Life on the Leash

Hooray! Lucy was a healthy, happy, hoppy puppy this morning:

Nice to finally meet you, young lady!

I wear a uniform every day. Long sleeve logo shirt, semi-tidy jeans … I think I look rather professional from the ankles up (if you can ignore the sloppy ponytail and lack of make-up).

But what I wear on my feet? Not professional at all. My shoes make me look homeless.

My ubiquitous clogs. The most comfortable things I’ve ever put on my giant size 11 tootsies. I can wear them for a full day of dog walks and run-away recalls and still not want to take them off when I get home.

Now, they’re not Dansko – no, that would be too easy. I could buy another pair and all would be fine.

Nope, not possible.

Mine are an Italian brand called Modellista that has been M.I.A. for a few years now. I ordered another pair from a company claiming to be Modellista a while back, but the clogs that arrived were completely different. No marshmallow-soft foot beds, no brushed suede. Just standard, stiff clogs, so back they went.

My old clogs have forced me to become a part-time cobbler. I have to take a hammer to the little silver staples to keep them for popping out, but as you can see, I’ve fallen off the job lately:

The sad fact is, I think I finally have to retire my old faithfuls. By “retire” I certainly don’t mean “toss.” They might not be good enough for meeting new clients (”Hi, I’m your dog trainer Victoria, and I live in a van down by the river.”), but they’ll do for errands.

Current clients, feel free to check my feet and chastise me if I’m still wearning them the next time you see me.

Do me a favor … set aside an hour and watch this BBC documentary called “Pedigree Dogs Exposed.”

(Warning: the first five minutes are tough to watch.)

Your thoughts?

Sumner and I were out running errands last week and we stopped by my friend Pam’s house for a quick round of T-touch.

T-touch is a system that helps release tension and increase body awareness. The applications of this very cool type of therapy are limitless … it helps with fearfulness and shyness (are you listening, Sum?), car sickness, aggression … the list goes on.

Sum was freaked out when we first arrived:

But Pam’s magic touch won him over within minutes:

Pam and I got to gossiping at one point and our focus shifted away from Sumner. He placed a very deliberate paw on Pam’s lap as if to say, “Don’t forget about me. More please.”

Just watching the process was relaxing.

T-touch is an often overlooked but very powerful system that works as a standalone treatment, or as a compliment to training and behavioral modification programs. Sum loved it. Learn more about it here.

Happy Easter!

To prove that I don’t torture Sumner into complying:

*Bok! Bok!”

Lucy wasn’t feeling well today:

Our first lesson was supposed to be an hour of treats, fun and new skills, but the little girl wasn’t having it. She vomited before I came over, and then again while I was there.

We let her sleep while we talked about potty training strategies. At one point she came over and rested her sweet little head on my leg. Poor Lucy.

Lucy’s outgoing “brother” picked up the slack and was front and center for the hour.

Miss Bellyache is off to the vet later today. Hopefully she’ll be rarin’ to go the next time I see her.

(Can’t you just tell by the pictures that she’s not feeling good?)