What is your pet trying to tell you?

Nancy shared some very intriguing discussions about animals and what they might be trying to tell us (pet parents, shelter staff, vets, and other humans in their life). Nancy is an animal communicator and is able to help animals understand the world around them, for example, when animals are facing surgery, she is often called in by Vets and Vet Techs to work with the animal before surgery providing him/her comfort and understanding of what will be happening. Nancy reported that this eases the animals anxiety. She is often called by pet parents to work with their pet before leaving on holidays, this is another time where animals face increased anxiety. Nanacy is able to provide a sense of stability, and help the pet understand what is going on so he/she can adapt easier to the temporary change in his/her family.

Animals are great connectors. For those of you reading this who have pets, you probably have noticed how quickly common ground can be found by talking about your pets with someone else, or that while outside walking your dog you meet people in the  neighborhood. Or, like in mine and Nancy's cases, our dogs often became the conversation in grocery store parking lots as our dogs sat in the driver's seat causing passerbys to take notice, and often start conversation with others around them as they pointed out the dog in the driver's seat. We met so many incredible people becuase of the pets we were blessed to have in our family.

Nancy also shared how animals can break down barriers... people just seem to become more comfortable, chatty and relaxed in the presecene of animals. We witnessed that firsthand wiht our Toby, especially when he was volunteering at the hospital. As he walked through the doors, his precense seemed to help patients engage in conversation with each other.

Understanding and communicating with pets requires us humans to be very present, so that we can hear and understand the message. It is usually pretty simple to understand, we just need to listen.  Nancy gave an example of one of her dogs who would communicate her need to take a break from computer work by climbing on her chair. Event 5 minutes of play and distraction was good for her dog, but GREAT for her. Her dog saw an energy shift and knew she needed a break before she knew it herself. Our dog Toby was notorious for pushing my chair on wheels away from the computer when he thought I needed a break. Funny thing. He was always right!!

What an interesting conversation.... what might your pet be trying to tell you?

Are you listening? 
You can visit Nancy Kaiser at www.nancykaiseranimalcommunicator.com 

                                         

Listen to the interview with Nancy at:

Listen to internet radio with PAWsitive Radio on Blog Talk Radio

4 PAWS Up for Silver Paws

4 PAWS Up for Silver Paws

Doggie Daycares were one of our Toby's favorite places to be. Dogs...Toys...People.... Stimulation.... Treats  all in one place. We found that Dog Daycares were a great way to social Toby, provide him with additional exercise, and be with other dogs.  We were honored when Sandi asked Toby to be her guest of honor at their grand opening. He had such a great time, we had to bribe him to the car at the end of the day. 

Sandi Strause owner of Silver Paws with Toby at 

their Grand Opening

 Silver Paws Dog Day Care also carries Toby's books in their store.

"Bring your dog to Silver Paws Dog Daycare & Training while you are away at work and bring home a satisfied, relaxed, content dog at the end of the day.Socialization is a key component to having a balanced dog. Dogs are social beings, they need to be with other dogs.  At Silver Paws your dog will have lots of activities, interactions with other dogs and our qualified staff, and be under constant supervision."

Silver Pawa has over 3000 square foot play area has solid rubber floor to avoid joint strain. They clean and sanitize every day to ensure the health of your dog while he is here. There is also a fenced secure area outdoors for the dogs to potty, so as not to undo any training they have.  Their staff LOVES dogs! And they always say "your beloved pet will get lots of hugs and kisses and attention all day. Your dog deserves the BEST!

          Thank you Silver Paws for being a champion for Toby and his legacy!!

Silver Paws

Dog Daycare & Training

780-962-BARK

 http://www.complete-dog-training-and-supplies.com/

Toby's Story Goes Abroad

Toby's story was featured in the UK today on Dog Cast Radio:

Toby was our dog, our friend, our teacher, and the star of my book On Toby's Terms

During the interview I shared how Toby helped me overcome my fear of sailing, as he overcame his fear of diving into the water. Toby taught me many things, including patience, persistence, playfulness and the power and ripple effect of unconditional love.

We also talked about the role that becoming an Animal Assisted Therapy Dog (AAT) played in changing Toby's behavior from incorrigible to incredible.  

Who do you know that could benefit from the unconditional love of an animal? How has an animal impacted your life?  What is the best thing you ever learned from your pet?  We would love to hear your story! 

You Can listen here:
http://www.dogcastradio.com/episode/24328_episode-137--on-tobys-terms-the-spirit-of-the-dog-and-lizzie-owen.htm



          

One blanket Can Save Two Lives

Did you know that donating one blanket to a shelter can save two lives? It is likely that the one dog will be adopted and when that happens, another dog can await finding their forever family.  Snugly blankets make dogs more adoptable!

While on a book tour, we took a break to have Toby spread the word about a local Sedona AZ Humane Society Program

Eileen Smulson was our guest on PAWsitive Radio All Things Pets, and I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing her.  She is the founder and President of Operation Blankets of Live, an award winning nonprofit public charity.  They collect and distribute recycled and new pet related items to comfort stray, sick neglected and abused homeless animals in shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries and foster groups.

They are also an Emergency Response Team that partners with those organizations who provide relief and comfort to animals that are displaced or endangered by catastrophe.

Her adopted dog Ginger was the inspiration for her to start this charity. She wanted to make sure that every homeless pet had warmth and comfort by having a blanket to snuggle in while waiting to be adopted by a loving family and forever home. 

So one blanket really does save two lives. The research is showing that shelters who have snugly blankets for animals instead of cement floors are more adoptable. And the impacts on the animal of course are extremely positive. 

Operation Blankets of Love hosts blanket drives and also does presentations in schools and to children and youth programs. They also engage schools in blanket drives, which is a very positive learning experience for children to be engaged in animal kindness and making a difference. 

Listen to the incredible things Operation Blankets of Love are doing:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond/2012/10/27/guest-eileen-smulson

·         How could you host a blanket and towel drive?

·         How could you support your local animal shelter?

It starts with sharing the message.  Then by taking action.

thank you Eileen for all you do to positively impact shelters, and the many animals awaiting a forever family!

 Find out more about Operation Blankets of Love at:

www.operationblanketsoflove.com

Pets as Teachers

Can our pets, our beloved animal family members really be teachers?

Robynn McCann says they can.  And I agree.

My friend Heather made this lovely card for me celebrating my dog Toby's life. I will treasure it always because Toby was my teacher.  As the saying goes "the teacher appears when the student is ready"- I just didn't know I needed a teacher.

 

 Robyn was a guest on my PAWsitive Radio Show- All things Pets!  You can listen to our discussion here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond/2012/10/20/guest-robynn-mccann  We had an incredible conversation about the rescue ranch that Robynn started, and the many animals that she shared her time with. In fact, if you visit her website (see below), you can see many of the animals she rescued, and who helped her write her book (she refers to them as her co-authors, which I find so endearing).

Animals help humans "with the dance of life" stated Robynn, the challenge is that sometimes people are so busy living their life, they don't take time to be silent, present and to listen to the messages their animals are sending. Animals mirror us and "they meet us where they are" Robynn explained. They simply accept us, without judgement, and keep teaching us. "They are subtle" in how they teach us.  And, they are also persistent, sticking with us until we finally get the message, hint or lesson.  I recalled several times where our Toby kept persisting with us, and once I got the lesson, his behaviour changed (for the good). Some of my fondest moments with Toby, were those times where we were together in silence... there is something so pure about the animal human bond.

Robynn's next book will explore the process of animals transcending.  She stated that to animals, death is part of their life process, and is really just another day for them. This process is described so beautifully by Robynn, I really recommend listening to her share this: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chammond/2012/10/20/guest-robynn-mccann 


Robynn  is author of the best selling book The Opal Within Us: Understanding Animal Voices (http://www.elephantsdance.org/index.html) and is also an animal advocate. She volunteers for Vitas Hospice and the Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets.


       


 


How does your animal communicate with you?
What lessons have you learned about life, love and purpose from your pet?
How is your life different because of an animal?

We would love to hear from you. Please share your stories.

What Dogs Teach About Parenting

Toby visiting the HUB Family Resource Centre
Fort McMurray, Alberta
He was as excited to visit all the children as he was to see
tennis balls on the chairs.

Recently I had the pleasure of being on Family First Radio with Randy Rolfe- a parenting expert. We enjoyed a conversation about some of the lessons that our dog Toby taught us, that could be applied to parenting.  Here is how Randy and her team promoted the show:

"Some relationships are more difficult than others. Sometimes a friend or even a child can be difficult to handle. They can try your patience and seem incorrigible. Can we learn some tricks from our four-footed friends? My guest this week on Family First says absolutely! Charmaine Hammond is an international transformational speaker, author, and radio host, helping people live inspired, resilient lives, and she is a leading trainer in corporate North America, helping transform workplaces. Charmaine Hammond is the award winning and bestselling author of On Toby’s Terms and Toby The Pet Therapy Dog – and his hospital friends, and also Bounce Forward. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul - What I learned from the dog. She is now coauthoring a new book GPS Your Best Life. Her book On Toby’s Terms is currently in development to become a major motion picture! Get your whole family to listen in. Charmaine will be sharing Toby’s lessons."  You can listen to our conversation here:

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/64873/incorrigible-to-incredible-some-dog-lessons

So what did Toby the dog teach me about life, that could be applied to parents coping with their children's behaviour?

Patience. Toby taught me about patience, I discovered that I like quick results, and that waiting caused me to become restless and impatient. Because Toby was a dog who showed up in life full on in service to others, and 100% in the moment, I started to apply that approach.... patience really did become a virtue.

Patience in action.... coming home to this frequent shoe disaster tested our patience
but also inspired us to find different ways to prevent (well at least minimize) shoe disasters (e.g. less shoes in closet,
rewarding good behaviour)

Clear Communication. Often pet parents are frustrated with their pet's behaviour or are trying to correct behaviour, they speak in many sentences, not clearly communicating with their pet (our behaviourist Maggie pointed this out to me). When I learned to speak in short sound bites and with clear short sentences, Toby relaxed and could comprehend the direction, request or statement. Randy pointed out that the same rings true for children, often parents speak to children like little adults, instead of children. Clear communication helps the child (and pet) understand what is being requested of him/her.

Clear communication... Toby and I practised his famous "PAWdograph" so many times
 I used simple clear communication.  Eventually all I had to do was take the book and the stamp
and he knew exactly what came next...and demonstrated his excitement.

Persistence. Training your four legged family member takes time, focus, repetition and patience, and Randy shared that teaching children new skills requires the same from parents.  Change and learning takes time. Reward the behaviour you want to see and correct the behaviour you wish to change.

Toby eventually learned to dive though my husband's persistence, helping Toby practice, and
by the geese teasing Toby at the end of the dock. This is the closest Toby ever got to the geese
but by being persistent he overcame his reluctance to dive into the water. Once he learned, you couldn't stop him.

What have you learned from your pet? 

As you move into a new week, can you find opportunities to tighten up your communication so that it is clear and focused? Can you create opportunities for your pet to demonstrate wanted behaviours?

You can listen to the rest of my conversation with Family First Radio Host Randy Rolfe, at:

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/64873/incorrigible-to-incredible-some-dog-lessons

Pets do teach us so much!

Pets do teach us so much!




That was the topic of discussion when I was on the TPPC.TV show. You can listen in here:

http://www.tppc.tv/?p=5970



What did our dog Toby teach us? You may want to sit down if you aren’t sitting already, the list is long.

• Toby taught me about patience.

• Persistence… we had to stick with it to help Toby be the dog he needed to be (and to stop destroying our house)

• Purpose was another lesson we learned from Toby. He was a dog who was always on a mission (even if that mission wasn’t clear to us)

• Unconditional love rules!

• Destruction and disasters are temporary…. Love is forever

• Perfectionism is not all that it is cracked up to be

What have you learned from your pets?

Would love to hear your comments.