Harvey The Rescue

being a mother of twins at 27 is hard work but someone’s gotta do it

as someone who used to be in major denial that my dog was in pain because he was young, active, and healthy, i’m here to tell you, it’s possible. and it’s something we should always be considering. (and you don’t have to freak out about it!)

we’re irritable when we get headaches, but we still show up to work and push through. i’m more sensitive and grumpy when my allergies are acting up, but i still show up to hangout with my friends because im excited to see them. our dogs pain can function in a similar way, it’s not all or nothing. but - that doesn’t mean we should do our best to figure out the issue and help them. because often times physical discomfort is having an impact on our dogs behavior struggles. from reactivity to resource guarding to fearfulness, how our dogs feel physically is always impacting them.

we cannot say a dog is probably not in pain off a simple physical exam from the vet. and even an X-Ray is unfortunately often not enough sometimes (azula can attest to this).

September is animal pain awareness month, so i figured it was the perfect time for me to touch on this topic, that is very important and not talked about nearly enough. i don’t say this to cause you to spiral about your dogs health, i tell you so that you start to consider it. start paying attention to things that could actually be small signs of discomfort.

because pain is so common in dogs, it’s a huge reason why we shouldn’t be so hard on them.

Remy’s situation is slowly becoming more urgent, she will soon have nowhere to go and she needs people to hear her story. she is available for foster or adopt anywhere within driving distance from New York where she is currently being fostered.

her ideal home is in a quiet neighborhood with no kids, and ideally no other pets. but besides those small asks, she’s happy to just rest on your couch and eat snacks with you. 🤎

please reach out to Magic Brooklyn Beans if you are interested in fostering or adopting. you can also email [email protected]!

if you do one thing today, PLEASE share this with your friends, your community, your coworkers. anyone. remy needs the world to know about her!

there’s nothing i love more than watching my dogs enjoy themselves doing whatever dogs love to do. and as a dog trainer i’m here to tell you i’ll never want your dogs walks to look like that first clip!

and once you get to the point where you realize having a dog is about having fun with them, and not about needing a perfect heel, it truly makes dog parenting so much more enjoyable. walks are more fun when you’re not frustrated and yanking your dog around every 2 seconds. walks are more fun when you learn to appreciate watching your dog sniff the same spot for 10 minutes straight. it gives you a new found appreciation for your dog when you focus on training for your dog. and not just for yourself. 🤎

heel training, dog walking, hiking with dogs, dog parenting tips

there’s nothing i love more than pre-visit anxiety meds and fear free vets who help make appointments easy.

anytime harvey has to get a medical procedure that requires him to be sedated, my requirements are very clear. i will be with him until he is asleep, they can take him to do what they need to do, and i will be back with him before he ever wakes up. i’ve had vets try to push back on this, but it ends up with harvey freaking out, barking at them, and often times he starts trying to climb the walls to get away. he’s an easy boy at the vet, when we have vets who are willing to listen to my requests and make adjustments as needed.

i didn’t catch it on camera but he was quite barky this day when the vet tech first came in, so i was incredibly grateful they let me give him a tiny bit of turkey baby food to get the injection done. made it so much easier!

this week we are morning harvey’s 4 adorable front baby teefs that had to be removed, but i’m hoping he’ll be in a lot less pain once he heals up. he got 6 teeth extracted in total!

never be afraid to (kindly) ask your vets for what you want and advocate for your dog. so many vets are willing to make adjustments if it will make it less stressful. you just have to ask!

at this point it’s personal 🧐

i might become a vegetarian i might become a pescatarian idk either way im just trying to limit my meat intake so we’ll see what happens but pls send me all your recs cause i fear im a picky eater 😭😭😭

im better at making my dogs lunch than my own but its fine we’re fine

chat is this a red flag or green flag

iykyk

there is not near enough genuinely helpful information on the internet on how to help a reactive dog. so i’m here to spill all the details for you 🤎

i want to preface all of this (and this will be covered in another part of this series) that considering your dogs physical health should always be the first step in your training plan. around 80% of behavior cases veterinary behaviorist see have pain as a factor. even if you think that’s not the case, it’s always worth investigating. it can be hard to spot the subtle signs of pain your dog may be displaying (even if they’re running around)

lmk if you guys want a part 2 🤎