Dog Community

I have been so busy with puppy classes, adolescent classes and working privately with dog owners with more specific doggy issues that I've had very little time to write about it all.

I have a feeling that there is something important in this. I am overwhelmed, and I think sometimes spoiled, by the respect and inclusion of dogs in this part of the country. Dogs are literally everywhere in Portland, Oregon! We have dog beaches, a pub that allows dogs, a restaurant that has a separate doggy menu, tons of dog parks, over fifty dog daycares, dog friendly housing and hotels, all kinds of dog-related events and very few dog-free sidewalks.

Things aren't the same all over the country, and I'm well aware of that. My sister, who still lives in the midwest, can't believe that anyone would allow a dog over 50 lbs to live in the house. She can't understand how I can sleep in a bedroom with five dogs and four cats every night. I am well aware of the fact that there are cities and town all over the country where dogs are still a novelty, or a fringe element of society.

Maybe this is why I am so passionate about what I do. The more I help people train their dogs, the better behaved their dogs are out in public and the more likely those dogs will be an active part of the community. Now, here's how that circle comes all the way around...the more that dogs are a part of the community, the more people want their dogs to be well-behaved in public and the more likely they are to put in the effort to train them!

How beautiful is that?! (I knew there was something important there!)