog friends that he can play with. But he's just, you know, he's it's not safe to just let them off leash and put them in with a group of dogs and hope for the best. So you guys are expanding his world. And it's practising and you becoming really dog savvy, of understanding his body language, knowing like the skills and using the skills and giving him options and helping them feel safe. That whole process has been just huge for both of you guys.
Joanna 24:25
Yeah. And you know, part of it is why I feel so close to him because I have to watch him more closely. And I have to go through these challenges with him. And so it's just creating a situation where we're closer than we might have been otherwise. I don't know if that's true or not, but we're just working really hard.
Chrissy 24:43
You're investing time and energy into him and really learning to understand him. And when you learn to understand anybody that helps you feel closer and connected. Yeah, yeah. So what has Lolo taught you and helped you with during Glen's passing as well as working with willows challenges. So how would you say, Has your relationship changed or progressed? And just overall, what do you think having him in your family has taught you?
Joanna 25:11
I think the biggest thing, it's not necessarily related to Glenn. But I think the biggest thing is the way the philosophy of this dog training, which is not to push the dog, like really watching and being like, if they're done, they're done, we're not going to make them keep going, we're not going to force them to keep doing this training, because we said it was an hour long and a half an hour, they just don't want to do it anymore. Or there was lightning last time and rain and one of the dogs was getting agitated. And so we just ended. And I think that I'm very much carrying that over into my own life of I mean, I always kind of have had that way of being, but I also can be someone that pushes, like, if I want something, I push someone else to want that too. And so I that has drastically changed for me, where if someone's like, I don't really want to I'm like, okay, that's fine. Whereas before, I think I would have pushed more. And that's friends, that students, that's family members. So I feel like that's been the biggest takeaway is just like, listen to who's around you and follow their lead, rather than you someone on the outside deciding if it needs to go further. So I would say that is definitely the biggest one. And then in terms of what I learned with Glenn, I don't know if I know that. Yeah, I think I'm still too close to it.
Chrissy 26:28
Yeah, it hasn't been a long. So what has changed about your relationship with dogs in general, just by going through our training process, or our approach? Because we know there are so many different kinds of approaches, what do you think has changed about like your values, beliefs, or attitudes towards dogs in general,
Joanna 26:48
I'm definitely being able to see them more as a whole rather than like, Good dog, Bad dog. So the whole, you know, I guess the word is binary that we're all using right now. Like, there isn't a good dog and a bad dog. There are dogs that are very complex, right. And some dogs are just more easygoing than others. And some dogs do have more challenges. And there's no judgement around that. It's just the dog figuring out how to be in the world and some struggle a little bit more. Yeah. And then that gives us the opportunity to, like you said, understand them more deeply. Think it's mostly that. And then I think also, you know, on the human side of it is just still watching so many people do this such an old paradigm of the dominant submission. It's so painful to watch, because I can see our work and Lolo I can see what it's done for him, I can see how comfortable he is in the world. I can see how curious he is about the world. I can see how comfortable he is with me and our trust. We've done no punitive punishment, ever. And there's so many people that feel like that's too soft. He's not learning, you're letting him guide. She's dominant air quotes, he's dominant. It's just not the case. What he is, is a really happy dog.
Chrissy 28:08
Yeah, that's a huge paradigm that needs to shift. The mindset that we have about dogs is just there's so much old, traditional bad information about there that's in so many dogs are misunderstood. And it just damages relationships and dogs and humans. And it's just, it needs to change. And that's why we're doing this podcast.
Joanna 28:34
And I'm so glad we are because I just see it all the time. You know, I think it's that thing like once you know something, it's hard to unknow it right. And so now I'm just seeing it everywhere. It's just so unnecessary, because this works. Yeah. But I can't tell you how many people have come over to the house and been like, wow, Lola was such a good dog. He's so well behaved. And I'm like, Yeah, that's because we've been doing the work. And there's been absolutely no punishment, and no dominance in this. Right. This is a cooperative, collaborative practice that we're in together of mutual respect. That's what this is. Right? Right. Yeah. It just breaks my heart. So anyway,
Chrissy 29:11
yeah, no, that's, I totally get it. So what you're saying right now, at what point did you it kind of shift where you started to realise or have an aha moment? Where it's, it's more than just fixing Lolo? Do you know what I mean?
Joanna 29:28
I wonder I don't know if this is true. But this is what I'll say right now. In some ways, I think the aha moment. So this is what happened. Because of where I live. The attitude is just let the dog roam free. Let The Dogs fight it out. They'll figure it out. dog doesn't need to be on a leash. And I just was very uncomfortable. And I didn't know anything at this point. But there was just something inside me being like I just cannot take logo off the leash because he'll run and he had run for over an hour and I was like, I don't and everyone's like it's fine, it's fine. He's a dog. And I was like that he was gone for an hour. Like that just feels so scary to me. So I couldn't do it. So he's on a leash. And I did feel quite a bit of judgement, just that I was doing it wrong. And I wasn't giving him his freedom. And but I just couldn't. And so then I did the whistle training with Gigi. And I sat in the kitchen and I blew a whistle. And I gave Lolo, when Lowe looked at me and sat down, I gave him a piece of hot dog. And I did that over and over and over and over. And I whistled, and I gave him a hot dog in the house, and I whistled, I give them a hotdog. And we progressed and progressed and progressed. And just actually as Glen was, in his last, probably last week of living, there was a moment where I looked at Lolo, and I was like, you're ready to be off leash, we can do this. And he was great. I feel completely comfortable having him off leash. But I think that was the moment that I was like, Oh, we're in a process together. We're learning how to do this together. And I'm we're both deciding when it's right. Like I think he also felt comfortable being off leash because he knew the boundaries. And he knew where he could go. Like when he was gone for an hour, an hour and a half. I think it was just running everywhere. I don't think he knew. He didn't really know what wasn't necessarily connected to me. He just came home because that's what you do. But I feel like now he's so connected to me. So that's the moment where I understood we were in a process together and it was going to be a lifelong process. And the only people that got to decide the timing of that process was me and Lolo
Chrissy 31:36
Yeah, you guys work together. It sounds like in that aha moment. You're like, oh, this is me working on this as well, like I have to put in the time and energy in this relationship as well, as well as expectations for him to be able to do the emergency recall that you are working on. Right. And so it sounds like you had that moment when you're like, oh, I need to I need to do this work to if I'm going to expect him to do the work as well. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That's cool. Um, where are you now in this process? And where do you feel like your next steps are?
Joanna 32:14
So I think the biggest place that Lolo and I are in are still we're working on the reactivity with other dogs. And I think that's kind of our biggest thing. Yeah. So I think it's just that and I'd love to, for him to have a couple of friends. You know, I don't think it needs to be a huge thing. He's all he is getting older. I don't think he likes to play, he needs to play as much as he did when he was little. So I'd like him to have a couple of friends. And what I'd love is for us to be able to take a walk and see a random dog and him to be fine with it not barking lunch, right? That would be amazing. Or, you know, we walk on our road without a leash. And random dog and person that we've never met comes up before I don't have to have a panic attack. And I can call a low back. And he's not going to go after the dog. Right. And we can just walk by that's, that's what I'd like to work toward
Chrissy 33:04
where we are right now for low low, we're at the place where he needs to see a dog, you know, a few times before, he's like, Oh, that's my dog friend. I don't need to, you know, bark at him and that kind of thing. So we're at the place right now where we're teaching him how to interact safely with a dog who he's known for a few times. And then our next step will be getting to stranger dogs, you know, strange dogs that he hasn't seen. And he's good from a distance. But you know, work being able to walk like 10 feet away from him is his kind of, you know, a good goal.
Joanna 33:43
So those are the two things and besides that, I feel like he's, I think the most beautiful, amazing creature on this planet earth.
Chrissy 33:50
He is very handsome. Thank you. He's He does not look like a golden retriever. He just looks like a black German Shepherd.
Joanna 33:58
Interesting. Interesting.
Chrissy 34:00
What do you think? You know, I
Joanna 34:02
just don't know enough about breeds to even know the only reason I feel the retriever is that he loves retrieving the balls and the sticks. Yeah, so yeah, I don't I don't have enough experience with what breeds look like.
Chrissy 34:15
So last question, or is there any nugget of wisdom or anything else that you would like to share with our audience, our audience or with someone who is going through the same journey?
Joanna 34:26
I think the most important thing is trust the process like this isn't gonna happen. The first week you get the dog or the first year you get the dog that you're in an ongoing, lifelong process and that your process with your dog is your process, not to have anyone push you somewhere that you're not ready to go like really work with somebody that you trust and is going to take your life into account and what you're navigating and that is really like holding an uplifting your individual process that feels the most important and it's not intruding on what's happening.
Chrissy 34:58
So trust your own Ernie don't compare to others and and trust your gut. Yeah.
Joanna 35:04
And then it's not a simple there's no magic pill.
Chrissy 35:07
no quick fix. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being on here and sharing and just being invulnerable. Hopefully this helps someone out there and inspires them. Yeah.
Joanna 35:18
Thank you for having me. Chrissy. I really appreciated the time with you.
Chrissy 35:21
Oh, thank you so much for being with us here today. We covered a lot of ground. And we talked about how Joanna Glen and Lolo went through the process of Glenn's passing, we talked about how they found low low, and how Joanna's childhood really affected her relationships with their dogs in the past and currently, and we talked about how sometimes love isn't enough and how we need to make sure that both the human and the dog is getting their needs met. And we talked about being dogs having understanding your dog, and a lot of lessons that Joanna learned from Lolo, and she also throws out a couple of nuggets of wisdom that I hope will be helpful to some people. If you know of anyone who would benefit from hearing the story, please share it with them. My hope is to remind people that they aren't alone in whatever they are going through. I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas or suggestions about this episode. If there are topics you want to hear about or can relate to. I'm all ears. Thank you for joining me on this journey. And until next time, be curious, show compassion and have courage. Thank you so much for investing your time and energy into you and your dog and listening to this episode. Dogs truly are special beings and can change lives if we're open to what they have to teach us. This not only impacts you and your dog but can also make a positive impact on the world. If you're finding value in this podcast, the best way to support us is by leaving a review up to five stars and sharing it with your family, friends and fellow dog lovers around the world. Lastly, I'd love to connect with you. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at the nature of animals and visit my website at WWW dot the animal nature.com enjoy spending time with your pup and I look forward to connecting with you next time.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
