by Shannon | Feb 11, 2018 | Personal, Relationship
Allowing myself to grieve for Perry, who died a few months ago, allowed me to begin healing from the loss. Acceptance and a certain amount of ritualized farewell made it possible for me to gradually let go and let the grief ebb and flow as it naturally does. This...
by Shannon | Sep 20, 2017 | Personal, Relationship
Perry was escorted to a crate in my truck at the end of a spring terrier event. After dinner with friends I hadn’t seen in years, I would make the long drive home and introduce Perry to my dogs and his new, last-chance foster home. I strolled back to the event...
by Shannon | Jun 1, 2017 | Behavior, Personal, Relationship
Franklin has left a number of people bleeding from his lightning bites and now my hand is sandwiched between his teeth. With softly sparkling eyes, he slides away into a bow, barks once, and growly-talks his way through a belly-up roll in the rumpled bedding, kicking...
by Shannon | Nov 25, 2015 | Personal
Today was the most brain-rewarding, super fun training day in a long time. In a week, at least! One of my favorite clients, a magnetic, bright-eyed little terrier named Chipper, danced with me to the same tune. That moment when hundreds of hours of education and many...
by Shannon | Jun 15, 2013 | Personal
I euthanized my healthy dog yesterday.Technically, he was not my dog. He was my foster dog for a rescue organization. But he was with me for three years as a very loved part of my family. And technically, he was not healthy. Arnold was a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier with a...