Monday, May 30, 2011

YOURSELF

BLESSED.

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Irie and Me


What I Learned Today

Irie, at six months old, is a precious, smart pup. And an awesome adult dog in the making. When we walk, she can be sporadic in her movements at first, zig-zagging in front of and behind me; and is very squirrelly about encountering any people or noises at all. However, by the later stretch of our now routine, twice daily "migration", we get in sync with each other and become seamless as a pack. This requires consistency on my part, always keeping her to the left of me, while Kua walks to my right. The rhythm and energy release of the walk allow for Irie's young, puppy mind to focus on the activity at hand. And when distractions even potentially begin to arise in my line of sight - i.e. I see people coming toward us from up the street - my job is to refrain from feeding into her anxiety by anticipating a problem. So instead, I stay calm, project my calmness toward her, and anticipate a smooth walk through and through.

The "life lesson" wrapped up in this dog-walking scenario, is that we create what we imagine. This is highly empowering; but as such, requires that we be responsible for how we anticipate our life unfolding. We must understand that "thoughts become things". So if we constantly anticipate problems arising, so they shall arise. Conversely, if we imagine success and exude confidence in ourselves to carry out a "smooth walk" through life, then life will unfold just as we want it to. This empowerment is self-fulfilling and exponential. The better we get at positively focusing and using our thought energy, the better life will get. The better life gets, the more confident we become...and the cycle of positivity expands from there.

Something I learned from Cesar Millan, is that - while walking - we should focus the majority of our attention on constructively addressing and redirecting any unwanted behavior coming from our dogs; but not ALL of our energy. Sometimes I find myself focusing all of my thoughts on wanting the dog to behave perfectly, alongside me as the "perfect pack leader". But this is a recipe for failure. Because for one, focusing all of my thought power on the dog...gives control to the dog. This is exactly the opposite of what I, as a leader, am trying to achieve. And obsessing over my own behavior, becoming frustrated when I can't pull off the kind of "magic" I envision a true Dog Whisperer can, insures that I'm going to fail. This is because I am thinking negatively, period. A forever-learning and growing pack leader needs to remind herself that she is human, no one is perfect, and as long as I am learning something new on every walk I take, I am always in the process of becoming a better leader.

One thing I find that helps me stay balanced in this regard is listening to music while I walk. Listening to my ipod is reserved for walks with certain dogs, and purposely turned off for others. Today, letting some Adam Lambert get into the groove of my steps made for a more relaxed practice. And when I am more relaxed, directly plugged into the primal outlets of myself that respond to music, the dogs feel the rhythm too. It is in these moments that a walk with dogs becomes more like a dance. It really seemed to work today, because Irie made it past a few different encounters with strangers, remaining calm and continuing forward without regard for her fears.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

In Step

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ABILITY

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend with my New Buddies!































Born to Love

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BENNY BOY!

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First walk with Benny

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This Morning, Irie wouldn't let me get near her...

This evening, she is sharing her favorite couch with me.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Walking...Being...

05.27.11

Today is my first day pet sitting for Chad and Lori - a wonderful couple who run THIS amazing business, helping dogs with disabilities of all types: http://www.doggon.com/

They have four dogs, all pound puppies, completely unique;  truly great dogs, every one of them. I have enjoyed my first day getting to know each of their personalities. The two girls in the video below are Irie (the approximately 6 month old puppy), and Kua. Since there are four dogs, I walked these two first, and then took one of their male dogs, Poki, for his exercise. Benny is the fourth, and oldest, dog. Benny is paralyzed from the waste down, since being hit by a car at 10 months old. He is now 13 years old and uses a wheelchair; and also gets around by scooting like a sea lion. He is awesome! 

On my walk with the girls - who both wear Halti chest harnesses - we worked on getting to know each other through the practice, movement and energy of walking together. At first, they were both all over the place, and Irie was quite skittish, jerking at every noise in the environment around her, and cris-crossing in front of and behind me as we walked. Once we found our collective rhythm, however, they both did great! I kept one on each side of me, and held their leashes very close, so that we all walked side by side. When a dog would bark from a yard we were passing, or a loud truck rolled by, and Irie even "thought about" freaking out, I simply redirected her focus forward, not giving any attention to that behavior. Instead, we just kept moving forward - a great metaphor for all of us when thinking about MOVING forward through our fears in life. If we simply keep pushing on, in spite of things that scare us or make us feel uncomfortable, we will become stronger and happier! Give attention only to productive, positive things, and positivity is what will become of all aspects of who you are, and the life story you are writing.

This particular job is challenging for me on many levels ways, which makes for a great opportunity to learn and grow, and continue developing my "Whispering" skills. The best part is, the "classroom" in the case, is embodied inside the instantly-and-purely-loving bond between me and these four new buddies. 

What I thought about today as I walked the dogs, is that, when we walk dogs, (and do most other things in daily life), we act from a reactionary place; our instincts kick in, and our primal tendencies take control of the walk. When the dogs pull, we pull back. Or yell at them and say words they don't understand or respond to as we want them to. But our job, as Pack Leaders, is to be conscious of what we are doing and how we are reacting to the dogs' behavior as we walk; and turn our reactions into meaningful actions. This makes the activity not only physically healthy and productive (for both the dogs and us!), but allows for greater mental and emotional fitness as well. 

In other words, walking dogs - should you choose to accept the activity as such - can be a chance for us to become our very best selves. In the process, we provide the dogs we are walking with the opportunity to realize their best selves as well. I am always reminded of Cesar Millan's advice to consider the ways of nature - and go in the same direction. Go with the flow, be conscious of the energy you are emitting as you move forward in a meaningful way. And evolve into a fitter, healthier animal as you continue walking forward - right past those pesky fears and disruptive noises that have held you back in the past. 

Walking....Being.

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He may be Poki, but he isn't Slow!

Go Poki Go!






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Secretly a Speed Demon!

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

SwEEt RaptURe.

05.21.11 - Lapakahi State Park and Pololu Valley