Typist: Bethany
With all of the death and mourning that the poor pets have had to endure recently, I thought it would be a good idea to have the animal communicator that we had a successful session with a few years ago come for another visit. I have done my best to explain to the pets why Jason and I have been extremely emotional. Wilhelm even attended the end of Jason's sisters memorial service reception. Yet I could tell that despite my efforts all of the pets have been greatly affected by Jason and I bouncing around through the stages of grief. According to the animal communicator, my instincts were right. She said that Leo stated "oh good, we can finally clear the air" when she told him why she had come. The last time the animal communicator came she solved behavior problems that multiple behaviorists and positive reinforcement trainers hadn't made changed over the years. This recent animal communicator session wasn't full of as many breakthroughs and revelations as our last session so at first I was disappointed.  Yet the last few days since our session have been peacefully amazing. The best way I can think to describe the feeling I have is that the pets appreciate being listened to. This is also the hunch I had last time we had the animal communicator visit. So in considering what to share for a Blog The Change for Animals post I thought, what would the world be like if all animals felt that their voices were heard?

I'm not saying that every animal lover needs to hire an animal communicator. I know there are a lot of phony or unreliable pet psychics out there. The most important epiphany I had after both of our animal communicator sessions is the importance of taking the time to really listen to animals. Being a partner and friend to the pets is about more than keeping them healthy, training and cuddling. Listening to the pets is more than just paying attention to their body language and it is also something I can easily take the time to do each and every day. We all can. Maybe if everyone who loves animals takes just a few minutes to truly listen, we can all hear what they have to say. It's possible we all have a little bit of actual animal communicator in us. Perhaps if every animal feels truly listened to, like their voice matters, so many problems between animals and humans could be solved. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all "finally clear the air?"

Cascadian Nomads was not asked to or paid to promote any businesses or organizations mentioned and linked in this post. We're just sharing information or stuff we like!

Besides obvious, physical communications, have you ever felt like you have truly heard an animal?

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Typist: Bethany
January is National Train Your Dog Month and today is the birthday of one of history's greatest dreamers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When considering what my dream for a change in the world for dogs would be, I imagine more than just each dog having a home. I envision every dog having a job. Of course, loving their best friend is a very fulfilling career for a canine companion but I dream of every dog enjoying even more fulfilling lives through positive reinforcement training. I dream each dog would have the same opportunities I desire in my life. Obviously, I would never want to be homeless but I also would not want an isolated existence without friends, the outdoors and mental stimulation. Dogs deserve socialization and learning opportunities. Best of all, if my dream came true and all dogs were trained, it would mean that less dogs would be in shelters or killed.

Training And Tough Times
The majority of dogs surrendered to shelters are five months to three years. Dogs at this age are frustrating, trained or not. I have been in advanced dog training classes as a trainer of a young dog and with other trainers of young dogs. We have vented our frustrations about our dogs inability to listen to us, unending energy and that it often seems like all of the training we have done since our dogs were puppies just disappears one morning. My collie, Huxley, had earned his Canine Good Citizen and Rally Novice titles before he was eight months old. He passed the Therapy Dog International test before he was old enough to be a registered therapy dog. Yet I cried myself to sleep many, many nights when he was approximately a year old because I felt that I had failed in properly caring for him. He was out of control and nothing I seemed to do helped. Neighborhood walks were an endless battle about a loose leash, he never came when I called him and his attention span in our training sessions could only be measured in nanoseconds. I endured Huxley's rebellious youth and I am glad I did. And even if I hadn't, the excellent base of socialization and training I provided him with would have meant he would have been an amazing pet for someone else.

Human-Canine Bonding When Learning Is A Job
This is the number one reason why my dream is for all dogs to be trained. The bond that Huxley and I had gained in training is why it meant so much to me for us to continue to work together as a team and my rational for not giving up on him. Huxley being trained also means that he would make a great pet for anyone. All of my pets would. If every worst case scenario event ever were to happen all at once and my pets needed to be re-homed or ended up in a shelter, the fact that they are trained means that they would be more adoptable. Training as also made my dogs more adaptable. They are used to learning new things. In fact, Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley love learning! I would hate for any of my dogs to have to learn a new name but if necessary, our training background means the dogs are open to and even excited about new knowledge. Learning is my dogs job. The fullness in my heart when bonding with a dog enjoying their job is something I dream every person who shares their life with dogs can experience.

The list of dog training benefits goes on and on but what matters most in creating a change in the world for dogs is that trained dogs are dogs that are less likely to become a shelter statistic. There are so many options for training, it doesn't have to be costly, time consuming or boring. Training is as easy as going on  dog walk and teaching "tricks" isn't always what one thinks it might be. If something as simple as teaching a dog the joy of learning could save it's life, it doesn't seem too far fetched to wish for all humans to become positive reinforcement trainers. I have a dream that all dogs have a home, a job and a human trainer who is proud of what they have accomplished together as a team.

What is your dream for animals? How can others help to make your dream come true?

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Typist: Bethany
I came across a disturbing debate about spay and neuter procedures for dogs and cats on Twitter recently. It started with a questioner* tagging our local animal shelter and a low cost vet clinic that I volunteer for "Anyone for neutering cats and dogs, explain to me why." I read some of the Tweet debate between the questioner and a few other people. What it came down to was the questioner believing that animals should not be mutilated and that dogs and cats would be better off allowed to roam free with natural selection to thin any over population. All I could think was "wow. Are there really people this narrow minded and short sighted now, in the same present world that I live in?"

The debate went on with the questioner comparing domesticated dogs and cats being caged and mutilated to plights of wild animals like dolphins and elephants. This was in response to people explaining to the questioner that stray animals die of starvation and disease. Apparently even the label "stray" upsets the free roaming advocate questioner. Another questioner Tweet was "Why are they called strays and other animals are not." Pounds and shelters were compared to concentration camps by the questioner and setting pets free as some sort of tough love way of making right the wrongs humans have done in breeding domestic animals to begin with. Except I am the only one using the word domestic. Right now. In this post. And it is the key to this debate.

Domesticated animals are not wild. They don't know how to be wild. They die without the help of humans. Is this humans fault? Maybe. Partly. But most of the science I have understood as far as dogs and cats are concerned is that it is they who chose to come and live with and rely on humans, not by humans forcing them into slavery. There are animals we have done that with. All animal lovers know that all too well. Most animals humans use as slaves though are still genetically wild animals. Orca whales, dolphins, elephants, bears, etc could and should indeed be set free to be wild. But dogs and cats? They've had a symbiotic relationship with humans for tens of thousands of years. And part of that relationship means we should do what we can to keep them healthy and safe. Which means controlling their population through spaying and neutering.

There are so many other things I wanted to say to the confused self proclaimed animal advocate questioner on Twitter. I actually started to type a Tweet asking if the questioner had ever been to a country where there are no pounds, no population control and sickly, starving dogs and cats do in fact roam free. I have. Those countries certainly didn't look like the nature correcting itself utopia the questioner seems to think happens when unaltered cats and dogs are allowed complete choice of how to live. It looked sad.

All of this seems so black and white to me. I believe that we knew we were doing the right thing for long ago domesticated animals by helping to control their populations. The symbiotic relationship between humans and these animals is that we provide them with food and shelter and they provide us with work and love. If there are too many dogs and cats for us to provide for, allowing them to die in the wild or killing them isn't part of the caring for their health and safety deal we made when these animals chose to live with us tens of thousands of years ago. They still work for us and love us. We have medical technology that, with very little side effects, continues to allow us to try to feed and shelter them. Why would this still be something we debate?

*I am choosing not to reveal the identity of the Twitter questioner because I refuse to feed undeserved attention to ignorance. Also, I believe the original question tagged the low cost vet clinic that I volunteer for because the questioner was refused service for having an unaltered pet. Only spayed or neutered pets receive the benefits free or low cost vet service, a policy I wholeheartedly support. Spay and neuter surgeries are available at no cost from the local animal shelter with a certificate from the clinic.

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I also kept close track of how I spent my screen time. A huge portion of it is spent reading about pets. Pet training. Pet health. Pet travel. All of the knowledge I gain obviously benefits my pets. But is it worth sacrificing actual, physical time with them? My final decision has been no. And I am working to get the balance right.

That correct balance is different for everyone yet I encourage all of you to take a closer look at how much time you spend reading about life with pets or sharing to help animals, and how much time you spend interacting with your pets and physically in nature. Could your dog use an extra walk each day? Would any of your pets benefit from more mental stimulation or training? Does your local shelter need volunteers? Is there someone in your neighborhood who could use help feeding the birds? Do you have a local park that needs a clean up? I believe prioritizing how I spend my time to help animals can make a bigger impact on the lives of animals. When I am not working virtually to better the world for animals, I am engaged physically with animals and their environment. Other humans committed to helping animals could also benefit from each of us balancing how we spend our time. Virtual and physical communities all prosper with a reboot in passion for a cause. And renewed vigor in helping animals is exactly the kind of fervor for the present that animals inspire in me to begin with.

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