What Inspires Us to Write About Dogs #BlogPawsGives

This post is sponsored by BlogPaws, a free place to connect with like-minded pet people who are active in social media. I am being compensated to support Giving Month with an inspirational post, but DogTipper only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. BlogPaws is not responsible for the content of this article.

As our regular readers know, our pets have changed our lives in SO many ways, not just personally but professionally as well. Prior to 2008, John and I were travel guidebook writers specializing in the Caribbean, on the road at least once a month. With the adoption of Irie and then, six months later, Tiki, we decided to focus our attentions closer to home and learn all that we could about dogs.

The learning came, first, out of necessity. When we adopted Irie, she had demodectic mange; she was also a fearful dog. In the weeks after Irie’s adoption, I signed up for private training lessons at our local PetSmart. I knew that Irie would never like being in a training situation with other people (although she loves other dogs) so I opted for private lessons. I arranged for the trainer to meet me in the early afternoons, a time I thought the store might be a little quieter.

On our first training session, I explained Irie’s shyness to the trainer. The trainer, a gentle woman who I later would learn had several rescues of her own at home, observed Irie. Instead of hiding in a corner or looking fearful, though, Irie just sprawled out on the floor, refusing to look at anyone. She refused to take a treat (something rare, very rare, for Irie!) She refused to stand up or even lift her head.

She had shut down.

The trainer called me the next day, explaining that she’d been thinking about Irie’s situation all evening. She recommended a booklet called The Cautious Canine by Dr. Patricia McConnell. I ordered it and read it before our next weekly meeting.

In the weeks to come, I read everything I could find by Dr. Patricia McConnell as well as Dr. Ian Dunbar (more than once!), absorbing all I could about working with dogs and overcoming Irie’s shyness.

Irie graduated from her PetSmart lessons but her learning, as for all of us, is lifelong. Through the years, we’ve worked to help her feel more and more comfortable in new situations. We adopted Tiki not long after Irie completed her lessons; when we went to the shelter, we looked for the most outgoing dog we could find…and we found it in Tiki. Her confidence has helped bring Irie out of her shell.

Through the years, we’ve seen Irie bloom. Today we travel with her, and she frequently enjoys resorts, restaurants, and just getting out and experiencing new situations, something we never could have hoped for her seven years ago. The photo above was taken at a local Christmas tree farm we visited with Irie last week. Filled with travelers (and a couple of school buses with young visitors), the situation is one that would have been very difficult for Irie even a few years ago.

Sadly, shy dogs like Irie are often overlooked in shelters. Hiding in the back of their kennels and not making contact with visitors, they are overlooked by potential adopters. Many of these shy dogs never see their way out of the shelter.

Recently someone asked how we remain motivated and inspired to write every day. The answer is easy: we look to our dogs.

Our hope, day in and day out, is that something we write helps one dog. Perhaps someone will read our site and look twice at that shy dog cowering in the back of the kennel. Or realize that there are training options for that behavioral challenge they are facing. Or learn some money-saving options that help ease their budget constraints to make sure their dog lives a happy and healthy life.

And, just as with our Irie, they may find that, for all the help they give their dog, they wind up receiving so much more help in return!