UNLEASHED (at work & home) with Colleen Pelar

157. Tara Moser, LCSW, RPT-S, CAAIS

The benefits of play therapy and animal-assisted therapy are both well established. Engaging in play and spending time with or learning to care for animals can be valuable interventions for children and adults alike. It makes sense, then, that combining these two approaches can be doubly magical.

This is exactly what my guest today discovered—entirely by accident—twenty years ago. In the two decades since, Tara Moser has combined her love of animals with her work as a play therapist to help children struggling with a variety of issues. She joined me today to talk about how she stumbled into animal play therapy, how kids make great dog trainers, and the importance of play for all of us.

Show notes and transcript at https://colleenpelar.com/157

156. Ann Howie, ACSW, CCA, CCFT

Psychotherapist and dog professional Ann Howie built her professional life around doing animal-assisted therapy with her own dogs. Then for years, none of her dogs wanted to do that work. She had to adjust her entire vision around what was actually true.

We explore the difference between listening to yourself and actually following through—two separate permissions. Ann shares her wisdom about shifting loads rather than just carrying them, about mental nutrition mattering as much as physical nutrition, and about the delicate balance she calls "the selfishness versus self-care conundrum."

https://colleenpelar.com/156

155. Ellen Yoakum, KPA-CTP, SAPBC

My guest today always thought she’d be a teacher when she grew up- and in a way she is, but not how she thought! Instead of teaching children, Ellen Yoakum trains dogs and mentors dog trainers in her work with Pet Harmony Training. She joined me today to discuss how self-knowledge makes her a better behaviorist, the importance of knowing and understanding systems, and remembering that the answer to your problem might be something you already know. Come join us!

https://colleenpelar.com/155

154. Melissa Trevathan-Minnis, PhD

Dr. Melissa Trevatan-Minnis is not a pet professional, at least not in the way we traditionally think of them. However, as both a psychologist and a shelter volunteer, she’s familiar with the burnout and mental health strain common among those who work with animals. Now, she’s on a mission to change that through a new research program specifically designed to provide pet professionals with support, guidance, and counseling. Tune in to hear about the amazing work she’s doing and how you can get involved.

https://colleenpelar.com/154

Click here to learn more about the free support groups.

153. Francine Coughlin, CDBC, CPDT-KA

"Don't give up." It's advice we hear all the time, seemingly from everybody, about everything. We hear it so often that it can cease to have any real meaning, and become just a kind of feel-good motivational poster quote that we repeat without thinking. It’s something that’s easy to say and to tell ourselves, but that becomes a lot harder when you actually stop to think about what it means and try to put it into practice.

My guest today, however, knows all about not giving up- both how hard it can be and what rewards it can bring. Dog behavior consultant Francine Coughlin has persevered through multiple careers, cancer, and mental health struggles without ever giving up. Now she runs a dog rescue and training business, dedicated to helping others not give up—on themselves or on their dogs. Join us today for a conversation about determination, dog training, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

https://colleenpelar.com/153

152. Heide Maglott

We often hear that life is short, but dog trainer Heide Maglott knows from personal experience just how true that is, and just how quickly things can get turned upside down. After losing both her husband and her best friend in the span of just five years, she responded by embracing her single life, spending time with her animals, and building up her training business.

She came on the show today to discuss her childhood desire to be a dog trainer, the twists and turns that eventually brought her there, the importance of self-trust, and starting life over in an RV.

https://colleenpelar.com/152

151. Jeni Grant, CPDT-KA

 “It’s not about you!”

So often, we hear those words used as a rebuke or as something said sharply to snap us out of a fit of self-centeredness. Certainly, most of us don’t necessarily like being reminded that it’s not about us…but what if, instead of making us feel bad or ashamed of our selfishness, those words could be liberating? What if the realization that it is not about us actually made us freer to live our lives?

My guest today believes that it is not, in fact, about her. Jeni Grant has been training dogs for over two decades and in that time she has definitely learned that most things aren’t about her—and that’s a good thing! She joined me today to talk about what that means to her, the importance of self-care, what good support for pet professionals would look like, and the difficulties of being a beginner. 

https://colleenpelar.com/151

150. Kim Palermo, CPDT-KA, CCUI, ACE

Kim Palermo is a bit of an anomaly among the guests on this show—someone who is actually doing today what she hoped she would be doing when she was ten (more or less, anyway)! Almost twenty years ago, she took a leap of faith and left a good-paying job to open her own dog-walking business. Now, she runs an updated version of that business (she added training!) with her husband and gets to train dogs and play with puppies all day.

So how did she end up living the dream like this? She joined me today to talk about the journey to where she is now, how hard choices can actually make our lives easier, and the importance of not being afraid to go for what you want.

https://colleenpelar.com/150

149. Moani Makaiwi

Empathy is a common trait among those of us who work with animals—one could even argue that sometimes we have too much of it. My guest today knows full well the importance of empathy, as well as the emotional toll that empathy can take on a person. In her work as a humane enforcement resource officer (HERO), Moani Makaiwi sees both the best and the worst of human-animal interactions. Working in animal welfare, she walks the line between issuing citations and providing people with support to do better. Her work takes something from her even as she loves it, and she’s had to learn—as we all do—how to take care of herself as well as others. Join us today for a conversation about empathy, enrichment, and how it’s okay to not be okay.

 

https://colleenpelar.com/149

148. Bob Deeds, CSS

We’ve all heard and read about search and rescue dogs. Most of us doubtless have an image in our mind of intrepid canines locating people lost in the woods or rescuing individuals trapped under piles of rubble. But what actually goes into canine search and rescue work? What does it entail and what is it like going out with your dog, hoping to find the best, but knowing you might encounter the worst?

My guest today is retired canine search specialist Bob Deeds, who spent decades training and deploying with search and rescue dogs, beginning with his very first assignment—the ruins of the Twin Towers. He joined me on the show today to talk about his experiences in search and rescue work, the easiest and hardest parts of the job, and the importance and power of love.

https://colleenpelar.com/148