Growing up I was the little girl who always wanted, but was never allowed, to have a dog. Every birthday, every Christmas, every Easter my #1 wish made to my dad, Santa and the Easter Bunny was a puppy of my own!
I remember crying hysterically, begging my father for a puppy. I didn’t understand then why he said it would be “too much work.”
My sister and I even attempted to rescue a dog without his permission! We snuck a beautiful, deer-like chihuahua mix we named Bambi, a Sato from Puerto Rico, into our home and quietly, secretly cared for her until we got caught. Bambi barked one night, and that was the end of my childhood dog mom days.
The reality was, that my dad was widowed, raising two little girls by himself. He had a lot on his plate, and even though my sister and I were responsible enough to do the work, our father simply didn’t have the bandwidth for another responsibility.
The truth is, welcoming a new dog into the family can be a child’s best friend or a parent’s worst nightmare. The reality is usually somewhere in-between, and the good news is, with a little preparation, we have the power to create a safe, happy transition.
If my thirteen-year-old self could look into the future and realize she would have a career working with animals, she would be thrilled! To this day, I thank Bambi for our brief time together. She is one of the many reasons I decided to become a dog trainer.
I am passionate about teaching kids and dogs to co-exist peacefully. DOGTV and I even teamed up to create these DOGTV YouTube videos!
Check out this video of my nephew, Liam, and niece, Emma, interacting with my dogs Penelope and Delilah as an example.
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