#former professional dog trainer

[meeshnut]

Any time something hits the ground my dog goes to pick it up and will hand it to me if I ask

This is a boon for when I finally get pregnant 😂

[meeshnut]

Former professional dog trainer rambles:

More people are aware of socialization, without really understanding socialization. They think all you have to do is overwhelm the puppy with as many people as possible and then the puppy won’t be afraid of anything as an adult. That’s an issue since an overwhelmed puppy is possibly a scared puppy.

A well-known Rewards-Only trainer had his puppy bite someone during a socialization session. I don’t know, or remember, too much about the circumstances but most times a dog bites out of fear and a lot of unseen communication. Dogs usually give lots of warning before physically attacking that a lot of people miss, but I digress just a bit.

I think if people really watched their dogs during socialization and didn’t just force the dog to interact with something the dog was overwhelmed with we could avoid a lot of these problems.

Dogs that roamed the street or the farm or what have you were leading their own socialization. They would see something that freaked them out and high-tail it away from it, and maybe, if they felt comfortable, they could reinvestigate and become acclimated to it.

Imagine if you saw a big heck-off spider for the first time and someone that was supposed to protect you handed you right over for the spider to hold and no amount of protesting or trying to get away worked. I, for one, would be TERRIFIED of spiders for the rest of my life. ~ ✨ Trauma ✨ ~

I have a dog of my own, and while I do dog-lead socialization even now that he’s almost 3, I am also not perfect. My dog is over-socialized in the way that he thinks everyone is his friend. I could have, had I not been so keen for anyone who wanted to to interact with my dog, teach him that sometimes people and dogs don’t need to be greeted. He’s a good dog, just overly friendly and that doesn’t help reactive dogs or people who are afraid of or just want nothing to do with dogs.

On a slightly different tangent, socialization periods are very important in puppies. I don’t have my continued education notes from when it was my job to keep our trainers thinking about training in new ways, but I do remember that most of the first Fear-Period is before 8 weeks. Which is fine, but that gives you a week after they come home, and the rest is up to the breeder to introduce them to textures and sounds and objects with their litter mates. This is the period where they learn to be afraid or not. If something scares the crap out of them during this period there is a high chance that will be reactive to that thing their whole life.

Their are more socialization periods where they learn different things are different times, but the biggest issue I see is unfortunately our vaccination schedule. Please please please get your dog vaccinated on schedule, but also work on safe socialization before they’re fully vaccinated. It’s scary as all get out, but it’s also important to your dogs socialization. My dog was out for ‘walks’ tied into a wagon to be socialized before he was fully vaccinated. It’s ultimately up to the owners what they feel comfortable with, but that whole 4(?) month period is crucial to socialization.

Another issue is early spay and neuter. It happens during the second Fear-Period usually around 6-7 months and can cause reactivity that way (no wonder dogs freak out at the vet, eh?), and also cause issues from the lack of full hormonal development. There are other sterilization options that keep them hormonally intact, or just waiting until their full grown and filled out at the very least.

That’s another point to dogs in the past. We did not used to go so hard on population control—which is completely justified —and dogs used to keep their bits. My dog is intact and will stay intact until he presents with something that necessitates removal of his gonads. There are a myriad of benefits to this which we won’t get into because I do not fight people about sterilization (so don’t start).

Something something lack of testosterone can make dogs less confident and more fearful something something I finally lost my train of thought lol

I’ve been out of the training game for a bit now, but I do own a dog who I’ll be training and socializing for the rest of his life so this is all relevant to my life currently too. I’m just not teaching people to do it for themselves anymore.

It feels like having a dog has gotten way complicated and hard in recent years, posts talking about reactive unsocialized and untrained dogs everywhere but the thing is, was anybody intentionally socializing their dogs before the past couple decades? Are humans just way more isolated? Is it the thing about how you should adopt a rescue instead of buying?

[gyllenhaalstories]

ELWOOD DALTON DRABBLE

trope: fake dating

warnings: violence, death, pr relationship. 18+ NO MINORS.

word count: 800

photo credit: iheartjake / divider credits: @/firefly-graphics

notes: thank you to @sizzlingcloudmentality for the spin the wheel activity and for encouraging me to post my results as actual little drabbles. 🥰 thank you for reading & REMEMBER TO REBLOG!

This follows the events of that one infamous fight that ultimately ended Dalton's UFC career. Dalton had yet to decide whether this would put his career to rest for good or not. He still had fights in him, he knew it. He knew he could go for the belt again, but the world certainly did not want him to. His team was desperate to improve the public's opinion of Dalton, so people saw him as more than a murderer, so people stopped talking about how he killed Harris in the octagon that night. Many ideas were thrown around: visit an animal shelter and take photos with a funky looking dog, leak a bunch of nudes and make it seem accidental, say he's going to a rehab facility for God knows what. The rehab one hit a sensitive nerve. Maybe he did not need rehab, but Dalton started to understand he might need help. There was something in him, a fire, that terrified him. He killed his opponent on accident, how far could he go? His team was searching for some miracle. Anything, they considered anything. Brands had ended their contracts with him abruptly, trainers abandoned him, most friends (within and outside of the UFC) left him behind... No one wanted to be around him. No one except you.

Perhaps you were a long-time friend who knew him before he became a notorious fighter, perhaps you were someone who worked with him (assistant? social media manager? nutritionist? a massage therapist? skilled trainer who could kick him across the room? professional ice bath provider? you choose). You stayed by his side and watched everyone ditch him in the dirt. His manager (or whatever replacement they got to handle the crisis since his actual representative left as soon as shit hit the fan, typical) came up with this great idea. A new relationship. A new image. After Dalton the fearless fighter, Dalton the rage-filled killer, the world could discover Dalton the loving boyfriend. Dalton could not be more against it, he refuses to drag you into his mess. Your reputation has been affected already just by existing in his vicinity, he can't let things get worse. He does not want any of this fake-dating story either. But you... You know it would help him. You want to help him.

So Dalton gives in and you guys start to date. Photos are staged so you have content to post on your social media, pretending you had been going on several dates with the former fighter. All these dates happened within the same week and lasted barely long enough to capture a cute picture. Cute captions, cuter anniversary stories to celebrate months spent together and different milestones in the relationship. Appearances to random events, mostly parties or brand deals when they warm up to Dalton again as they see the traction he is receiving online. There are some paid and planned pap walks too, to catch Dalton as he walks in and out of the gym to give the impression he is getting back on track. He slipped, but it does not mean he fell. Everything happens in a hurry. You become his arm candy. You can't lie, you appreciate the luxurious treatment and you enjoy to share these memories with someone you appreciate. However, you hate that it makes Dalton so uncomfortable. You knew this fake and extremely public relationship would help him...

But did Dalton want to be helped at all? The two of you share a real, heartfelt conversation and you are hit with the realization. The relationship eventually ends with a photograph of the two of you looking your best. No harm. No bitterness. A mutual agreement your relationship has lived its time. Dalton and you share a moment together alone again, far away from cameras and people's nosiness. He tells you that he wants to disappear. No. That he needs to disappear. He has spent so many years of his life in the public eye, he craved anonymity. He wanted more than ever to be in control of his life. You understand he is chasing for something greater than you and let him choose his fate now that the world sees him as nothing but a furious animal. Despite all the efforts, despite the fake relationship.

You let him go. Dalton disappears out of your life and you don't hear from him for a long time. Dalton travels the country, taking bus ride after bus ride going nowhere. He gets lost in the different cities he visits, he gets lost in the thoughts that haunt him at night. Maybe, eventually, he realizes that letting go of his career was the right thing to do. Maybe, eventually, he realizes that he made a mistake when he let you go too.

[hinaterror1999]

first post on rotomblr

hi I’m hinata they/them 25 years old

former johto battle trainer, pokemaster, haven’t professionally battled in a good while but I still love to train pokemon. starving artist and enjoyer of fire types. currently living and working in unova. don’t ask me about mt silver

current pokemon:

my partner pokemon, Sparkler the level 80 typhlosion. my pride and joy

Twinkle the level 75 houndoom. she’s a guard dog. loves to battle, has burned me before accidentally while she was still little LOL

Haze the level 60 chandelure. caught him fairly recently. took me a good while to get my hands on a dusk stone. everyone says they take souls and whatnot. mine just helps me sleep

I also have a Volcarona that I got after getting in a fight with some random with a weirdly strong team while taking a trip to relic castle. I think I took a wrong turn

I also have a nidoking and a togekiss that are currently in the care of my family in johto and a gyarados that’s being taken care of by a friend in alola due to my living situation (broke ass apartment in nacrene city) i also caught entei back home but i am just straight up not allowed to bring it to unova anymore after an unfortunate incident where it nearly burned down white forest

here to post art, cute pokemon pics, and complain. more coming soon

pelipper mail, mystery gifts, all these things are enabled, i could use the items as most of my money goes into my pokemon. sapient mon feel free to say hello. musharna mail okay, magic anons not enabled

this blog is run by @paranormeow7 and I am new to rotomblr and roleplay blogs and such so. hope you have fun here and like this blog lol… I’m a pretty casual pokemon fan so apologies if I get anything wrong lol.. I made this as an excuse to make more pokemon art haha.

hina is a washed out former battle trainer who became a pokemon master as a child but got clapped on their journey to mt silver and is now a bitter starving artist with no friends (except their pokemon, and another friend who may get a blog soon) no money, and a dead end job at the cafe warehouse. somehow they tend to end up in the middle of main story events. team plasma wants them dead despite them knowing nothing about team plasma. they are very unlucky and very confused. for ask them anything to find out more!!

(due to hinas terrible luck, pelipper malice is enabled :3 go ham)

[anarchotahdigism]

cw: missing woman, suicide mention

Been a year since a friend of mine disappeared and I strongly suspect that she died of despair from the isolation of permanent quarantine from COVID. She spent her last days cleaning her place, tying up loose ends, including giving me a wonderful cross stitch of my cats. No one's heard anything of her in the Seattle area or Portland in all this time nor found anyone who knew her. She was a former professional dog trainer and rehabilitator who lived in a rural area alone with former police dogs she rehabilitated-- two of which were unadoptable and would have been euthanized, because cops torture dogs to "train" them and the profound PTSD the dogs develop make them dangerous even to professionals. She was terrified of her neighbors' hostility to her masking but she still defied fascists all alone because she refused to give in to their demands for compliance with eugenics. She was a staunch anarchist who opened her home and heart to others, who had rioted and screamed in the face of tyranny. She'd been maced and gassed, she'd been beaten and terrorized, she'd been abused, and she'd been triumphant in her resistance. She'd carved a life out for herself and held on for as long as she could. She was marvelously kind, hilarious, a history nerd, a good listener. She was an amazing cook and overjoyed to feed others from the garden she'd planted on land she had restored which had been destroyed by reckless occupation of the land prior to her. She chose to spend her time in isolation loving animal victims of cops because the ableism of the "left" locked her out of doing "more." She felt terribly guilty for simply surviving, but everywhere she went, she left people and places better for having known and loved her. Luz Brilliante, you were loved.

You deserved better. You were loved and you'll be remembered and missed. The anarchists of Seattle lost a real one when you left the world.

[trudemaethien]

Superior Officer

sequel to everything about you pisses me off

E, NAWA, Cody/Ordo&Ordo/Besany, V-threesome (No Besany/Cody bc “and they were both bottoms doms”) rimming, verbal humiliation, Incest Kink, the usual Skirata family/daddy issues AKA Kal’buir is there doing Hot Kal Shit, Cody is an Asshole, Ordo likes it unfortunately, Kal Did Not Like That

“Captain,” Cody greets him, much more genially than he’d spoken to Kal. Ordo has always been aware of the disparity in rank between his buir and himself, but he’s not sure he’s ever seen Sergeant Skirata so blithely treated as, well, just a sergeant by a superior officer.

“Commander,” Ordo replies, discomfited. If he says Cody out loud right now, he’s not sure it’d come out sounding professional. “What are you doing here?”

“I seem to recall you inviting me?” Cody says sardonically, arching a brow.

Ordo is even more bewildered. Cody had made his disdain for the offer clear at the time. “Ah. Welcome,” he manages to say. “What can we do for you then, Commander?”

“Just you, Captain. I’d like to discuss some things, get your opinion on them. At your leisure,” Cody says, without batting an eye.

Ordo polices his expression and refuses to swallow nervously. Does he mean discuss or discuss?

“Dinner will be on shortly,” Kal objects, but Cody holds Ordo’s gaze, ignoring the former trainer entirely.

“Would you care to join us for latemeal, before you and I discuss these unspecified things?” Ordo offers awkwardly.

Cody dips his head to cover his amusement, but when he answers, he sounds perfectly collected, nearly formal. “My business with you may be of some duration, Captain, so yes; I would not keep you from your meal. If it wouldn’t cause undue hardship for your aliit, then I accept your generosity, but I do have my own rations if necessary.”

“We have plenty,” Kal stresses. “We’re doing very well for ourselves here.”

“No hardship, Commander,” Besany assures. Cody smiles at her, a small but warm expression.

“This is my wife,” Ordo introduces her, stomach dropping. “Besany, Cody.”

“A pleasure,” Cody says, voice dipping low. “Congratulations on your marriage, ma’am.”

Besany smiles in acknowledgment, then stands to go initiate laying out the dinner. Everyone else also rises to reorganize the space and themselves for the meal. As the trestles are moved from the walls to make the family table, Kal jostles for position by Cody.

“Now see here, son, you can’t just—” he begins in a severe tone; Cody swings his attention fully onto Kal and he quails a little.

“Sir,” Cody enunciates, the word somehow anything but an honorific, “I am not your son.”

Kal takes each syllable of that statement on the chin. Cody watches them hit and then continues on, pleasant and deliberate and ruthless.

“If you understood the barest fraction of my opinion of you, you would not be trying to gain my attention, Sergeant.”

If anything, sergeant lands even more dismissively than sir. Somehow, Ordo has a feeling Cody treats his own sergeants and underlings with much more respect. Did Sergeant Skirata do something to the Commander during the war to invite this sort of response?

Ordo has never seen such an expression on his buir’s face before. Kal tries to recover his dignity, blustering, but he cannot meet Commander Cody’s eyes. Fortunately, having delivered this succinct drubbing, Cody is gracious enough to resume ignoring the man.

However, instead of recognizing he’s outmatched and tapping out, Kal’buir rallies to muster another objection. He’s dogged if nothing else, their buir.

Ordo hastily intervenes. “Cody!” he calls. “Come sit over here.” He manages to make it sound less like a plea and more like a firm suggestion.

Cody slides in next to Besany, hand genteelly brushing over her back as he seats himself between them on the bench. Down the table, Kal is fuming.

“It’s good to see you again, Ordo,” Cody says warmly. Ordo tries to ignore the stormcloud of his buir’s temper.

“I didn't realize you two had worked together,” Besany says curiously.

“Just the once,” Ordo clarifies, recalling vividly in spite of himself, the aftermath of that once, unlike any other moment of his life.

“But it was quite memorable,” the other clone finishes Ordo’s statement, and Cody’s dimples deepen though his mouth and eyes remain politely neutral.

Read on AO3 🔒 https://archiveofourown.org/works/53466688

[straydogged]

my former service dog is really on my mind ;-; in two weeks, it'll have been 5 years since I last saw him... and I stupidly, very stupidly, decided to do a presentation about SDs for a project in the same time period.

trying to unpack some of these feelings, bear with me here :/

I struggle to fully accept that the organization was a Cult. but it was. they left a door open to bring me back into the fold if I was stupid enough to come close again. A verbal door, of course, because nothing is ever promised on paper with these people. I see them for what they are now, I see what they're doing. It's all about the money, the partnerships with law enforcement, and the family, as they called us. and I was so used to the emotional abuse, gaslighting, the shaming, and the triangulation from my own parents, that I couldn't see any of their tactics for what they were. I knew how I felt, but I had been told my whole life that this was normal. I couldn't see it until I got away from my family, too.

and now I know. the whole thing was an illusion- they claim to be the industry standard, the authority on service dogs. they pose themselves as the only option to prey on desperate disabled people and scam them out of literally 10s of thousands of dollars. but that's not backed up by accredited SD institutions/groups. apparently, other professional dog trainers even warn people away from them. that olive branch is a trap. I'd be an idiot to go back.

that's not even getting into the animal abuse and far right bullshit. or the puppy mill bullshit. or the surveillance. there's so, so, so much to sift through while trying to unpack this.... but every time I sit and think about it for a bit, it's immediately reinforced that this was an abusive high control group. there's always something new that occurs to me, some realization or re-realization that hits like a sack of bricks.

I hate how many years of my life, how much hope, and how much money they took from me. I hate that I can't say anything against them openly, even this post feels dangerous. I don’t know how it would be possible, but I'm so scared I'll be found out. it's been almost 5 years since my last contact with them, I've blocked as many members of the group as possible on all social media. but I'm still anxious.

[mv-damn]

A Possible DAMN Future:

(for your consideration)

Noelle Lei-Anand, well paid employee of a transit consulting firm, who dresses like U-boats still stalk the eastern seaboard (but butchly);

her wife, Akarsha Lei-Anand, chemistry grad currently working on her Master's, who dresses like the manic pixie dream girl she is;

their partner, Diya Soma, former semi-pro baseball player turned professional dog trainer, who dresses like a normal person;

and Akarsha & Diya's partner and Noelle's metamour, Min-seo Soma, successful journeyman welder who gets paid more than any of them, and who dresses like someone who never quite got out of their punk phase.

[heart-of-copper-dog-training]

What is a dog trainer anyway?

As a fan of the Office, I like to say it's the same as Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy: anyone can step outside and yell "I am a dog trainer!"

And suddenly, they are. Similar to Michael, though, it doesn't really mean anything.

There is a severe lack of regulation in America of the dog training industry, and with the number of certifications and lack there in, professional jargon that sounds impressive, and apprenticeships, it takes a dog trainer to navigate finding a good dog trainer.

And that's just not really consumer friendly. I could spend the rest of this going through each and every certification I've heard of and try to explain what they all mean, but that'd be tedious and boring to read and honestly, probably not too helpful. Though, if someone does want that list, let me know and I will do my best to explain any of the ones I know of personally and research the ones I don't.

Today, though, I wanna talk about Paris. And by Paris, I mean the world's tiniest, cutest little shihtzuwith the cutest little snaggle tooth currently under my care for a client. I cannot express enough how adorable and tiny she is. She makes Donut look HUGE.

I don't often board dogs and when I do, it's only former clients or friends/family. It's not a service I like to make a living of, because the quality of care I would expect from someone having my dog integrated into their home is a lot. I have to manage and ensure all the dogs get along, never leave them unsupervised, maintain my dogs' schedule while adding a new (temporary) addition, give them all the love and cuddles on top of my dogs, make sure the situation is the least stressful it can be (and hopefully actually fun for the dog by the end of it!) and of course, meds/food/care etc and it's basically like owning a new dog for a small amount of time.

But I do have exceptions for dogs like Paris.

What does this have to do with my initial question? Well, you saw the trigger warning and here is another before we continue. There will be no pictures here that aren't cute dogs, so it is strictly the words.

Trigger warning start:

Paris is not her Guardian's first dog. Paris was a bit of an "well, it's just for my kid, I'm not ready for a dog but this one needs a home, I don't like small dogs," kinda dog who is now the pampered beloved little child of her Guardian.

But the reason her Guardian had all these reservations was due to her previous dog. And her previous trainer, who also offered boarding services in addition to training. And I can imagine you can see where this is going.

I wasn't there. Neither was Paris's Guardian. But an incident occurred at the trainer's house that resulted in the death of her previous dog. She was, understandably, devastated. She tried to take legal action but there wasn't enough evidence from my understanding and the only thing she walked away with was a dead dog and no punitive damages.

According to the trainer, the dogs got along fine and the attack "came out of nowhere". The trainer's dogs had never attacked another dog before and there was "nothing that could have prevented it". The quotes are quotes, not meant to mock.

That trainer is still a dog trainer.

Trigger warning end

After the incident, Paris's Guardian didn't want another dog and had no idea what went wrong with the trainer. I don't know the trainer and even if I did, I wouldn't drag them out here online.

Because the problem with the trainer is the problem with the dog training industry: there's no regulation. It's possible that the trainer was amazing at teaching basic house manners, cues, tricks, sports, who knows.

But it's very clear that the trainer had a poor read on dog body language, possibly even on their own dogs. It's not uncommon for people to misread or misjudge their dogs. And it's definitely happened with some trainers, even trainers with years and years of experience.

I met Paris's Guardian through a referral after she had chosen to get Paris "for her daughter" (she loves that dog like her own child, it's super cute). She was nervous to get a trainer at all, but was struggling with small things and didn't know how to proceed.

And when I met her at their house, it was clear she'd never been given any lessons on dog body language, as Paris was immediately nervous at this stranger in her home. When Paris backed up and barked, her Guardian told her, "Paris, be nice, this is our trainer, come on and meet her".

So I had a great opening to discuss meeting Paris's needs and boundaries. I took almost five minutes to get into the house, simply waiting at an appropriate distance for Paris's comfort while tossing her high value treats (behind her) so that she could build that confidence and positive association. And even after I was in the house, she still didn't want to approach me.

Her Guardian was embarrassed and kept apologizing for "Paris's bad manners". Which was understandable from her point of view, but it also led to more great discussions on Paris's body language and making sure SHE was comfortable with me and that SHE had her needs met. I'm the trainer, my needs are met just fine by being able to talk to my clients and demonstrate (with my dog, their dog, or just a video) how to do whatever cues or behaviors they're looking for. I don't NEED to pet or play with every dog I meet. (No matter how illegally cute they are).

I wasn't told about the incident until the second session. And it was hard to hear, as it was clearly still quite fresh in her Guardian's mind. An open wound caused by a trainer who was not as qualified as she'd been led to believe. I'm not certain if this trainer had ANY certifications, but as I mentioned before, they all have different levels of meaning, training, expectations to receive. Some of them are glorified paid subscriptions with little follow through on ensuring standards are met.

And some of them change vastly in the span of a few years. I know my program has shifted dramatically (for the better, in my opinion) with their apprenticeship section. The prior apprenticeship was a joke and had I not already had decades of dog training experience (and gotten an even more experienced mentor) it would have been a waste of time. I literally went with it because I got a scholarship and wanted to not be a hypocrite in calling for more standardization in the dog training world.

Don't get me wrong, I've met plenty of trainers that have no certifications but plenty of experience through apprenticeship or research or hands on work or just have that natural instinct to work well with dogs of all types and are amazing trainers that have none of the "alphabet soup" behind their name on the business card. They go by word of mouth and build their reputation by showing their abilities through their clients.

But as for me, I am constantly doing research on the side and educating myself to the current science. I am in several dog training groups to learn new techniques and have a back and forth discussion in different cases. I pay for smaller courses to brush up on things I feel I could use a better grasp on, but they don't come with certifications most of the time.

Basically, I am holding myself accountable for my knowledge as I try to constantly keep up to date on what the science says. I don't use labels for myself that are inaccurate, such as calling myself a "behaviorist" or a "behavior consultant". Those labels have actual meaning behind them and certifications of a higher level that I currently don't have. I can do behavior modification, I have experience and knowledge on how to work with reactive/aggressive/anxious dogs.

But if a case is beyond my capacity, I will bring in a veterinarian behaviorist, or a behavior consultant. I will admit when I am out of my realm of knowledge because that is the responsible thing to do.

BUT nothing says I HAVE to do that. NOTHING says I can't just take on a caseload well beyond my expertise and muddle my way through it. No one is going to come after me for saying I'm a "behaviorist" or "behavior consultant", despite those two terms actually having an actual high level certification behind them.

Dog trainers work on the honor system here in America. It's absurd. And shouldn't be that way.

There is so little oversight and so little consequence for that pretty much anyone can do it and we all, in the public, just accept that it has always been this way and we just have to be careful in who we choose to interact with.

Even trainers WITH certifications can be unqualified to do the most basic of dog training, or be so behind on current research that they haven't kept up to date on the dog training world. Not all certifications are created equal, and even some of the better ones don't require continuing education to maintain. And even those that DO aren't reinforced enough. There's nothing saying a trainer can't do the required continuing education for the points to keep their certification current and then ignore all of it to do outdated training because "it's worked for me so far and this certification gets people in the door".

Yes, people can report them to these institutions and maybe something will happen. Or maybe they'll just drop that certification and refuse to change. Shift their business name and find new clients.

This is a cautionary tale. I have since spent time with Paris's Guardian going over yellow and red flags in trainers and what green flags to look for. I am unfortunately going to move in a few years so I cannot be her forever trainer or boarder, but I will help her find one when I leave. I don't want her to have a repeat experience simply because my industry is so spread out and unregulated.

The call to action to pet Guardians is to vote with your wallets. Don't hire shoddy trainers. Demand they prove their worth and knowledge. Call them out when they claim expertise they do not have.

The call to action to trainers is to do better. Ensure we are trained and up to date on the current science. Hold ourselves to a higher standard and admit when we're out of our league. Never assume we know everything about dog training and that we have nothing new to learn. Even something as simple as cue training can be done a multitude of ways and no one way works for every dog. We should KNOW this and we should OWN UP to it. Be willing to admit when we are wrong and also willing to learn something new.

No one likes to change and no one likes to admit we they are wrong. But the science doesn't care about our feelings. The clients shouldn't have to care, either. We have a responsibility to the public to educate pet Guardians on how best to help their pets navigate a world not designed for them.

In the meantime, I will be keeping an eye on this illegally cute shihtzu, making sure her stay with me is as comfortable and safe as possible.

Until then, as always, be kind to yourself, to others and to your dogs. It's free to be kind.

[atz-moon]

Moon's Pets

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Moon owns five Doberman dogs. Her Doberman live with her grandparents, not far away from the dorm. She sees them almost every day and often takes them with her to schedules. They are well trained, and she has the permission of the company. They are all shelter or rescue dogs. The two dogs with cropped ears were cropped by former owners.

Disclaimer: The names/gods are not taken as accurate representation of the dogs character and in no way intended to relate to the stories of any mythology.

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Hades (Greek God of the Underworld)

Hades was one of the first two dogs that Moon adopted in March of 2018. She got him and Artemis when they were just 7 months old. They were rescue dogs from an excessive breeder that hoarded animals. Moon raised him with the help of a professional trainer. He is a protective boy, and she often refers to him as the King, Boss or Dad of the others. By 2023 he is 5 years old.

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Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt)

Artemis was adopted by Moon alongside Hades. The two aren’t siblings but they were rescued together. She is just as protective as Hades and also well trained. She is also 5 years old by 2023 and Moon often calls her Queen or the mom.

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Asteria (Goddess of the Stars)

Asteria is another rescue by Moon. She adopted Asteria and Apollo together. They came from a hoarder household. Their owner had over 30 dogs and couldn’t take care of them all. They were a year old when Moon adopted them in June of 2020. Asteria is a sweet and loving but still well trained and protective dog. By 2023 she is 4 years old.

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Apollo (Greek god of Music, Art, and the Sun)

Apollo was adopted with Asteria and is a bit shyer than the others. He can still protect and is trained well but he is more on the observing and alarming side. He basically is the alarm for the others. Apollo is also 4 years old by 2023.

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Hathor (Egyptian goddess of Dancing and Music)

Hathor is the youngest of the pack and Moon got her in January 2022. She was intended as a Christmas present by her former owners, but the kids didn’t want her, so she was given into a shelter. Here Moon found her and adopted her when she was just 3 months old. The other four basically raise her together, even though she sticks with Apollo the most. By the end of 2023 she is two years old, and already well trained.

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Disclaimer: All the pictures are from Pinterest and are not mine. Credit to the owners.

©︎ atz-moon - all rights reserved. do not copy, repost, or translate my work on Tumblr or other platforms.

[inbetweenhours]

What jobs do the character have since their in their twenties and thirties

I believe this was regarding the Digimon au and I had put off answering because I had been in the middle of changing a bunch of their careers around! I still don't have them all figured out but I can give most of them!

Originally all the characters were meant to have techy careers, because it played into the initial plot I had. But then I realized I just,,, didn't want to do that and I changed it so they could have whatever careers worked best to my brain.

I'll put them all below the cut! They're all subject to change though ofc

So here's a screenshot of the sheet:

and I'm just gonna write it al out with some explanation and stuff for funsies.

Okay, so Bdubs has to work with horses he just deserves that. Professional horse girl. I don't have any extra reasoning or specifics, I just think he deserves it.

BigB I'm less sure about. His career has stayed the same from when I gave everyone tech jobs and I'm not sure how to feel about it. He's a Web Designer and he just lies for fun about being a top secret hacker agent because him gaslighting people is really funny... However I'm not sure how much I actually like this real career for him and if I can think of something more relevant to him or to the plot maybe I'll change it. Making him a baker felt like a copout but maybe it is more on brand? Idk. Maybe taking him more on rout with what i have with Martyn where BigB also has a closeness with his memories of the Digital World. His gaslighting stemming from just habitually learning to lie about the experience knowing it wasn't believed and in fact is the closest to having found his connection to the digital world again despite Martyn's fervent efforts....

Etho runs a small local tech repair shop, as suggested by one of my discords! the idea was that he's the local recluse with the small town shop but he really is a wiz. He can fix basically anything he's just insane no one knows how he does it. He's making it work though. this ofc contrasts the fact he has the most insane persona tech setup imaginable.

Scar is playing into the Hotguy bit! he's a TV and Movie celebrity! A former stunt actor, lots of action movies n stuff! Big big name and face :]

Grian is a white hat hacker, also from when everyone had tech jobs. I still kinda like this for him though, the idea of his job being him trying to break things. Really putting a new spin of something being Grian proof lol

Martyn is actually really important! A Feedback Tester for DataStream's Games company! His life has been really guided by his childhood Digimon experience and his closeness to his gaming industry has a lot to do with him holding onto the Digital world and trying to find it again!

Mumbo I admittedly have no idea why I made him a Security Engineer? maybe to do with the vault shenanigans in Season 9? I really don't know, this should maybe change...

Pearl cleaning lady eternal, I love her being the trash lady its so fun <33

Rendog... i have no clue why he's a carpenter. Maybe I change him to do more with television shows, scriptwriting or even just theatre! he needs the enrichment of acting and storytelling hm

Skizz as a dog Trainer was a Suggestion I don't remember the context for either to be honest so It might change unless I can remember why I decided that. I think it was about him being social/friendly/helpful?? But idk. I'm watching him for Hermitcraft10 now so maybe I'll get better ideas.

Scott is a florist! Big 3rd life energy, I love making Scott a florist! He likes pretty things and design and I associate most of his characters with flowers so this felt sweet! Especially since Flower Husbands is kinda important to me and is prevalent to this au for a while...

Jimmy is a ranch hand for very similar reasons to Scott being a florist! He handled the cows a lot in 3rd life, and then later in double life ofc his rancher thing! (Ranchers are also important eventually, potential Flower Ranchers happening) . I also think an emphasis on Jimmy having a connection with caring for animals connects with his own childhood experiences in the Digital World and helps in later adventures :]

Tango designing and running escape rooms was just such a funny idea to me I couldn't not make it real. It also serves a good use later during adventures when they're dealing with puzzles and what are essentially games. His problem solving and designs brain helps a lot in their actual adventures :]

Cleo I really hate making her a teacher to be honest I want to change it. I feel like making her a teacher is a copout just because she used to be a teacher irl? maybe making her a yoga or a gym instructor would be better since it plays into that one skin of hers and her season 8 stuff! Hmmm

Finally, Gem! Pro Valorant Legendary player was mostly a joke, but the general idea is that she is an extremely proficient competitive gamer! She wins like, big competitions and as a good online following! I wouldn't normally make these characters gamers, but I think it works for Gem in the context of the au and will help when she's eventually involved because she, like Martyn, will have good video game knowledge that can help with the adventures!

Joel Lizzie and Impulse I have nothing for. I might've at some point, but evidentially bailed and am back at zero for them :/ i like making Joel an artist of some kind in aus because the Mezalean king being a sculptor and all that, but idk... Need more thinking

Anyways way too long post, thats everything lol

[incubabe]

Ms. Riley Cross. VLFS Battle Frontier's Battle Factory Chief. 28. Hailing from a town southwest of Aspertia (not technically incorporated in Unova), Miss Cross is considered a diamond in the rough -- a battling ace with no professional pedigree. No trainer schooling laurels, no badges, and yet, in the confines of the Factory, she has triumphed over former Champions -- big names. Wallace, Alder, Peony.

Of course, she chalks this to a strong degree to those trainers being out of their element, used to their proper teams. The environment of the Pokemon League simply doesn't cultivate ad-hoc strategies like the Factory does. Riley has otherwise gained no ranking in various local leagues and most paper-trail information regarding her began only five or so years ago.

Because she's a Faller, those unlucky few plucked out of space and simply shunted elsewhere. She's lucky enough to retain her memories and identity, but it's a small comfort. Still. Turns out when your back's up against the wall and you need to construct an identity quickly, charm magic helps. Yes, it's not Pokemon-world Riley, it's Riley-ass Riley, doing the best she can after a blink gone very wrong. It's not an isekai thing, she wasn't aware of Da Pokermans before, and there's no cheat skill other than those with which the Accounting Hellspawn class starts with. But approaching a world with the mindset of it not being your own -- and the things that dominate it -- allow for a certain removed perspective.

Though skilled in battles, Riley has difficulty with Pokemon handling and rearing. Her removed perspective allows her to break down Pokemon into strengths and weaknesses, figures on a spreadsheet. She lacks the innate comfort many have with their Pokemon. Her usual on-hand team, therefore, consists of little more than a Porygon-Z; an innately unnatural thing, so no problem. If such a trainer could be considered to have a signature move, hers would be to empower Porygon-Z with a Normalium crystal, boosting its Conversion move to boost all of its stats by a stage and becoming Electric type. This pseudo-Terastal would of course be banned under Frontier official rules, and her Factory doesn't allow personal teams anyway, so it doesn't get pulled out often.

She has also taken custody of two Lilligants -- that of the standard phenotype, and a rare specimen that markedly exhibits the fighting-type and an alternative appearance. These were once under Thorton's care, but were left behind when he left. Presumably, these were used for testing of some kind. Her few captures -- using the Lilligant duo, natch -- were of a Zorua and Ditto. Later, she was given an Egg from a Factory challenger that hatched into a Wooper. It's named Spot in recognition of her 'back-home' dog, who she hopes is okay in her absence.

[lepoppeta]

POKEMON WORLDBUILDING BRAINDUMP (canon-lovers: beware!)

Hi, my name’s Poppet, and I love destroying the Rule of Cool.

When Black and White got released I was under the impression that Gym Leaders acted like overseers for their respective cities and towns and the areas surrounding them (EX: Clay clearing the way into Chargestone Cave himself rather than someone else doing it; all of the Gym Leaders arriving at N’s Castle to hold off the Seven Sages while you proceed through the stage to find N and Ghetsis). The Johto and Hoenn games had something similar with Lance and Steven’s involvement with the Evil Teams and helping you defeat them.

Then Sword and Shield got released and it turned the Gym Challenge into a yearly televised event and the Gym Leaders fully embraced their celebrity role. While they do still contribute to the safety of the region, it’s much less widespread than before (delegated only to the Stadiums, as seen during the Mainland post-game).

I personally like to have a certain degree of cohesiveness to fictional worlds, so I worked my butt off to figure out a compromise between these two vastly different interpretations. I think I’ve finally stumbled onto something that sort of allows both concepts to co-exist.

TYPES OF POKEMON USERS

Monsters can be owned as pets or service animals, but very few people have the skill to train them as we see in the anime and games, especially when it comes to owning a full team of six. There are two classifications of monster owners:

TRAINERS/COORDINATORS are people that own and train monsters for the strict purpose of using them in official Battles.

Pokemon Battling is a televised sport that’s like a cross between performative Martial Arts and competitive dog training with the additional seasonality of tennis; each Region’s Gym Challenge happens at a particular time of year so they each have their time to shine. Battles are, first and foremost, performances; no monster is operating at full power despite appearances, and the chance of death is extremely low.

Prospective Trainers test into a special program sponsored by the League. They’re then coached and observed by the 18 battling League members. A select handful are then endorsed to participate in the annual Gym Challenge (kind of like how scouting for professional sports works in our world? Loosely?).

RANGERS work alongside the police and Researchers in order to study monsters and to maintain the strict balance between people and monster-occupied spaces.

Each Region operates kind of like one massive Nature Reserve. Normal people can travel between cities and towns using public transport, but only those with the Ranger identification are allowed to explore independently (and even then, they’re strongly encouraged to travel in pairs and groups).

Public parks, hiking trails, etc. are heavily monitored by Rangers. If there’s any unusual monster activity reported, sections are blocked off from public use until they’re declared safe again.

THE POKEMON LEAGUE and THE GYM CHALLENGE

The League of each Region consists of 18 Trainers (one for every monster type) that can be broken down into a rotational pool of 13 Gym Leaders, 4 Elite members, and one Champion. Also included in the League lineup is the Chairperson and the regional Professor, bringing the total count to of League members to 21.

Every year, a group of young adult Trainers/Coordinators (typically around 18 years old) are endorsed to enter the Gym Challenge. Only a set number are allowed to participate (21 in total; one for each League member). Those that make it to the Elite Four are made to face five consecutive battles without receiving a full health reset. If a Trainer defeats the Champion, they receive the “Champion Ranked” title on their profile.

GYM LEADERS are former Champion Ranked trainers that specialize in a certain type of Pokemon (as a side note, the reason this happens is partly due to equal representation of all types and also because it’s much easier to train a full team of six monsters when they all share a type).

All Gym Leaders receive official Ranger training and are also put in charge of a team of Rangers that cover the city/town they occupy and the surrounding area. Most still have time to pursue their own interests outside of their Gym Leader position.

FRONTIER BOSSES aren’t members of the League and are restricted to only being celebrity battlers; even if shit started to go down at a Frontier Park, they legally wouldn’t be allowed to send in their monsters to assist. These parks are monitored by both Rangers and regular police officers as a form of security.

FUN FACT: Ingo and Emmet are extremely special cases in almost every aspect of their shared careers. Initially, Emmet was the only one endorsed for the Gym Challenge (it wasn’t that Ingo was a poor trainer, but because Emmet’s battling style is slightly more unhinged and therefore flashier to prospective TV audiences). Emmet refused to participate unless his brother did too. The Unovan League made the exception that year that they were allowed to go through the Gym Challenge as a pair, on the agreement that every battle they faced would be a double one and each brother would only be able to own and use a maximum of three monsters (while their single opponent would be allowed to use their full six). Later on, they received special Ranger training due to their positions as the heads of Subway Security in Unova, as well as opening up a special Frontier-esque facility when the Underground got revamped.

[theequeerstrian]

Just wanna thank u for your tags on the dog post. So many dog breeds are not for average homes, and the dog parent trend has been a Whole Thing. People forget that animals are animals.

Man I am PASSIONATE about dogs, especially breeds that are better off in experienced homes. I absolutely adore my doverman, but man he is kind of a lot. I've caught myself thinking "oh he's so easy, what was the big deal about breeders wanting to be sure I knew what I was doing" but then I remembered I grew up always having dogs, and having a big variety of breeds including pits, a shar pei mix, shepherds, and one doberman so like... of course with my privilege of experience my dog who'd be considered soft *for a show line doberman* was pretty easy to raise and train... and even so, there were no lack of challenges! It's just that I consider a great number of challenges to be fully expected.

Every single dog deserves a good home.

Some folks just need to be honest with themselves and understand that they might not be that home for that breed.

Honestly, I've come to LIKE the doodle trend if for NOTHING ELSE than the simple fact that I have seen them outweighing pits in casual pet homes. And doodles are MUCH more suited for that. They're super easy to train ime, I've never seen one with dog aggression, and even if one did attack they don't have a jaw/head structure that could challenge a hyena for bite force.

Some people don't need certain dogs and that should not be a controversial statement!

It is not all in how you raise them. Good training is critical for any dog, but you cannot train away generations upon generations of artificially selected for traits. It's just not fair.

Lol woops I ranted again BUT I JUST REALLY CARE ABOUT DOGS, and no dog deserves to be pts because it had an owner who refused to acknowledge the dog's potential inherent nature, but once a dog becomes a killer, euth is typically the only real option left. As a pet professional (former dog groomer, very occasional dog training advisor, amateur horse trainer), I have seen it entirely too many times. The dogs deserve better, and MANY times it wouldn't have happened if the dog had had more responsible owners (not all- sometimes something is just Very Wrong with an animal. I've seen this a lot as well).

Here, have this bic of my dogs cuddling on the couch at our new place for tax.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

High Intensity by Freya Barker

High Mountain Trackers (HMT 2G)

Exciting, immersive, wonderful story that swept me up and took me away ~ Great Escape!

What I liked: * Returning to Montana and the High Mountain Trackers

* Jillian: dog handler, tracker, divorced, has an RN license, lost someone that left a hole in her heart, ready for a change so moves to Libby, level-headed, protective, caring, rather intrigued with Lucas

* Lucas: ex-FBI, disillusioned, loves working with the HMT team, strong, intelligent, professional, living his dream, confirmed bachelor, loving son, rather taken with Jillian

* Mimi: Lucas’s mother, a cardsharp, character, fun, loving, kind, someone I wouldn’t mind being someday

* Hayley Vallard: eleven years old, only survivor of a plane crash and subject of intensive search by HMT, strong, resilient, found an advocate in Jillian and a friend in Nugget the support dog

* Sloane: detective, married to Dan, mother of Aspen, one reason Jillian moved, good friend, has a surprise in this story

* The plot, pacing, setting and writing

* The mystery’s resolution of why the plane crashed and the reason for it

* Jackson: ex-military, amputee, wise, opening up a bit, would like to find out who he ends up with

* JD and Dr. Janey Richards – I can’t wait for their story and it is up next – loved the peek provided at the end of this book

* Jillian’s pack: Hunter, Murphy, Emo, Peanut and Nugget

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* Knowing that there are some people as evil as the ones in this story

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Dog trainer and handler, Jillian Lederman, is moving with her pack to Libby, Montana, a place where she has made friends and hopes to find a fresh start. It's time. For years, she's just been keeping her wounds fresh by staying in Missoula—where there were regular reminders of all she's lost—while the rest of the world has continued to move forward. Perhaps the new house, the beautiful mountains, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes hold the promise of new beginnings. 

Since changing careers years ago, former FBI agent Lucas Wolff has found a much better work-life balance as a member of High Mountain Trackers. Still able to serve his community, he has also been carving out a comfortable existence for himself and is not looking to make any changes to it anytime soon. Not even for a particular bold and ballsy redhead he's been trying to avoid.

That turns out to be an impossible feat when a plane crash during a blizzard sets both of them on the trail of a young girl, all alone in the mountains. But it soon becomes evident they are not the only ones looking, and staying safe means sticking close together. 

[cocktailsfairytales]

🌠 EXCERPT REVEAL 🌠

Here’s your first look at High Intensity by Freya Barker - coming in November!

High Mountain Trackers 2G is the second generation of trackers!

Preorder your copy of High Intensity!

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Don’t want to wait until November?

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Here’s your exclusive excerpt!

“Oh, Jillian, I’d like you to meet my son, Lucas.” I meet those pretty green eyes, now sparkling with amusement. Of course a dog named Peanut would belong to this woman. She named her cadaver dog, Emo, after all. Hell, I knew she recently moved to the area—Sloane mentioned it more than once—but I wasn’t expecting to run into her at my mother’s assisted-living home. That’s a little too close for comfort. “So you do have a first name; Lucas, huh?” “You already know each other?” Mom looks back and forth between us. “We do. How are you doing, Jillian?” She adjusts the small furball she’s holding in her arms. “Good, thanks.” I turn to my mother to explain, “Jillian and I met working on a search last summer.” Despite my immediate attempt to identify our connection as a professional one only, I see Mom’s mind already at work behind the gleam in her eyes. Great.

Book Blurb:

Dog trainer and handler, Jillian Lederman, is moving with her pack to Libby, Montana, a place where she has made friends and hopes to find a fresh start. It’s time. For years, she’s just been keeping her wounds fresh by staying in Missoula—where there were regular reminders of all she’s lost—while the rest of the world has continued to move forward.

Perhaps the new house, the beautiful mountains, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes hold the promise of new beginnings.

Since changing careers years ago, former FBI agent Lucas Wolff has found a much better work-life balance as a member of High Mountain Trackers. Still able to serve his community, he has also been carving out a comfortable existence for himself and is not looking to make any changes to it anytime soon. Not even for a particular bold and ballsy redhead he’s been trying to avoid.

That turns out to be an impossible feat when a plane crash during a blizzard sets both of them on the trail of a young girl, all alone in the mountains. But it soon becomes evident they are not the only ones looking, and staying safe means sticking close together.

Images Golden Czermak— @furiousfotog

Model Andrew Flanagan @toothpickdad_af