November 18, 2020 • 26 mins
- How have dogs been impacted by COVID?
- How have families been affected by COVID19?
- What can you do in your daily life to make it easier for your dog and your family?
- What are some of the resources and tools you or your family can tap into?
- If you're thinking about getting a dog, how do you go about fostering or adopting one?
I sat down with award-winning author, podcast host, animal activist, and dogologist, Billie Groom, to answer these questions and many more. Our mission is to help all our family members, including our dogs adapt to living with the pandemic.
After all, we rely on our furry friends to ease the stress, anxiety, and sometimes depression that comes with feeling isolated. This is especially true now that we're mostly quarantined due to COVID19.
We hope the answers will give you the information and tools you need to ensure that your dog's and family's needs are being met during this challenging time.
We owe it to our furry friends for their unconditional love!
Subscribe to HerCanvas today to get your answers to the questions that matter most to you, and ultimately, find the inspiration to live your best life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We lean on our dogs for comfort, stress, relief,
joy, and companionship.
This is true, especially forwomen and girls.
We can count on our furryfriends to boost our overall
wellbeing and quality of life.
During COVID-19 dogs have beenshown to ease the stress,
anxiety, and sometimesdepression that comes with
(00:21):
feeling isolated from coworkersand loved ones.
We're happy to have a companionthat makes us feel more
connected.
Reduces our anxiety, keeps usmore active and improves our
mental health.
But what about our dogs?
Are they happy to have us homeall the time?
The answer may surprise you.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
[inaudible]
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Welcome to her canvas, our podcast, where we
discuss the topics that mattermost to women and help us find
the inspiration to live our bestlives.
I'm your host[inaudible] today.
I am joined by Billy groom, anaward-winning author podcast,
host Doug biologist, animalactivist, and the creator of
(01:13):
upward dog ecology.
But Leah has worked withfamilies for three decades,
providing effective advice,allowing them to integrate their
dog into their family and theirAuburn busy lives.
When COVID-19 hit lives changed,having a huge impact on
families, including the dogs welive with.
We'll be talking about theimpact COVID-19 has had on
(01:36):
families and their dogs and thethings they can do to help them
adjust to living with apandemic.
Welcome to the show, Billy.
It's so good to have you
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Adida.
It's so nice to be here.
Thank you so much.
I love your podcast.
It's such a great informationresource for people.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm so excited to have you onthere.
You know, it's been achallenging time for all of us,
you know, adjusting to livingwith, um, you know, COVID and
you know, I'm really excitedabout our conversation today
because not only have we ashuman beings being impacted, but
dogs as well, the dogs that livewith us and yeah.
(02:18):
The pets that live with us.
So yeah,
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The dogs and the people around their dogs as
well, just families as a wholeand, uh, dogs are a part of the
family and it's interesting howeverybody gets impacted.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Absolutely.
So I thought maybe you couldstart by telling us a little bit
more about yourself, giving usyour background and what led you
on this journey to become a dogecologist.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Sure.
Well, it's funny that you usethe term dog ologists that you
picked up on that.
Technically I am a behaviorist.
I just find the wordbehaviorist.
So linear and so uptight it'sreally focuses on, um,
correcting unwanted behavior ina dog, which essentially is why
(03:03):
people contact me and why theyhire me.
I've been doing it threedecades, but I've always worked
one-on-one with my clients andI've always worked with urban
families.
So they are their own people.
They are their own family, theyhave their own goals.
And as well, the dog is the doghas his or her own personality
(03:25):
and his, her own background.
And I've only worked with dogsover the age of six months.
So, um, you know, it's a mattersometimes they've had the dog
from puppy and sometimes they'veadopted the dog, but it's really
more, the way I approach it isnot telling people what they
have to do or instilling rules.
It's, it's more my clienttelling me where their
(03:48):
challenges are and where theyneed to, um, have some advice
and guidance on how to integratetheir dog into whatever there is
that they're, they're trying todo, whether that's anything from
going camping to, um, they justhad a baby to divorce, to, um,
(04:10):
couples getting together.
And then of course thechallenges, uh, that COVID
bring.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I love that.
I love that you have apersonalized approach.
That's, that's what it soundslike, that you model, uh,
whatever you do with theirfamily, with what they're going
through at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right.
And that's what you get with thetwo way communications.
So, I mean, I work one on oneand that's often life, but it's
also often zoom as we're doing.
And it's also often, uh, youknow, videos and, and telephone.
You know, it's not just about mestanding up in front of a group
of people and telling them whatthey have to do.
It's it's when you're workingwith a dog over the age of six
(04:52):
months, and you're working withfamilies that are busy and they
have their own lifestyles.
It just, it just can't be thatregimented.
Got it,
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Got it.
Now, how long do you usuallywork with the families?
Is it an ongoing thing or is,you know, is there a start and a
finish?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Hmm, that's an interesting question too,
because my business model forthree decades has been a
one-time fee.
And so once they're a client,they're always a client and
that's partly because they gothrough changes and their dog
goes through changes.
So with COVID some of my clients, uh, that they might've called
me to address a particularissue.
I do specialize in aggressionand anxiety rehabilitation, but
(05:33):
it can be anything.
It really is all over the map onwhy people hire me.
And it's because I use cognitivebehavioral therapy as opposed to
standard positive reinforcementtraining and trait training.
So I have a different approach.
So when people hire me, it is aone-time fee.
So they might, I might not haveheard of them from them for a
(05:55):
year or two years, andeverything's fine and they're
just tripping along andeverything's great.
And then all of a sudden COVIDhits and maybe they're having
some problems, then they'realways in the program.
Got it, got it.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah.
It just doesn't all happen atthe same time.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Cause that's just not the way life works.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
That is so true.
I guess that that's actually agood segue into, uh, talking,
Speaker 3 (06:22):
You know, how we've been impacted by COVID.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Um, so maybe you can tell us the first
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Question actually I have is how have dogs been
impacted by COVID?
Well, it's interesting, not thatmuch differently than humans, I
think, I think.
And, and, you know, I just lovedyour episode with your two
children and they brought upsome really good points.
And I think it was your olderone who was just saying about
(06:47):
she, all of a sudden had this somuch time that she had a hard
time completing tasks because itfelt like she had all this time.
And then, so she had to learnhow to, you know, I guess time
management skills, um, and justhow to use your time
differently.
And dogs do have a sense of timeand they, they have routine and
(07:08):
people get very caught up in,well, you know, I can't change
my routine.
Yes you can.
So, you know, for, for, forthree decades, I've helped
people change their routine andchange their life and have their
dog adapt to that and have thatgo smoothly.
And that's the same with COVID.
So people would think, well, youknow, I'm home with my dog, my
dog should be happier cause I'mhome all the time sometimes.
(07:30):
And sometimes not becausethey're just like people, if
they're used to sleeping allday, you know, and then all of a
sudden there's people home allthe time or they're used to, uh,
having maybe the radio on allday, cause people might do that
when they leave more, havingquiet all day it's, it's a
change for them as well.
(07:51):
It's definitely disruptive
Speaker 1 (07:53):
For sure.
I was, I was just thinking aboutthat whole notion
Speaker 3 (07:57):
If you're, you know, if your dog
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Is used to sleeping all day and then all of a sudden
this people and they want toplay and they want to go for a
walk
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And the dog is thinking, Oh my gosh, what is
happening?
Right.
We don't need to go for 15 walksa day.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
And it can also be the flip side as well.
You know, maybe your childrenwould have friends over after
school and now due to COVID,that's not happening.
And the dogs used to, you know,at, at three 30 it's it's play
time and it's fun time and it's,and maybe that's just not
happening anymore or maybe is to, to joining the family on, uh,
(08:37):
you know, baseball games orwhatever, or maybe they're not
used to going camping.
And that seems to be a morepopular activity now because it
can be family oriented and not,not combine different families,
you know, you can keep yourspace.
And so people have been, youknow, trying to adjust her dog
to, to going camping.
(08:57):
I mean, it's, it's, it's thesame everybody has to.
Right.
Just right.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
And so, and how have you seen the families, uh, you
know, impacted by COVID?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Well, there's, there's obviously the economy.
I mean, that's, that's how, um,you know, and then that's for
all of us.
Yeah.
That's, that's a tough one forsure.
Um, but as well, I think again,it just goes back to time and
personal space, uh, you know, itcould be just even smell things
(09:30):
that people don't don't thinkabout a lot, but if, let's say
as an example, one of yourlisteners is a stay at home mom
who also works from home.
So she's busy when she's home.
Um, and, and the dog's kind oflaying around being a good dog
and, and, uh, you know, all of asudden, you know, she's used to
letting the dog in and out whileshe's still thinking about
(09:51):
things and out goes the dog andthen she forgot.
Oh, right, right.
Because my husband's in thebackyard because I'm not used to
him being home and he's, youknow, puttering around the
backyard and he left the gateopen.
Right.
Cause he was in the backyardputtering around and now all of
a sudden the dogs go through thecage, you know, and then that
just changes your whole day.
And it's not so much the dog'sfault.
(10:12):
It's just adapting to otherpeople being in your space and
adapting to change in schedule.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yes.
That, that, that makes sense.
You know, as you were talkingand, you know, you mentioned
that, uh, people have beenimpacted, impacted economically.
I just thought about, you know,dogs need a lot of care.
Right.
They know they need to go to thevet.
They need to, you know, theyneed to be groomed.
Um, they need to be fed acertain diet.
Have you noticed any changes interms of the way people are
(10:43):
treating their dogs or lookingafter their dogs or even, you
know, maybe giving up their,their, their dogs because they
can't take it.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yes.
Unfortunately that is, that ishappening.
And it's, you know, it's, it'sgoing to happen and not, Oh,
people feel, you know, it's,it's, they don't really know
what to do.
Um, and so,
Speaker 1 (11:07):
And I would imagine that it's traumatizing too.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yes.
And it's cyclical because, youknow, I I've been impacted
because it's, it's, you know,people will spend less money on
their, their dog.
And, and that also goes over,like you said, to veterinarians
and different rumors.
Um, and there's a lot of talkright now about the shelters and
the rescue organizations beingreally low on dogs because
(11:32):
people are home.
So they're fostering andadopting, which is great.
That's great.
But, uh, you know, if, if youare a listener out there and
you're having financialproblems, or you're not sure if
you can keep your dog, maybeyour local, uh, rescue will be
able to do, um, you know, maybethey were taking another dogs
before and maybe they will shiftto taking in ones that, uh, are
(11:53):
from families that are justhaving a tough time due to
COVID, you know, I don't know,because all rescue organizations
are run differently and they allwork differently.
But, but, um, yeah, a lot ofthem are especially puppies
they're now I think they're,they're adopting out a lot of
puppies, but some of the olderdogs they're still, uh, you
(12:13):
know, maybe a bit challenged tofoster or adopt those.
Right, right.
Um, now I'm wondering though,and I know you said, you know,
different rescue places havedifferent rules or, you know, uh
, different ways of functioning.
Um, I'm wondering when thisfamilies get back on their feet,
(12:34):
is it possible to get your, yourdog back commonly not, but
again, that would totally dependon the situation that they, that
they come up with withoutindividual rescue organization,
but commonly not unless it'sbest for the dog.
I mean, ultimately we all wantto do what's best for the dog.
(12:55):
Yes, yes, absolutely.
It really depends.
And it depends on the situationand, and different factors.
A lot of it would be, I guess,the health of the dog or whether
they had a foster that would bewilling to do that.
Right, right.
Might be unsettling for them,the dog and the foster person as
well.
(13:15):
So, which leads me to my nextquestion is what can you do?
Or what can, you know, ourlisteners do in their daily
lives to make it easier fortheir dogs and their family to
adopt, to adapt to this newnormal?
I think it's try to think aboutwhat it is that your individual
(13:37):
dog really likes and people, youknow, the first thing that pops
into everybody's mind is treatsand yes and no, they, um, you
know, there's different ways ofproviding attention and there's
different ways of, um, lettingyour dog know that you're aware
that they're there.
I'm, uh, my, the way I work withdogs is, is figuring out what's
(14:02):
important to them and then usingthose opportunities to create a
bond and, and, um, communicationand transferable skills.
And so if everybody thinksabout, you know, what is it
that's most important and thentake the time to provide that.
And not only think about, um,working in the difficult, so if
(14:26):
the dog is being more needy,which can happen because they're
home, um, you know, you candefinitely provide that without
having it have a negative impacton your family.
And it's just, it's just amatter of sitting back and
thinking, you know, what'simportant to my dog and what is
(14:46):
my dog used to and how am Ichanging and how can the dog
hold dogs different?
They're just like people.
Right.
Very true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And yeah, and I think kids are agreat resource for dogs.
You know, they're, they're very,filtering are very logical and
(15:07):
they see things differently.
And they, I really enjoy, uh,when the families that I work
with have children that, uh, youknow, participate because they,
they just bring such a differentlevel to it.
They're very logical.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I believe that dogs sense that too, I do too,
because they're different.
They behave differently whenthey're around children as well.
They do.
So I, I'm a true believer inthat now, what are some of the
resources and tools thatfamilies can tap into to help
them out during this time?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Hmm.
That's a good question.
I think it would depend on whatthey're looking for, but there's
definitely a lot of dog groupsand dog organizations.
If they have a particular breed,then there's, there's all, you
know, there's organization forevery individual, uh, breed.
But I think there's just, youknow, dog lovers in general or
there's, you know, off-leashparks are great and there's
(16:05):
almost always grouped foroff-leash parks.
And if you do take your, yourdog, um, you know, they're,
they're very friendly andsocial.
I think we're all right nowtrying to balance the ability to
have some social time and getout and also include our family
and also stay safe and followthe health rules and, and, um,
(16:28):
you know, keep the sanity whilekeeping the distance.
Right.
You know, and it was something,something that people are out
there and, and, uh, it's just,it's just a matter of like
finding them, I think.
Yeah, no,
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Uh, these groups, like mainly, w would you say
that you can find these groupslike on Facebook, like Facebook
groups or, you know, um, youknow, online communities?
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yeah.
I'm, I'm not a huge techieperson.
Well, I'm, I'm a zero techieperson, but I do really like
some of those Facebook communitygroups really great and, um,
listening to different podcasts,uh, you know, um, I really enjoy
the different interviews such asyourself where I'm a guest, but
(17:21):
then I also have guests on mypodcast as well, and just
learning about different peopleand what they're doing and what
they're going through.
And I think there's more thanever.
There's more of those out there.
And as we're going through thisinterview, I'm thinking, you
know, but that could be what Icould incorporate into my
podcast as well, because peopledo need to know that what
(17:43):
they're experiencing with theirdog is common.
It's not their fault.
It's if they're struggling, nottheir fault, if they're
scrambling on the internet tofind ways to, to, to work with
their dog and what they'redoing, just isn't working it,
it's not your fault.
Just, and a lot of my clientsare very dog experienced.
I have veterinarians forclients, and it's just a
(18:05):
different way of working withthem in a different way of
reading the dog.
And it's not difficult, but, um,but I do find people are, you
know, especially in thesechallenging times, they can
blame themselves very quickly.
Yes.
Yes.
It's, it's, it's easy to do thatand finding a community.
It's, it's amazing.
I think in life, in general,whenever you're going through
(18:28):
any kind of adversity, when youfind a community and you find
that there are other people whoare going through the same thing
, um, it's very comforting.
And sometimes even if you don'tparticipate in the
conversations, just being partof the conversation, but by
listening, um, is actually likeofficial.
Absolutely.
(18:49):
And that's a really good point.
You don't, you don't have to be,um, part of it.
You can just absorb it andlearn.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
And sometimes it takes a while to get to the
place where you're comfortableenough to ask a question, um,
like if you're going throughsomething and you found out
that, you know, it hasn't beenaddressed by anyone in the
group, it might take some timefor you to get to that point
where you can actually ask aquestion, but it's still
beneficial to be part of thecommunity.
(19:20):
And it's so funny because onceyou do ask that question,
everyone hops on board.
Oh, that's a good question.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
True.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
And that's, what's so great about working one-on-one
with people because I do form arelationship where they feel
comfortable telling me thingsand talking to me, and they're
often, you know, by the timethey contact me, they're at,
wit's end with their dog, butalso with their family, you
know, it's, it's caused quite abit of, um, problems within the
(19:50):
family.
And, uh, one person wants togive up the dog.
One person wants to keep thedog.
Like you said, whether that'sthe economy or whether that's
the dog's behavior or whetherthat's different goals within
the family.
And those can come to those canget heightened during stressful
times.
Like, COVID those, you know,everything gets heightened.
I agree.
That's that's, I think we're allwhat we can all relate to that
(20:14):
at this point.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
Mm Mmm.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
We're coming up to our last question, which is for
those thinking about getting adog, you know, because there are
those who, you know, um, evendoing this time would like maybe
to have a companion sincethey're home so much.
Um, how do you go aboutfostering or adopting one?
That's a good question.
I, again, all the rescueorganizations and shelters are
(20:40):
run differently and they'll havetheir policies, I'm sure.
Online, but as far as thinkingabout a dog for your family,
it's a lot of people, the firstthing that they think about is
breed or size size of a dog.
And so breed and size are, uh,they're important.
But I, for me, because I onlywork with dogs over the age of
six months, I, my big thing is,do you want a puppy?
(21:02):
Or do you want a dog?
And that's, they're just sodifferent.
They're just really, reallydifferent the way you work with
them.
And, and, um, you know, how youwork with them and how you
provide for them.
Um, I think that's a reallyimportant thing to think about.
And people are a bit nervoussometimes of dogs and they
(21:23):
think, well, you know, they'realready set in their ways.
Well, sometimes that can bebeneficial if I always recommend
, um, you know, if the dog beingin a foster home as fosters are
great, they've been in a homethat family might not have the
same setup as you have, or mightnot have exactly the same family
style, but that dog has beenliving in a home with a person
(21:45):
that can be super informative.
It could just be a simplequestion.
How's the dog in the car.
You know, if, if you're, if youtravel with your dog, that's
important or, you know, thecommon one is how is the dog
with children?
And you know, that, that dependson a lot of factors and depends
on the children.
And, but I just, I just thinkit's really important to think
(22:06):
about, uh, your lifestyle andwhat you, what your expectations
are with the dog and then beflexible and be adaptable
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Because,
Speaker 3 (22:17):
You know, even if you get a dog from puppy, which is
great as well, um, you can'tnecessarily mold.
It's just like children.
You could have two children withthe same parents grow up in the
same neighborhood in the samehouse and, uh, you know, same
family values.
And, uh, they're just reallydifferent, different children.
And, and what's important to onechild is different than what's
(22:38):
important to the other child andtheir personalities.
That is the truth.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Sometimes you're like, Oh, these two family,
really?
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Yeah.
So
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I'm not surprised it applies to dogs as well.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And in all the cases you, youparented as well as you could do
in your Parenthood.
Well, and they're both greatchildren, they're just really
different.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Mm.
They just approach thingsdifferently.
Um, so, uh, thank you so much.
Thank you.
This has been really great, somereally amazing insights.
Um, and I think our listenerswill come away with a lot of
things that can help them andtheir dogs,
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Um, you know, navigate this pandemic.
Um, well, I'm glad, thank you somuch.
And if anyone wants to contactme for help or, or, um, you
know, hopefully, you know, itcan be general, but it can be
specific too.
And it's, it's, uh, I alwaysenjoy working with people and
helping people.
So, and, and
Speaker 1 (23:43):
How can they get in touch with you?
Um,
Speaker 3 (23:46):
There's a, well, I'm on Instagram that is upward dog
ecology.
So by the way, upward is anacronym for urban people with
adopted and rescued dogs.
Yeah.
But the age could also beadolescent or adult, and that
could be, you know, rambunctiousor rebellious.
It, you know, it's, it'sflexible, but upward is really
(24:07):
about urban people, familieswith their, their dog.
So that's Instagram, it's alsoFacebook.
And my LinkedIn is Billy groom.
[inaudible] dot com is my email.
And the podcast is upward dogology, which people have been
finding really, um, fun andinformative.
(24:28):
And yeah.
So I hope I,
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Where can they find that podcast?
Is it on Apple podcast and yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Nine different distribution sites so that, and,
uh, it, the links are on theInstagram as well and okay.
Website.
Yeah.
So whatever or whateverdistribution site that they
listened to.
It's probably on.
Hopefully.
That's great.
Thank you so much, Billy.
(24:55):
This has been huge Adida.
Thank you so much here.
Great.
Well, we appreciate yourpodcasts.
Thanks so much.
Have a great day.
Take care.
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
By everywhere you look, there are resources
available to help your familynavigate the challenges of
living with COVID-19 rarely dothese resources include how to
help your dog adjust to theirnew dog life.
Understanding that your dog hasa routine and unique needs.
Just like you do respectingpersonal space for everyone in
(25:26):
the family, including your dogand finding online and offline
communities going throughsimilar challenges are powerful
ways to help your dog and familyadapt to living with COVID.
Most importantly know that thechallenges that you're facing
with your dog or your family arenot your fault.
Let's reciprocate theunconditional love and care.
(25:49):
We receive from our furryfriends to ensure that they get
through the pandemic unharmed.
That's all for our show today.
Be sure to subscribe to ourpodcast on Apple podcasts,
Spotify, Google podcasts, andPandora.
Also, don't forget to connectwith our Facebook community at
gap moose women, to continuethis conversation and many more
(26:10):
along the way until next time,stay safe and find the
inspiration to live your bestlife.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
[inaudible].
We lean on our dogs for comfort, stress, relief,
joy, and companionship.
This is true, especially forwomen and girls.
We can count on our furryfriends to boost our overall
wellbeing and quality of life.
During COVID-19 dogs have beenshown to ease the stress,
anxiety, and sometimesdepression that comes with
(00:21):
feeling isolated from coworkersand loved ones.
We're happy to have a companionthat makes us feel more
connected.
Reduces our anxiety, keeps usmore active and improves our
mental health.
But what about our dogs?
Are they happy to have us homeall the time?
The answer may surprise you.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
[inaudible]
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Welcome to her canvas, our podcast, where we
discuss the topics that mattermost to women and help us find
the inspiration to live our bestlives.
I'm your host[inaudible] today.
I am joined by Billy groom, anaward-winning author podcast,
host Doug biologist, animalactivist, and the creator of
(01:13):
upward dog ecology.
But Leah has worked withfamilies for three decades,
providing effective advice,allowing them to integrate their
dog into their family and theirAuburn busy lives.
When COVID-19 hit lives changed,having a huge impact on
families, including the dogs welive with.
We'll be talking about theimpact COVID-19 has had on
(01:36):
families and their dogs and thethings they can do to help them
adjust to living with apandemic.
Welcome to the show, Billy.
It's so good to have you
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Adida.
It's so nice to be here.
Thank you so much.
I love your podcast.
It's such a great informationresource for people.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm so excited to have you onthere.
You know, it's been achallenging time for all of us,
you know, adjusting to livingwith, um, you know, COVID and
you know, I'm really excitedabout our conversation today
because not only have we ashuman beings being impacted, but
dogs as well, the dogs that livewith us and yeah.
(02:18):
The pets that live with us.
So yeah,
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The dogs and the people around their dogs as
well, just families as a wholeand, uh, dogs are a part of the
family and it's interesting howeverybody gets impacted.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Absolutely.
So I thought maybe you couldstart by telling us a little bit
more about yourself, giving usyour background and what led you
on this journey to become a dogecologist.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Sure.
Well, it's funny that you usethe term dog ologists that you
picked up on that.
Technically I am a behaviorist.
I just find the wordbehaviorist.
So linear and so uptight it'sreally focuses on, um,
correcting unwanted behavior ina dog, which essentially is why
(03:03):
people contact me and why theyhire me.
I've been doing it threedecades, but I've always worked
one-on-one with my clients andI've always worked with urban
families.
So they are their own people.
They are their own family, theyhave their own goals.
And as well, the dog is the doghas his or her own personality
(03:25):
and his, her own background.
And I've only worked with dogsover the age of six months.
So, um, you know, it's a mattersometimes they've had the dog
from puppy and sometimes they'veadopted the dog, but it's really
more, the way I approach it isnot telling people what they
have to do or instilling rules.
It's, it's more my clienttelling me where their
(03:48):
challenges are and where theyneed to, um, have some advice
and guidance on how to integratetheir dog into whatever there is
that they're, they're trying todo, whether that's anything from
going camping to, um, they justhad a baby to divorce, to, um,
(04:10):
couples getting together.
And then of course thechallenges, uh, that COVID
bring.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
I love that.
I love that you have apersonalized approach.
That's, that's what it soundslike, that you model, uh,
whatever you do with theirfamily, with what they're going
through at the time.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Right.
And that's what you get with thetwo way communications.
So, I mean, I work one on oneand that's often life, but it's
also often zoom as we're doing.
And it's also often, uh, youknow, videos and, and telephone.
You know, it's not just about mestanding up in front of a group
of people and telling them whatthey have to do.
It's it's when you're workingwith a dog over the age of six
(04:52):
months, and you're working withfamilies that are busy and they
have their own lifestyles.
It just, it just can't be thatregimented.
Got it,
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Got it.
Now, how long do you usuallywork with the families?
Is it an ongoing thing or is,you know, is there a start and a
finish?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Hmm, that's an interesting question too,
because my business model forthree decades has been a
one-time fee.
And so once they're a client,they're always a client and
that's partly because they gothrough changes and their dog
goes through changes.
So with COVID some of my clients, uh, that they might've called
me to address a particularissue.
I do specialize in aggressionand anxiety rehabilitation, but
(05:33):
it can be anything.
It really is all over the map onwhy people hire me.
And it's because I use cognitivebehavioral therapy as opposed to
standard positive reinforcementtraining and trait training.
So I have a different approach.
So when people hire me, it is aone-time fee.
So they might, I might not haveheard of them from them for a
(05:55):
year or two years, andeverything's fine and they're
just tripping along andeverything's great.
And then all of a sudden COVIDhits and maybe they're having
some problems, then they'realways in the program.
Got it, got it.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah.
It just doesn't all happen atthe same time.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Cause that's just not the way life works.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
That is so true.
I guess that that's actually agood segue into, uh, talking,
Speaker 3 (06:22):
You know, how we've been impacted by COVID.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Um, so maybe you can tell us the first
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Question actually I have is how have dogs been
impacted by COVID?
Well, it's interesting, not thatmuch differently than humans, I
think, I think.
And, and, you know, I just lovedyour episode with your two
children and they brought upsome really good points.
And I think it was your olderone who was just saying about
(06:47):
she, all of a sudden had this somuch time that she had a hard
time completing tasks because itfelt like she had all this time.
And then, so she had to learnhow to, you know, I guess time
management skills, um, and justhow to use your time
differently.
And dogs do have a sense of timeand they, they have routine and
(07:08):
people get very caught up in,well, you know, I can't change
my routine.
Yes you can.
So, you know, for, for, forthree decades, I've helped
people change their routine andchange their life and have their
dog adapt to that and have thatgo smoothly.
And that's the same with COVID.
So people would think, well, youknow, I'm home with my dog, my
dog should be happier cause I'mhome all the time sometimes.
(07:30):
And sometimes not becausethey're just like people, if
they're used to sleeping allday, you know, and then all of a
sudden there's people home allthe time or they're used to, uh,
having maybe the radio on allday, cause people might do that
when they leave more, havingquiet all day it's, it's a
change for them as well.
(07:51):
It's definitely disruptive
Speaker 1 (07:53):
For sure.
I was, I was just thinking aboutthat whole notion
Speaker 3 (07:57):
If you're, you know, if your dog
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Is used to sleeping all day and then all of a sudden
this people and they want toplay and they want to go for a
walk
Speaker 3 (08:06):
And the dog is thinking, Oh my gosh, what is
happening?
Right.
We don't need to go for 15 walksa day.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
And it can also be the flip side as well.
You know, maybe your childrenwould have friends over after
school and now due to COVID,that's not happening.
And the dogs used to, you know,at, at three 30 it's it's play
time and it's fun time and it's,and maybe that's just not
happening anymore or maybe is to, to joining the family on, uh,
(08:37):
you know, baseball games orwhatever, or maybe they're not
used to going camping.
And that seems to be a morepopular activity now because it
can be family oriented and not,not combine different families,
you know, you can keep yourspace.
And so people have been, youknow, trying to adjust her dog
to, to going camping.
(08:57):
I mean, it's, it's, it's thesame everybody has to.
Right.
Just right.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
And so, and how have you seen the families, uh, you
know, impacted by COVID?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Well, there's, there's obviously the economy.
I mean, that's, that's how, um,you know, and then that's for
all of us.
Yeah.
That's, that's a tough one forsure.
Um, but as well, I think again,it just goes back to time and
personal space, uh, you know, itcould be just even smell things
(09:30):
that people don't don't thinkabout a lot, but if, let's say
as an example, one of yourlisteners is a stay at home mom
who also works from home.
So she's busy when she's home.
Um, and, and the dog's kind oflaying around being a good dog
and, and, uh, you know, all of asudden, you know, she's used to
letting the dog in and out whileshe's still thinking about
(09:51):
things and out goes the dog andthen she forgot.
Oh, right, right.
Because my husband's in thebackyard because I'm not used to
him being home and he's, youknow, puttering around the
backyard and he left the gateopen.
Right.
Cause he was in the backyardputtering around and now all of
a sudden the dogs go through thecage, you know, and then that
just changes your whole day.
And it's not so much the dog'sfault.
(10:12):
It's just adapting to otherpeople being in your space and
adapting to change in schedule.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yes.
That, that, that makes sense.
You know, as you were talkingand, you know, you mentioned
that, uh, people have beenimpacted, impacted economically.
I just thought about, you know,dogs need a lot of care.
Right.
They know they need to go to thevet.
They need to, you know, theyneed to be groomed.
Um, they need to be fed acertain diet.
Have you noticed any changes interms of the way people are
(10:43):
treating their dogs or lookingafter their dogs or even, you
know, maybe giving up their,their, their dogs because they
can't take it.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yes.
Unfortunately that is, that ishappening.
And it's, you know, it's, it'sgoing to happen and not, Oh,
people feel, you know, it's,it's, they don't really know
what to do.
Um, and so,
Speaker 1 (11:07):
And I would imagine that it's traumatizing too.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yes.
And it's cyclical because, youknow, I I've been impacted
because it's, it's, you know,people will spend less money on
their, their dog.
And, and that also goes over,like you said, to veterinarians
and different rumors.
Um, and there's a lot of talkright now about the shelters and
the rescue organizations beingreally low on dogs because
(11:32):
people are home.
So they're fostering andadopting, which is great.
That's great.
But, uh, you know, if, if youare a listener out there and
you're having financialproblems, or you're not sure if
you can keep your dog, maybeyour local, uh, rescue will be
able to do, um, you know, maybethey were taking another dogs
before and maybe they will shiftto taking in ones that, uh, are
(11:53):
from families that are justhaving a tough time due to
COVID, you know, I don't know,because all rescue organizations
are run differently and they allwork differently.
But, but, um, yeah, a lot ofthem are especially puppies
they're now I think they're,they're adopting out a lot of
puppies, but some of the olderdogs they're still, uh, you
(12:13):
know, maybe a bit challenged tofoster or adopt those.
Right, right.
Um, now I'm wondering though,and I know you said, you know,
different rescue places havedifferent rules or, you know, uh
, different ways of functioning.
Um, I'm wondering when thisfamilies get back on their feet,
(12:34):
is it possible to get your, yourdog back commonly not, but
again, that would totally dependon the situation that they, that
they come up with withoutindividual rescue organization,
but commonly not unless it'sbest for the dog.
I mean, ultimately we all wantto do what's best for the dog.
(12:55):
Yes, yes, absolutely.
It really depends.
And it depends on the situationand, and different factors.
A lot of it would be, I guess,the health of the dog or whether
they had a foster that would bewilling to do that.
Right, right.
Might be unsettling for them,the dog and the foster person as
well.
(13:15):
So, which leads me to my nextquestion is what can you do?
Or what can, you know, ourlisteners do in their daily
lives to make it easier fortheir dogs and their family to
adopt, to adapt to this newnormal?
I think it's try to think aboutwhat it is that your individual
(13:37):
dog really likes and people, youknow, the first thing that pops
into everybody's mind is treatsand yes and no, they, um, you
know, there's different ways ofproviding attention and there's
different ways of, um, lettingyour dog know that you're aware
that they're there.
I'm, uh, my, the way I work withdogs is, is figuring out what's
(14:02):
important to them and then usingthose opportunities to create a
bond and, and, um, communicationand transferable skills.
And so if everybody thinksabout, you know, what is it
that's most important and thentake the time to provide that.
And not only think about, um,working in the difficult, so if
(14:26):
the dog is being more needy,which can happen because they're
home, um, you know, you candefinitely provide that without
having it have a negative impacton your family.
And it's just, it's just amatter of sitting back and
thinking, you know, what'simportant to my dog and what is
(14:46):
my dog used to and how am Ichanging and how can the dog
hold dogs different?
They're just like people.
Right.
Very true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And yeah, and I think kids are agreat resource for dogs.
You know, they're, they're very,filtering are very logical and
(15:07):
they see things differently.
And they, I really enjoy, uh,when the families that I work
with have children that, uh, youknow, participate because they,
they just bring such a differentlevel to it.
They're very logical.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I believe that dogs sense that too, I do too,
because they're different.
They behave differently whenthey're around children as well.
They do.
So I, I'm a true believer inthat now, what are some of the
resources and tools thatfamilies can tap into to help
them out during this time?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Hmm.
That's a good question.
I think it would depend on whatthey're looking for, but there's
definitely a lot of dog groupsand dog organizations.
If they have a particular breed,then there's, there's all, you
know, there's organization forevery individual, uh, breed.
But I think there's just, youknow, dog lovers in general or
there's, you know, off-leashparks are great and there's
(16:05):
almost always grouped foroff-leash parks.
And if you do take your, yourdog, um, you know, they're,
they're very friendly andsocial.
I think we're all right nowtrying to balance the ability to
have some social time and getout and also include our family
and also stay safe and followthe health rules and, and, um,
(16:28):
you know, keep the sanity whilekeeping the distance.
Right.
You know, and it was something,something that people are out
there and, and, uh, it's just,it's just a matter of like
finding them, I think.
Yeah, no,
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Uh, these groups, like mainly, w would you say
that you can find these groupslike on Facebook, like Facebook
groups or, you know, um, youknow, online communities?
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yeah.
I'm, I'm not a huge techieperson.
Well, I'm, I'm a zero techieperson, but I do really like
some of those Facebook communitygroups really great and, um,
listening to different podcasts,uh, you know, um, I really enjoy
the different interviews such asyourself where I'm a guest, but
(17:21):
then I also have guests on mypodcast as well, and just
learning about different peopleand what they're doing and what
they're going through.
And I think there's more thanever.
There's more of those out there.
And as we're going through thisinterview, I'm thinking, you
know, but that could be what Icould incorporate into my
podcast as well, because peopledo need to know that what
(17:43):
they're experiencing with theirdog is common.
It's not their fault.
It's if they're struggling, nottheir fault, if they're
scrambling on the internet tofind ways to, to, to work with
their dog and what they'redoing, just isn't working it,
it's not your fault.
Just, and a lot of my clientsare very dog experienced.
I have veterinarians forclients, and it's just a
(18:05):
different way of working withthem in a different way of
reading the dog.
And it's not difficult, but, um,but I do find people are, you
know, especially in thesechallenging times, they can
blame themselves very quickly.
Yes.
Yes.
It's, it's, it's easy to do thatand finding a community.
It's, it's amazing.
I think in life, in general,whenever you're going through
(18:28):
any kind of adversity, when youfind a community and you find
that there are other people whoare going through the same thing
, um, it's very comforting.
And sometimes even if you don'tparticipate in the
conversations, just being partof the conversation, but by
listening, um, is actually likeofficial.
Absolutely.
(18:49):
And that's a really good point.
You don't, you don't have to be,um, part of it.
You can just absorb it andlearn.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
And sometimes it takes a while to get to the
place where you're comfortableenough to ask a question, um,
like if you're going throughsomething and you found out
that, you know, it hasn't beenaddressed by anyone in the
group, it might take some timefor you to get to that point
where you can actually ask aquestion, but it's still
beneficial to be part of thecommunity.
(19:20):
And it's so funny because onceyou do ask that question,
everyone hops on board.
Oh, that's a good question.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
True.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
And that's, what's so great about working one-on-one
with people because I do form arelationship where they feel
comfortable telling me thingsand talking to me, and they're
often, you know, by the timethey contact me, they're at,
wit's end with their dog, butalso with their family, you
know, it's, it's caused quite abit of, um, problems within the
(19:50):
family.
And, uh, one person wants togive up the dog.
One person wants to keep thedog.
Like you said, whether that'sthe economy or whether that's
the dog's behavior or whetherthat's different goals within
the family.
And those can come to those canget heightened during stressful
times.
Like, COVID those, you know,everything gets heightened.
I agree.
That's that's, I think we're allwhat we can all relate to that
(20:14):
at this point.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
Mm Mmm.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
We're coming up to our last question, which is for
those thinking about getting adog, you know, because there are
those who, you know, um, evendoing this time would like maybe
to have a companion sincethey're home so much.
Um, how do you go aboutfostering or adopting one?
That's a good question.
I, again, all the rescueorganizations and shelters are
(20:40):
run differently and they'll havetheir policies, I'm sure.
Online, but as far as thinkingabout a dog for your family,
it's a lot of people, the firstthing that they think about is
breed or size size of a dog.
And so breed and size are, uh,they're important.
But I, for me, because I onlywork with dogs over the age of
six months, I, my big thing is,do you want a puppy?
(21:02):
Or do you want a dog?
And that's, they're just sodifferent.
They're just really, reallydifferent the way you work with
them.
And, and, um, you know, how youwork with them and how you
provide for them.
Um, I think that's a reallyimportant thing to think about.
And people are a bit nervoussometimes of dogs and they
(21:23):
think, well, you know, they'realready set in their ways.
Well, sometimes that can bebeneficial if I always recommend
, um, you know, if the dog beingin a foster home as fosters are
great, they've been in a homethat family might not have the
same setup as you have, or mightnot have exactly the same family
style, but that dog has beenliving in a home with a person
(21:45):
that can be super informative.
It could just be a simplequestion.
How's the dog in the car.
You know, if, if you're, if youtravel with your dog, that's
important or, you know, thecommon one is how is the dog
with children?
And you know, that, that dependson a lot of factors and depends
on the children.
And, but I just, I just thinkit's really important to think
(22:06):
about, uh, your lifestyle andwhat you, what your expectations
are with the dog and then beflexible and be adaptable
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Because,
Speaker 3 (22:17):
You know, even if you get a dog from puppy, which is
great as well, um, you can'tnecessarily mold.
It's just like children.
You could have two children withthe same parents grow up in the
same neighborhood in the samehouse and, uh, you know, same
family values.
And, uh, they're just reallydifferent, different children.
And, and what's important to onechild is different than what's
(22:38):
important to the other child andtheir personalities.
That is the truth.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
Sometimes you're like, Oh, these two family,
really?
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Yeah.
So
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I'm not surprised it applies to dogs as well.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And in all the cases you, youparented as well as you could do
in your Parenthood.
Well, and they're both greatchildren, they're just really
different.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Mm.
They just approach thingsdifferently.
Um, so, uh, thank you so much.
Thank you.
This has been really great, somereally amazing insights.
Um, and I think our listenerswill come away with a lot of
things that can help them andtheir dogs,
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Um, you know, navigate this pandemic.
Um, well, I'm glad, thank you somuch.
And if anyone wants to contactme for help or, or, um, you
know, hopefully, you know, itcan be general, but it can be
specific too.
And it's, it's, uh, I alwaysenjoy working with people and
helping people.
So, and, and
Speaker 1 (23:43):
How can they get in touch with you?
Um,
Speaker 3 (23:46):
There's a, well, I'm on Instagram that is upward dog
ecology.
So by the way, upward is anacronym for urban people with
adopted and rescued dogs.
Yeah.
But the age could also beadolescent or adult, and that
could be, you know, rambunctiousor rebellious.
It, you know, it's, it'sflexible, but upward is really
(24:07):
about urban people, familieswith their, their dog.
So that's Instagram, it's alsoFacebook.
And my LinkedIn is Billy groom.
[inaudible] dot com is my email.
And the podcast is upward dogology, which people have been
finding really, um, fun andinformative.
(24:28):
And yeah.
So I hope I,
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Where can they find that podcast?
Is it on Apple podcast and yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Nine different distribution sites so that, and,
uh, it, the links are on theInstagram as well and okay.
Website.
Yeah.
So whatever or whateverdistribution site that they
listened to.
It's probably on.
Hopefully.
That's great.
Thank you so much, Billy.
(24:55):
This has been huge Adida.
Thank you so much here.
Great.
Well, we appreciate yourpodcasts.
Thanks so much.
Have a great day.
Take care.
Bye bye.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
By everywhere you look, there are resources
available to help your familynavigate the challenges of
living with COVID-19 rarely dothese resources include how to
help your dog adjust to theirnew dog life.
Understanding that your dog hasa routine and unique needs.
Just like you do respectingpersonal space for everyone in
(25:26):
the family, including your dogand finding online and offline
communities going throughsimilar challenges are powerful
ways to help your dog and familyadapt to living with COVID.
Most importantly know that thechallenges that you're facing
with your dog or your family arenot your fault.
Let's reciprocate theunconditional love and care.
(25:49):
We receive from our furryfriends to ensure that they get
through the pandemic unharmed.
That's all for our show today.
Be sure to subscribe to ourpodcast on Apple podcasts,
Spotify, Google podcasts, andPandora.
Also, don't forget to connectwith our Facebook community at
gap moose women, to continuethis conversation and many more
(26:10):
along the way until next time,stay safe and find the
inspiration to live your bestlife.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
[inaudible].
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