UNLEASHED (at work & home) with Colleen Pelar

134. Phil Arkow

When we talk about the “human-animal connection,” most of us tend to think of it in positive terms–therapy animals, childhood pets, and all the many ways that animals enrich our lives. What we don’t often think about, however, is the darker side of that bond–how animal abuse and other forms of domestic and family violence are often interconnected and can even be warning signs of each other. But when we treat violence against animals as completely separate from violence against humans, we often miss the chance to help vulnerable individuals of all species.

My guest today, Phil Arkow, has spent decades studying the link between humans and animals in both its best and worst forms. A pioneer of animal therapy as well as the founder of the National Link Coalition, which works to raise awareness of the link between animal abuse and other forms of violence, Phil has seen both the dark and light sides of the human-animal bond. He came on the show today to talk about his work and share some words to live by.

Links worth clicking

• The National Link Coalition (sign up for their newsletter!)
• AnimalTherapy.net
• Animal-Assisted Therapy and Activities: A Study and Research Resource Guide for the Use of Companion Animals in Animal Assisted Interventions, 12th edition, 2021
• An Unleashed (at work & home) conversation about Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) scores with Samantha Clarke, LCSW
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey

https://colleenpelar.com/134

133. Liz Ford, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA, LFDM

Pet professionals, by and large, are giving people. We pour ourselves out in service to animals and their owners, often to the point of forgetting to take care of ourselves (or only giving ourselves enough care that we can keep helping others). All too often, this leads to exhaustion and burnout.

My guest today wants pet professionals to know that you are worthy of having a good life. Liz Ford has learned in her years of shelter work and dog training that sometimes it’s all right to fill your cup just for yourself, and not simply so you can keep serving others. She joined me today for a thought-provoking conversation about learning more, doing better, and not allowing yourself to be blinded by negativity bias.

Links worth clicking:

• Best Friends Dog Academy
• Liz's Facebook profile
• The breathwork episode of Unleashed (at work & home) Liz mentioned
• Breath, by James Nestor I found this book fascinating. For the first time, I understand why people have more breathing issues than most animals.
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/133

132. MaryKaye Kendrick, IAABC-ADT, CSB-D, FPPE

We often think of our human intelligence as being superior to that of animals. But what if we’re wrong? What if the intelligence of animals is equal to ours, only different? How might that change our view of the world around us, and of the animals sharing our planet?

My guest today is a pet professional who embraces the view of animals as distinct-but-equal travelers accompanying us on this journey through space and time. Doing both social work and shelter work means that MaryKaye Kendrick is no stranger to hard situations and the burnout that can result. But from this she’s learned empathy for the vast array of experiences, both human and animal, in the world around her. Join us today as we discuss how small things can have great impacts, putting your focus on the things you can control, and how to hold on to hope without sliding into toxic positivity.

Links worth clicking

• Pet Harmony Animal Behavior and Training website
• Enrichment for the Real World podcast
• Pet Harmony on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/132

 

131. Elysia Ostrander, CPDT, FPPE

Bringing home a new dog is a major life change, bringing home a new baby even moreso. Yet resources designed to help families adjust to having both two and four-legged babies in the house seem to be few and far between and often focused more on dogs and kids as antagonists than anything else.

That’s where my guest today comes in. Dog trainer Elysia Ostrander specializes in helping families navigate the sometimes choppy waters of parenting both children and dogs. She joined me today from the far frozen north (Calgary, Canada to be precise) to talk about how training dogs helps her be a better mom (and vice versa), the importance of knowing your own capacity, and the necessity of keeping your cup full.

Links worth clicking:

• Elysia's Pawsitive Families website, Facebook, and Instagram
• Jen Shryock's episode on Unleashed (at work & home)
• Family Paws Parent Education
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/131

130. Ashley Orcutt, IAABC-ADT, FDM, FPPE

A little kindness can make all the difference to someone- and a lot of kindness can make even more. Especially in a world that seems increasingly negative and toxic, kindness definitely seems to be the one thing you can’t have too much of.

My guest today takes that philosophy to heart, always striving to be as kind as possible and then some. Ashley Orcutt is a killer-whale-toy-designer-turned-dog-trainer (yes, you read that right) who believes in bringing as much kindness to the world as possible. Join us as we discuss the similarities between dog training and dolphin training, a wish for more patience, and how to get a job at Sea World.

Links worth clicking:

• Canine Cohesion
• Ashley's Facebook and Instagram handles: @horizon.dogs, @thedogdoor, @feelingpawsitivevetbehavior
• Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to find your level of risk and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/130

129. Frances Dauster, CC, IAABC-ADT, NADOI

Raised in Germany, educated in England, and currently training dogs in Alabama, my guest today has certainly had an interesting time! Like so many in the dog training world, Frances Dauster began as a force-based trainer, only to have her life changed by the magic of positive reinforcement training. Now she works to take those lessons into other areas of life, and help her clients enjoy their dogs. She joined me today to talk about the importance of flexibility, what an incident at boarding school taught her about integrity, and the humbling experience of training chickens.

Links worth clicking

• Sunpaws Training & Boarding
• Connect on Facebook with Frances and Sunpaws
• On Being a Change Maker, article by Karen Pryor
• Feeling exhausted or stressed? Take the burnout assessment to see where you stand and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/129

128. Maggie Marshall

“What do you want?” It’s a simple question and it seems like it should have a simple answer. Yet so many of us, especially as we get older and lose ourselves in the business of our lives, seem to lose sight of what should be a very straightforward thing. What do we want? And even if we know (or somehow figure out) what we want, we’re often too uncertain or timid to ask for it.

Maggie Marshall is a dog trainer who spent years forgetting herself. Just recently, however, she’s learned not only to ask herself what she wants, but to take the time to think about the answer and go for it. She joined me today to talk not just about knowing what we want, but about the importance of knowing our gifts, the surprising lessons we learn from children, and the secret dog training tool you already have in your kitchen.

Links worth clicking:

• Maggie's training website 
• Feeling exhausted and stressed? Take the burnout assessment to see where you stand and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/128

127. Deb Jones, PhD

Slow and steady…gets the toenails trimmed? While that may not be my guest’s official motto, it’s one she would probably agree with. Dr. Deb Jones wrote the book- literally- on cooperative care, an approach to animal care that requires patience but yields great rewards. Her years as a psychology professor, dog trainer, and writer have taught her a lot about the importance of hard work and how almost anything is achievable if you’re willing to take it slow and be consistent. Tune in for a conversation about ripple effects, feeling successful, and doing what you need to do.

Links worth clicking:

• Cooperative Care Facebook group
• Cooperative Care Certificate
• K9 in Focus, Deb's training site
• Some of Deb's most popular books: 
  • Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry
  • Dog Sports Skills, Book 1: Developing Engagement & Relationship
  • Dog Sports Skills, Book 2: Motivation
  • Dog Sports Skills, Book 3: Play
  • Dog Sports Skills, Book 4: Focused & Engage!
  • In Focus: Developing a Working Relationship with Your Performance Dog
  • The Focused Puppy
  • When the Loss is Deep: A Companion Animal Grief Journal
• Feeling exhausted and stressed? Take the burnout assessment to see where you stand and start your recovery journey.

https://colleenpelar.com/127  

This post may contain affiliate links. When you click them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services that my guests or I have used or have experience with.

126. Dallas Rising

Grief is a part of life for all of us, but--as too many pet professionals know all too well--there is a particularly deep strain of it that often runs through work with animals. That grief, and the toll it takes on on us--not just mentally and emotionally, but physically and even spiritually--is the reason so many of us become utterly burnt out.

Although she isn’t your typical pet professional, today’s guest has a deep and abiding love for animals and is intimately acquainted with both the joy and the grief that a life spent alongside them can bring. As a chaplain, grief worker, and strengths coach, Dallas Rising spends her time helping others learn to process the emotional, spiritual, and physical ramifications of deep loss. Join us for a conversation about trauma, healing, finding the sacred, and experiencing and joy.

 

https://colleenpelar.com/126

125. Heddie Wittlin-Leger, ADT, CCFT, CPDT, FDM

We hear a lot about the importance of “staying positive,” but with depressing headlines bombarding us what seems like every waking minute and the inescapable “doomscrolling” so many of us get sucked into, staying positive can be hard. It can even seem pointless or naive. Isn’t it better to confront reality, no matter how harsh, than be constantly trying to Pollyanna our way out of things?

Humane educator Heddie Wittlin-Leger is no stranger to the harsher aspects of life. In particular, her work with incarcerated individuals has shown her plainly how dark things can get. But she still believes in the importance of finding that silver lining and focusing on the positive, not the negative aspects of any given situation. Tune in as she and I chat about thinking outside the box, the ability of people to change against all odds, and the joy of life with a disabled dog.

https://colleenpelar.com/125