Ken’s Comments
I state continuously that my For the Love of Dogs group is AMAZING. It has really grown into it’s own entity over the years. I am proud of what happens within it. The information sharing, the work that is done, the charity involvement, the sense of community….it really is terrific. Best of all…it is a free service.
I enjoy seeing new members come out. Joining new activities can be intimidating. I get it. However, all members have been there and those members who are more seasoned often take the newer members under their wings, friendships form and magic happens.
Such was the case with Tina, Sam and Jynx.
I remember the first time meeting them. Jynx was young, full of energy and definitely had some rude behaviors….pretty typical for a dog of that age. She loved people though so opening the lines of communication was easy. We just needed to show Tina and Sam how.
They joined class, graduated Level One in one of the first graduating classes. They went on to do the My Dog is Awesome course and graduated with flying colors. Jynx’s confidence increased exponentially and the relationship that developed between Jynx, Sam and Tina was beautiful to witness.
Jynx is a regular on the walks, attends many of the group events and is an all around awesome dog.
Yes she can still be vocal but that is ok…she is showing her excitement and expressing her happiness.
Here is their story from Tina….
I have always loved dogs, honestly, I can't remember a time when I didn't love dogs. At the age when a lot of kids had an imaginary friend, I had an imaginary dog lol.
But not everyone in my family shared my love of dogs, so actually having one wasn't in the picture. Instead, I read everything I could about dogs, fact and fiction, and walked dogs for friends and neighbors ( you could do that as a kid in the '70's/'80's).
Fast forward a couple of decades, and I had children of my own. It seemed like a great time to finally add a dog to our family. We got permission from our landlord and adopted the sweetest little beagle. He was gentle and loving, but very timid. Sadly, his story with us didn't end well. There was an incident when he and my daughter were left unsupervised and she was bitten on the face. It was severe enough to require medical attention, but not so bad as to need to stitches or leave any noticable scars. But for me, losing Chester that way was heartbreaking. It was a long time before I felt ready to try again, and a lot of things had changed in my life.
After everything I had read and learned, you would think I would know better than to get a dog from a Kijiji ad. But there was something about that little black pup in the midst of all her blond brothers and sisters. She was a misfit, and truth be told, so were Sam and I. So we became misfits together.
I had lots of theoretical knowledge, and not much practical knowledge. Fortunately, things went well at first. House training was easy. She learned what "Sit" and "Wait" meant...and if she pulled a little too much on the leash, well that would get better with time, right?
Not so much, and in fact things got worse.
Jynx started developing bad behaviours, lunging, barking and growling at dogs, jumping on strangers that were just walking past, I'm sure I'm forgetting some things.
I was already a member of For the Love of Dogs on FaceBook, but I hadn't gotten the courage to attend a walk yet, and with these behaviors I wasn't sure if I should.
I read the success stories, I saw the pictures of the fun being had, I read Ken's letter to the nervous people. Finally I found the courage, and I went to a walk.
I was terrified, Jynx was a jerk, she was barking, she wanted to get in all the dogs faces, and I just wanted to cry. But when Ken pulled up on the parking lot and every dog there just wanted to be near him...well there was magic in that. I thought to myself, "Yep, this guy's the real deal." But I still didn't find the confidence to speak to Ken and ask him for help that day.
I finally reached out by email and we set up a one on one, but that meant inviting someone to my house! So I canceled my one on one, for no other reason than that my anxiety got the better of me. I was struggling, but Jynx needed me to be stronger, braver, fearless.
I went on another walk, and met Lacey and Koby. Koby was super patient with Jynx's rude behavior, and Lacey was so friendly, I felt a lot more relaxed. At the end of the walk we were chatting and I mentioned to Lacey that I had seen an announcement for upcoming classes, but that it was probably too late to get Jynx in. She immediately got Ken's attention and before I really knew what was happening, we were signed up for Level 1! This is when my daughter Sam really stepped up.
She wanted to improve her bond and communication with Jynx, so she took the reins in class, and did the majority of the homework. We learned so much about positive reinforcement, creating positive interactions, and redirecting behaviors. Jynx showed great improvement in some things. Other things took more time.
Her favorite thing is sitting to meet people, and she usually sits now as soon as she notices someone approaching. We attended the Mount Pearl Christmas Parade, where Sam and I faced a huge fear, and marched right up front, even holding the banner for the group at one point.
We went on to attend My Dog is Awesome, becoming one of the first graduating classes for that course. With everything we've learned so far, walking Jynx through our neighborhood is now a pleasure. Some dogs still set her off, but she's getting better. And yes, she still "sings" on all the walks, but what can I say? She loves Ken and thinks he deserves a serenade to show it.
I love the new friends we've made through the group, I love that our communication and relationship with Jynx has improved. I appreciate all the hard work and dedication that Ken and his awesome team have put into the training classes, the group walks, and the special events that we get involved in.
For those of you reading this, please let me offer this small bit of advice. Don't let anything stop you from asking for help if you need it. You will find helping hands in the most unexpected of places.
