March 4, 2025 • 49 mins
Thinking about getting a dog? Hold that thought.
Too many adoptions fail because people fall for a face or a story without understanding what they’re signing up for. Choosing the wrong dog can lead to frustration, heartbreak, and sometimes surrender.
In this episode, I talk with Pete Campione about how to avoid the biggest mistakes people make when bringing a dog into their lives. Whether you’re adopting, fostering, or buying from a breeder, this conversation will help you make the right decision for you and the dog.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
- Why choosing a dog based on looks or pity is a setup for disappointment
- The kind of research and self-reflection that leads to successful adoptions
- How structure, routine, and reading a dog’s behavior make all the difference in the first 30 days
If this episode saves even one person from making the wrong choice for the wrong reasons, we’ve done our job. Tune in and help more dogs find homes where they truly belong.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PETE CAMPIONE:
Website and Book: www.ksk9.com
OTHER LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Love the show? Please share it with another pet parent who wants less chaos and more clarity. Please leave a 5-star review to help others find real-life, judgment-free advice.
🎧Get your free guide: 10 Tips for Bonding With Your Pet
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Big pet challenges we help pet parents solve include: puppy training, cat behavior, pet budgeting, stress-free vet visits, solutions for multi-pet households, and more.
Contact: Amy@muddypawsandhairballs.com
©Ⓟ 2025 by Amy Castro.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amy Castro (00:02):
All right, dog lovers, listen up, because this
episode might just save you frommaking a tremendous mistake.
Too many people pick a dog theway they pick a new pair of
shoes because it looks cute.
Then, a few months later,they're wondering why their
house is destroyed.
Their dog is bouncing off thewall.
Their life is a chaotic mess.
If you don't want to have dogbuyers remorse, then this
(00:23):
episode is for you.
Stay tuned.
I'm Amy Castro and, as you know,I'm the host of Muddy Paws and
Hairballs, and today I've gotwith me a guy who has seen it
all in his 25 years as a trainerand behaviorist working with
extreme canine behavior cases.
He's the owner of Kindred SoulsCanine Center in Howell, new
(00:45):
Jersey, and his new book iscalled Canine Conversations and
it's available now on Amazon inpaperback and as an e-book, and
his name is Pete Campione, andPete and I are here to save you
from yourself, or at least fromchoosing a dog that's going to
turn your life upside down.
We're going to talk about bigmistakes people make, what you
should actually look for whenpicking a pup, and why a dog is
(01:09):
not a cute accessory it is alifetime commitment.
So before you bring home anadorable fluff ball.
Let's make sure you're notabout to make a disaster-level
decision.
So, pete, welcome to the showand let's save these people from
themselves to the show andlet's save these people from
themselves.
Pete Campione (01:27):
Hi, amy, thank you so much and it cracks me up
because in your intro you saidpeople spend more time
researching a pair of shoes.
Do you know?
I actually got a bad review onYelp for saying that to somebody
.
This woman came in and she hada French bulldog and she was
getting pissed at it because itwas being a French bulldog and
my assistants kept whispering inmy ear.
(01:49):
They said she's being reallymean to that dog, she's doing
this, she doesn't like that.
And she gave me a bad review.
And I had actually walked up toher and I looked at her shoes
and she had Hoka sneakers, whichare really cool sneakers, and I
said there's nothing wrong withthis dog.
I guarantee you you researchedthose sneakers more than you did
this, because this is aperfectly normal French Bulldog
(02:13):
and she gave me a bad review forit.
But tough luck, there wasnothing wrong with the dog.
Amy Castro (02:18):
Yeah, I agree.
Yeah, I'm sure she did.
I'm sure she did, or she justgot lucky because she followed
the trend of other people aroundher, which is another way that
people tend to pick their pets,which is why I think there are
so many French bulldogs anddoodles that are in the wrong
homes and we won't even get intowhether those dogs should
really exist or not.
(02:39):
That's a whole other show.
Oh, please, but I do want to dothat show yeah.
So you've been working withdogs for 25 years.
What are some of the mostcommon mistakes people make with
picking a dog, and how often dothey come to you?
And the conversation startswith but he was so cute.
Pete Campione (02:56):
Oh please.
I've learned in 25 years toavoid the look of horror that
normally goes on my face when Ihear this, and now I've learned
to breathe five times before Ianswer, because you're dealing
with close to 50% of myclientele will come in with a
(03:18):
dog that they know nothing about, and then I hear these words
which make my head explode Well,well, I didn't know, but that's
why I'm here to which, ofcourse, I always answer do you
buy the car before you learn todrive or do you buy the car
after you learn to drive?
(03:39):
And do you buy the car becauseit's red or do you drive the car
because it's efficient, saveyou know whatever?
So that's the problem with alot of the breeds that are
popular right now, that arereally iffy in most homes.
I'm a firm believer every dog,including mixed breeds,
(04:02):
including mixed breeds every dogis not right for every home,
and that is neither good nor bad.
It's not anybody's fault ifyou're not the right home for a
chihuahua.
If you've got sixfour-year-olds running around
your house, you should not havea chihuahua or a dachshund.
(04:23):
These are just common sense,and I think the most crazy
making thing is people really doso much research when it comes
to everything.
Now they get their phones outand immediately Google what they
want and what are the reviewson it and what are people saying
(04:44):
.
But again, just like you said,but he was so cute, or he picked
me, I couldn't leave.
Because he picked me, I'm likeno, he didn't.
No, he didn't, you just smellednice.
Amy Castro (05:02):
Come on, you smelled like that hamburger you ate
five minutes ago.
Pete Campione (05:05):
Yeah, I mean, come on, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Amy Castro (05:10):
It's interesting you say, when you gave the example
of buying a car before yourlicense so I teach, amongst
other things, that I teach tohumans.
I know you teach dogs Well, youteach humans too.
Pete Campione (05:22):
Absolutely.
Probably more than the dogs,but anyway.
Amy Castro (05:24):
Absolutely.
When it comes to productivityand how people spend their time,
oftentimes people don't knowhow to judge what is the most
important thing on their to-dolist, and I'm a big believer
that you should have criteria,just like you would when you
were buying a car.
So when you buy a car, you havecriteria for fuel efficiency,
(05:45):
how many passengers can hold,what is the right reliability
rating.
You know what is the pricerange that I can afford, etc.
Etc.
Etc.
And I advocate for people to dothat with their productivity.
You know, to identify what arethe things that are your goals
and objectives and then use thatas the criteria to filter how
(06:06):
you spend your time.
And I think you know, anytimewe're making big decisions like
having a pet, we should have alist of criteria.
You know we should be goingthrough some questions that say
you know what's my activitylevel, what's my lifestyle, etc.
What kind of thing would yousay if somebody was going to
create that list?
What kind of questions orcriteria do you think that they
(06:28):
should be going through tonarrow down what kind of dog
they should get, where theyshould get it, et cetera.
Pete Campione (06:35):
Well, first of all, you're looking at two lists
.
You're looking at your bucketlist and then you have to look
at the dog's bucket list.
So you decide okay, this is whoI am, this is the time I spend
at work, this is the time I havefree, this is the time I want
to do this, this is the time Iexercise.
You look at your surroundings.
(06:57):
The environment is so criticalin every dog.
That's why I mean my breeds,and they're both.
In the room with me right nowis my Australian Shepherd, which
I've had Australian Shepherdsfor over 25 years, and Dobermans
.
These are two breeds that arenot for everybody.
(07:17):
They have bucket lists, so notonly do they have to fit my
lifestyle, I have to be able tosupport what they need to make
them healthy and balanced.
If you don't do both, you're ona crash course, and what
happens a lot of times?
What I see is okay, they didn'tdo that.
(07:40):
So now the human, not the dog.
The human has to work harder tocompensate to the dog's bucket
list, because the dog is now notgetting what it needs,
therefore redirecting it in allthe wrong places.
And then they come to you.
(08:02):
I have actually heard the words.
Can't you train this husky notto be so active, and then of
course, my head explodes.
Calm down and answer them no, Icannot change the DNA on this
dog.
This is something that isinherent in this breed.
(08:24):
So you got two lists, butyou've got to look at everything
.
My problem people start withtheir heart and then it goes to
their head.
They need to start with theirhead so then their heart can
enjoy the situation.
Switch it Head first, heartsecond.
(08:44):
You're inviting something intoyour house.
I would tell people, do as muchresearch on the dog.
But imagine you're invitingsomeone to rent a room in your
house and think of all theresearch you would do on that
person before you allowed themto live with you.
(09:05):
Why not do the same thing?
Because more than likely theroommate won't last more than a
few months or a year or twoDog's going to be there 15 years
minimum, you know, depending onthe dog.
And the research you do doesstart first off with yourself.
(09:28):
I have three kids and I may getin trouble for this, but most
good breeders and I don't knowabout your rescue, but most
rescues in new jersey do notadopt to families with children
under six.
It is not fair to thosetwo-year-olds and
three-year-olds who do notunderstand the concept of this
(09:51):
is not a toy to make themmiserable following rules that
they don't understand.
So you know you have to look ateverything.
Do you have 95-year-oldgreat-grandma living with you
who has skin like cellophane,who cannot have a dog jumping on
(10:12):
her?
Here's my environment.
Now, the rescues I deal with andthe breeders that I deal with
not only want to get these, notonly rehab the dogs and profile
them, but then they profile thefamilies that are coming in and
asking I mean, do you know howmany people I actually know
(10:33):
right now with AustralianShepherds who have no backyards?
Oh my God, I mean, how do youhave a herding breed with no
backyard?
So that means they either gotit from someone who's a puppy
mill or they got it from someonewho was just trying to make a
buck.
(10:53):
Here's the dog.
Give me the money Bye.
And you know, as a legitimaterescue, how many rescues are out
there right now making moneyand just grabbing dogs from
no-kill shelters, selling themfor $4.50, and you never hear
from them again.
They don't care who takes thedog.
So research on everything.
(11:14):
Research who you're buying orgetting the dog from.
Research who the dog is.
A good rescue has a profile.
A good rescue will ask you asmany.
Amy Castro (11:31):
I want to make the point that the research starts
before you walk into thatadoption event or walk into that
shelter You're doing this workin advance.
You're assessing your lifestyle,your home, the people that are
living in it, and you know Iwould just plead to people out
there is just to be honest aboutit.
I mean your comment about kidsunder six.
(11:51):
I don't care how well behavedyou believe your kid is and we
recently just rejected somebody.
It was actually for a cat.
They wanted to adopt not one,but two cats living in a very
small apartment and one of thecats recently had a front leg
amputated and they had childrenunder the age of three.
And I was like, yeah, no,that's not going to happen.
(12:13):
Well, my kids are good, my kidsare well behaved.
I'm like if you're not watchingthem 24-7 and that cat can't
get away, it's going to use theother three paws and its teeth
to get away and we're notputting that animal in that
situation.
And I think activity level isanother huge one.
It's that people, whether it'sa herding breed or whether it is
(12:35):
just a working dog breed, thatneeds a job, if you're a couch
potato, don't get a DobermanPinscher, don't get an
Australian Shepherd, because youalready are not going to give
that animal even just itsphysical needs, let alone its
mental needs.
Pete Campione (12:50):
But even that is still down to the individual dog
.
My girl, shelby here, who'sthree.
My assistant has her brothernight and day.
Her brother I can't stand him.
He sleeps until 12 o'clock.
Shelby is whining at sevenevery morning.
(13:13):
You will not sleep past seven,that is it, or I will scream.
You have to base the individual,which is why when you go to a
rescue, you go to a breeder, youask a ton of questions.
Do you know it takes me usuallysix months to acquire a new dog
?
Do you know it takes me usuallysix months to acquire a new dog
(13:37):
?
And if I go to rescue or to abreeder, I give them my list of
what I'm looking for and I letthe professional who knows the
dog tell me what's right for myhouse.
When I got Louie, my Doberman,I had the breeder pick.
I said look, I run a school.
I need a dog that's active, Ineed a dog that's got high drive
(13:59):
and interested, that wants towork.
But I need sweetness.
And that's what I got.
And if I were to go to a rescue, I'd say the exact same thing
Give me a dog who wants to work,give me a dog who doesn't have
this or has this and that's theway you do it.
And you said something beforeabout evaluations.
(14:20):
Evaluations are cumulative.
I have found this over time.
I love people who charge an armand a leg to evaluate a dog.
I've had people come to me withdogs that have bitten numerous
people, especially men, justbecause the dog then curls up in
(14:40):
my lap and that has happened.
That doesn't erase the sixbites.
So profiling and evaluation iscumulative.
You have to put it all together.
Same thing when you're lookingat a dog to get a dog, if I'm
looking at a dog, I will go andsee that dog three and four
(15:02):
times before I take it, becauseon one day the dog could have
just eaten, been very slow andsleepy, and I'll think, oh my
God, look, how laid back thisdog is.
But if I go back the next time,he hasn't eaten yet, how laid
back this dog is.
But if I go back the next time,he hasn't eaten yet, hasn't
gone for a walk yet, and nowhe's bouncing six feet in the
air.
So you know, you have torealize that this is a living
(15:25):
thing that is not going to bestatic and consistent in its
behavior all the time and youhave to move with that variation
.
Amy Castro (15:40):
Right, let's jump back a second because I want to
make a point.
As far as the applications, weget a lot of people that
complain about our application,that it's so long, and why do
you ask all these nosy questions?
And what we're trying to do iswe're trying to ask the
questions that you should beasking, but we're going to ask
you about you instead and thenwe're going to make those
evaluations about.
You know, it's not aboutevaluating you as a human being,
about whether you're good orbad.
It's about finding the right fitanimal for your lifestyle based
(16:04):
on what we know about theanimal and we don't always know
everything.
Like you said, things changeover time.
But I think that is a goodpoint too, is that you know you
don't decide.
Today's the day I'm going tohit all the shelters in my area
and I'm coming in with something, because it does take more than
one view.
And then one other thing I wantto say, about shelter dogs too,
especially, is that you have tobe very cautious about where
(16:25):
are you viewing that dog, and Ithink shelters should do this
more of assessing the person andwhat they're looking for before
you even show them any animals.
Pete Campione (16:39):
Right.
Amy Castro (16:39):
Don't take them back and walk them the 40 gauntlet
cages, with everybody raisinghell and jumping up on the cages
and barking, they're not goingto get a good feel for that
animal in that environment.
Pete Campione (16:50):
No.
Amy Castro (16:50):
Find out what that person is looking for, because
you know those animals.
Go back and select an animaland then have them meet that
animal in a quieter place,versus because I've seen too
many times great, perfect fitanimals get overlooked because
they're acting very active orthey're sitting in the corner
because they're overwhelmed bythe chaos that's going on around
(17:11):
them.
And that's not really who theyare.
It's who they are at that timein that bad environment.
Pete Campione (17:17):
Quite frankly, in shelters you're dealing with a
dog that is in a semi-state oftrauma.
They've been displaced, theyare packless, so they're all
over the place.
This is why adaptive processtakes between 30 and 90 days.
So the dog is in flux whenthey're there.
(17:38):
So their responses are measuredand normally on better behavior
than worse behavior.
Because they've got no rules,they've got no pack, so they
tend to be looser and then whenthey get the dog home, the dog
starts to revert to what I callinherited behavior.
(17:59):
And that's where you come inand you start training and
saying okay, this is where youare now and this is what we do
here.
I love I just love what you saidabout how long your
applications are.
If I don't, if I'm applying forsomething and this is what I
tell people I said if they don'tdo a home check, if they don't
(18:23):
give you a lot of questions,then they don't care where their
dog is going.
They just want you to take thedog.
If they ask you a lot ofquestions, if they ask about
your environment, they want togive you.
Take the dog.
If they ask you a lot ofquestions, if they ask about
your environment, they want togive you the right dog, why
would you argue?
Why would you take the wrongdog when they're trying to give
(18:44):
you the right one?
But we live in a very mediagratification society.
That's the human.
We want it now.
Amy Castro (18:54):
Yeah, what should I be looking for?
Like, let's say, I am going toa shelter, right, and they're
doing the right thing.
They're bringing an animal upfor me to look at what would be
some positive versus cautionarysigns when I'm being introduced
to an individual, assuming we'veassessed the lifestyle thing.
Pete Campione (19:11):
Start with engagement.
Start with how easily does thisdog engage?
That shows you a level oflearnability.
It also shows you how much workthe dog will need to get to
full engagement.
You know if a dog engages withyou very, very easily, looks at
you, follows you.
Sometimes I'll just take a dogand play with it in the room and
(19:33):
move around and see does thisdog stay with me?
Just to see if there's thatlevel of engagement.
If a dog runs in the corner andgoes under a chair, well that
tells me something else.
I let the dog tell me who theyare and simple tests of
communication back and forth.
Does the dog understandcommunication?
(19:55):
If the dog doesn't understandcommunication, then that tells
me this dog has spent its lifein a backyard or in a cage
because he doesn't understand toand fro.
The environment creates the dog.
So when you're looking at andassessing a shelter dog, that
all plays into it.
Because that's why it's so hardto get research and that's what
(20:20):
drives me so crazy aboutmethodologists is we can't get
research on dogs because theminute we touch them, we infect
them with us, they reflect us.
So it's very hard.
You know, you can study bees,you can study whales Can't study
dogs.
We don't infect bees, we don'taffect whales.
(20:42):
Dogs immediately startreflecting the environment and
who we are and that's whyindividualism and that
connection that you make withthat dog tells you something
about that dog in the moment.
But going back and seeing, doesthe dog improve.
I'm dealing with a BorderCollie right now that was
(21:04):
brought in that had growled andwouldn't let anybody but the
owner near it.
Took me a half an hour to getthe dog sitting next to me and
now I'm actually using the dog.
We're on, I think, a week fourof a class and the dog is
actually working with me now andthe dog has calmed down.
But I have to let the dog tellme okay, come forward.
(21:28):
Okay, no, go back.
Okay, this.
Okay, that you have to earntrust and then communicate this.
Okay, that you have to earntrust and then communicate.
And your test would be okay,how quickly did this dog learn
and how much do they want tocommunicate?
That's just giving you an ideaof not whether it's a good dog
or a bad dog, but who the dog is.
(21:48):
That's all.
Amy Castro (21:50):
Well, and I think it's key that you know that, and
I like that you didn't label itgood, bad or otherwise, because
the dog is who, the dog isRight.
And then you know, going intoit, how much work you're going
to have to do to integrate itinto your life, your lifestyle,
your household and all of that.
And are you up for thatchallenge?
You know some things are goingto go much easier and some
(22:10):
things are going to take a lotof time and effort, and do you
have that time and are youwilling to put in that effort?
I think that's so important forpeople to ask themselves.
Pete Campione (22:18):
There are generalities.
If you look at a dog, you couldjust tell by the way the dog is
moving.
Okay, this dog likes to work.
This dog has got a lot ofenergy.
This dog needs a lot ofstimulation.
This dog is thriving on that.
That tells you something, Okay.
Well, do I have time to do allthis?
You know, if the dog just comesand curls up in your lap, well,
(22:42):
okay, this dog may be a littlemore laid back.
But you have to realize it's aliving thing and you have to be
open to the evolving nature of adog, because no dog stays the
same.
So you can start with an idea,the DNA idea of a boxer versus,
you know, a Shih Tzu, but thenyou have to go directly to
(23:05):
individuality.
Amy Castro (23:07):
So when it comes to getting a dog and I don't want
to go too deep into the shelterversus rescue, versus breeder,
but I kind of want to talk abouthow do people make good choices
, let's just say in general,about sourcing a dog.
You've already said a couple ofthings.
You mentioned the questions onthe application and how
(23:28):
extensive the application,whether they do home visits or
not, things like that or thingsthat give you some information
about that organization.
But there are a lot of peoplewho go under that guideline of I
want to save a life, so I'mgoing to only get something from
a shelter or I want to getsomething from a breeder,
because that way I know what I'mgetting.
And both of those are notnecessarily good criteria or the
(23:51):
only criteria.
What are your thoughts as faras shelter dogs versus going to
a breeder and knowing who theparents are of that dog and the
grandparents, et cetera, etcetera, if it's a good breeder.
Pete Campione (24:04):
I don't see a difference when you're acquiring
a dog.
Shelter, rescue versus puppy tome are the same, because what
people don't realize when theygo into a shelter?
Oh, this dog has already grownand knows everything.
I don't have to do any workWrong, you have to do just as
much work Whether you have apuppy or an adult.
(24:27):
You're still teaching, you'restill parenting, you're still
guiding.
So I don't believe in adifference between it's what
fits your lifestyle, but I dobelieve in whichever you choose,
choosing quality.
You don't go to Walmart for awedding dress.
(24:49):
So if you're going to get a dog, go to a good shelter or a good
breeder.
This is the age of information.
There's plenty out there andfor the 15 years you're saving a
lot of trouble and you want toenhance your experience with the
(25:10):
dog.
You want to add to theirexistence.
Experience with the dog, youwant to add to their existence.
And that's the unfortunateproblem that you deal with more
than breeders is I saved him?
Well, no, you didn't.
If you took him home, you justtook him from one box to another
.
If he's in the wrong home, he'snot thriving.
(25:31):
He has a right to be the bestversion of himself.
Amy Castro (25:35):
So are there red flags in any facility or
organization that I shouldbasically go screaming into the
hills if I see that or if Iexperience that?
Pete Campione (25:46):
The red flags would be shelters that are
adopting in malls people who arenot doing background checks.
Red flags are that they're notasking a lot of questions of you
.
Amy Castro (25:59):
Now we do adoption events out in the community, but
we don't let you take anythinghome from the homeless, just
using that as a pickup pointbecause we've already arranged
and we do mostly cats.
We don't do a ton of dogs, butit would be the last step of
handing over the dog in theadoption process.
But we don't just let you fillout an application on site and
then just let you go home with apet.
Pete Campione (26:22):
With rescues.
You want a rescue that's asinterested in you as you are in
the dog With a breeder.
If you can't meet the parentsof your new puppy, you don't get
that puppy.
That's standard.
You have to go back, especiallyif you're buying a purebred
from a breeder.
You go back, you do yourhomework.
I go back in history, I go backand I look at parents, I look
(26:45):
at guarantees.
I look at standard market pricefrom a breeder for a dog.
If you've got a dog, thatnormally.
Now we go back to FrenchBulldogs because they are now
the number one dog in America.
They are averaging between$8,000 and $10,000 for a dog
that five years ago cost $3,000.
(27:08):
So you look at standard pricesfrom breeders.
If somebody is giving you anoutrageously low deal, red flag,
there's something wrong.
My dogs have hips checked,shoulders, eyes, all certified.
What is the guarantee?
That is coming from either thebreeder or the shelter.
(27:29):
Every good shelter I deal withstands behind their dogs.
If that dog does not work out,you sign a contract that says
that rescue is going to takethat dog back or that cat back.
They stand behind it and sodoes a good breeder.
You sign the contract.
God forbid I ever had to giveup one of my dogs.
(27:51):
The breeder has to know aboutit.
This shows you that the rescueor the shelter is proud of their
placement of their dog with youand they want it to work.
That's a red flag if you don'tget that.
Amy Castro (28:09):
Right.
Pete Campione (28:10):
If it's too good to be true.
Amy Castro (28:12):
Well, it shows a commitment to the animal and its
future too.
Pete Campione (28:16):
If it's too good to be true it's not true, you
know then there's somethinggoing on and right now puppy
mills have gotten very smartabout using fake homes.
They'll put the puppies in apen with fake parents and people
don't know, and then they go.
(28:36):
Oh no, it was a real breeder.
I went to a house and I saw theparents and I said and you got
your German Shepherd from them?
I said and how much was the dog?
$800.
No, you don't get a GermanShepherd for $800.
That was not real.
I said where's your contract?
(28:57):
Oh, there was no contract,there was just a bill of sale.
No, no, people who are proud ofwhat they do follow through.
I guarantee my work.
If somebody goes through myclass and they don't get it,
they take it again for free.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You're not leaving until thatdog is worth it and that dog has
(29:18):
gotten what it needs.
You know, your red flags are nodifferent than with anything
else If somebody's selling you aRolex for 25 bucks no For the
fees, though I want to just saythat you know, in rescues we
keep our fees based on.
Amy Castro (29:38):
You know we don't raise it because it's because we
happen to take in a purebredthis or that.
Our fees are based on the kindof average expense of what it
costs us to care for the animalwhile it's in our care and we
kind of take a loss on most ofour animals.
Pete Campione (29:53):
But that's a good rescue.
Unfortunately, yeah, whatpeople think is this is the
thing about rescues.
There are rescues making a tonof money because down south
there are so many shelters andso many displaced dogs that are
on death row and any rescue canwalk into these shelters and say
(30:15):
, well, I'll take all those dogsoff of death row and they may
pay 10 bucks a dog and then theyjust drive them up in a van,
right, and then they drive themup in a van and they just hand
them off to the first personwith $400.
And I also get people who arelike, well, I looked everywhere
and this was the only person Icould get the dog from now.
(30:38):
Well, no, not now.
I've waited half a year for adog.
I've waited for litters.
I've waited for the right dogto come in to rescue.
I've done both, and that againrescue.
I've done both.
And that again speaks to myneeds as a trainer.
(30:59):
My dogs accompany me and workwith me, so sometimes I need a
puppy to be brought up in thatenvironment so that they're kind
of bulletproof.
And taking in a rescue dog withunknowns could be a problem.
But I've lucked out.
I had a border collie, toby,that actually I rescued him.
He was found on the street ofNew Hampshire at two years old,
(31:20):
covered in ticks and fleas, andToby ended up winning an award
from New Jersey governor for hiswork with deaf children, which
was an amazing rebound andsuccess story.
In fact, I wrote about him inthe book.
But I know what I'm.
You know when you take a dog in, there's a certain amount of
(31:45):
rehab.
You're introducing yourself tothe dog.
You have to be ready to teach,you have to be ready to parent,
and I use that analogy a lotwith people.
You're parenting.
When somebody tells me whatthey did with the dog, I say
would you do that with your kid?
If somebody said this couldpossibly hurt your child, would
(32:07):
you take a chance?
Well, no, yeah, but you knowhow many people take chances
with dogs.
That's why good breeders andrescues need to ask a lot of
questions to find out who isthis that's asking me for my dog
?
Amy Castro (32:24):
yeah, yeah.
Then sometimes you end upsitting on animal.
I mean I've had people getpissed off and I guess you just
don't want this animal to find ahome.
It's like, no, I just don'twant it to go home with you.
It's like I hate to be an ass,but you're not the right fit and
I would rather I'm taking ablind pit bull with me when I
move, because she's not my dogbut we have not found the right
(32:45):
adopter for her and I'm not justgoing to give her to anybody
just because I don't feel liketaking seven animals with me
back to the East Coast.
They're all coming with Oncesomebody feels like they've got
the right dog and they bring ithome.
You know we give a lot ofinstruction on what to do when
you bring the dog a dog or a cathome and what kind of
(33:07):
environment they need, and weobviously talk about equipment
and things like that in advance.
But what are the successfactors, let's say in the first
30 days?
Let's say things that peopleshould be doing when they bring
a new dog home.
Pete Campione (33:20):
Whenever you bring a new dog home, whether
it's an adult dog or a puppy,there's a period of an
adjustment.
If it's a puppy, it's a littlebit easier because they're
smaller, they're babies.
But either way, adult or puppy,it's like a baby.
You're bringing something intoyour house that knows nothing.
(33:41):
Dogs seek three things who isthe leader?
What are the rules?
How do I survive?
And they survive by knowing therules and the leader.
Now, knowing the rules are notabout anything more than safety.
So you have to think betweenthe first 30 and 90 days, how
(34:04):
can I make sure this dog is safeand how can I make sure this
dog is learning?
That means, as far as I'mconcerned, that no dog, no puppy
is out of sight if you can't bemonitoring that dog or that
puppy.
That's what your crate is for.
(34:24):
Your crate is your babysitter,your safety seat.
You would never turn your backon an infant crawling on the
floor.
You would never turn your backon an infant crawling on the
floor.
There would be no such thing aswhere's the baby?
No, and there should not beanything like that with the dog.
It takes two seconds for anydog to pick something up off the
(34:45):
floor and choke on it.
So your rule of thumb in thebeginning to provide stability,
success and a good bond is thedog is out, he has my attention,
I'm focused, that's it.
Give yourself a break.
If you've got something to do,put the dog in a safe area a pen
(35:09):
or a crate.
That way you know this dog isnot learning bad behaviors.
Because the beauty of bringinga new dog home is they're ready
for you to take charge.
Tell them how their life isgoing to be happy, and you got
to do that.
(35:29):
I often tell people, especiallywith adult dogs and puppies.
I often tell people, especiallywith adult dogs and puppies, to
let them drag a short two tothree foot chain leash around
the house.
Why a chain?
So they don't chew and choke onit.
But that leash gives you theability to correct and to
(35:50):
instruct.
If you say, doggy come, and thedog doesn't understand that,
then you pick up the leash,bring the dog to you.
And now the dog is like, oh,that's what it means.
Oh, and you loved when I didthat, so I'll do that again.
Or if you see a puppy startingto poop on your floor because
(36:10):
he's not housebroken yet, youpick up the leash, you say no,
no and get the dog outside.
I don't want people grabbing thedog.
That's intrusive.
Picking up a leash isinstructive but I have to
emphasize it must be chained.
I don't want dogs chokingbecause they're bored and
chewing on their leash, but thatwhole thing teaches dogs not to
(36:35):
jump.
What's acceptable, what's notacceptable?
It's an instruction tool.
The first 90 days of puppy andrescue of an adult is learning
and absorbing.
If you put the work in in thebeginning, you can enjoy them
later.
(36:55):
You don't put the work in thebeginning, then it's tedious the
entire time.
Amy Castro (37:02):
Yeah, and I think you need to engage everybody in
that process.
Like one of the things that Iknow we have had issues with you
got a guest or people comingover at some point and they
don't want to follow the rules.
Like people will say thingslike oh, that's okay.
When they jump up, it's like no, it's not okay.
No, it's not Just because youaccept, it doesn't mean that I
(37:22):
want them jumping on my grandmaor knocking down a two-year-old.
Pete Campione (37:25):
So no, thank you.
Amy Castro (37:27):
We have to follow these rules, yeah.
Pete Campione (37:29):
Thank you.
I honestly use the exact samething.
You have to remember it's againparenting.
You don't let your guests comein and give your kids chocolate
five minutes before you eat.
When your guests come in, theyfollow the rules for the safety
(37:50):
and the development of the child.
This is the same thing.
And again, if the dog isdragging a leash and someone
comes in now you can teach thedog.
If you want to engage with thatperson, say please, please is
sit, so the dog sits.
Then that becomes the go-tobehavior.
But you can't let anybodyundermine your teaching of your
(38:12):
child.
And it's the same thing with anew dog.
You know, when I get a dog thatis constantly jumping, I mean
one of the first rules I lay afoundation down for all my
students and the first thing isyour dog.
You teach your children to sayplease.
You teach your children to sayplease.
You teach your dog to sayplease, your dog sits for
(38:35):
everything.
That's teaching the dogpoliteness, manners.
Secondly, you follow through oneverything you say so the dog
learns clarity and language andI can tell if people are not
doing those things, Because ifthey come back four weeks later
and say, well, my dog is stilljumping.
My first question is are youletting the dog drag a leash and
(38:58):
who's letting the dog jump onthem?
It's not the dog's fault.
Dogs follow.
They don't lead, they don'twant to be in charge, they want
a parent.
It provides dogs withconfidence and security.
You get a much more balanceddog when the dog knows the
answers and the dog knowsclearly what you want.
(39:19):
And you achieve that byinstruction, consistency,
repetition, those things equalbehavior.
Amy Castro (39:27):
Such a good point.
So to kind of wrap things up,number one I want you to tell us
about your book, because Imentioned it in the beginning
and you've mentioned it a coupleof times.
But tell us a little bit moreabout what we've defined when we
buy the book.
Pete Campione (39:42):
Well, oddly, it came about because I keep
reading scientific studies thatsay no, dogs are not empathetic,
dogs do not do anything,they're not going to get
something from.
My firm belief is dogs areproactively communicating with
(40:02):
us now on a level that does notinvolve what can they get out of
the situation, and I've had alot of experiences with that and
I have found communication withdogs is the key to.
I don't like the word training,I like forming behavior.
(40:25):
You know you don't say I'mtraining my child, but you're
teaching your child, andteaching is effective
communication and I feel likethe book teaches people to
listen and respond.
In my area I get a lot of dogswho are not accepted other
(40:50):
places I get dogs with severePTSD who've been abused, bait
dogs, hoarding dogs.
There's a story on my websiteabout a dog named Fiona.
She's also a book.
She was a husky who was foundin a box of dead puppies in a
hoarding situation.
And Fiona it took her about ayear to finally learn how to
(41:13):
play.
I look at these broken and youknow, coming from my childhood,
I just sort of, like you know,project onto them like, wow, if
only somebody had done this forme.
So I take a lot of cases thatnobody else will Deaf dogs,
blind dogs, ptsd, severe anxiety, behavioral issues.
(41:36):
That keeps these dogs frombeing resilient, because,
unfortunately, when people getthese dogs again, they're
thinking with their heart firstwhy are you adopting a blind dog
when you have no experiencewith that?
You can't rehabilitate what youdon't know, and my job then is
(41:57):
okay, you've already got the dog, here's what you need to do.
So the book is about creatingcommunication First.
I am over looking at endlessverbal vomit from training
videos where everybody justwalks in a room and starts
yanking on the dog.
Nobody communicates to the dogfirst to say hey, we got a back
(42:19):
and forth going here.
I'm talking to you, you'retalking to me, introduce
yourself Before.
A lot of these trainers justwalk in okay, do this, do this,
do that.
No, you can't Introduce.
Have a connection first, andthat way the dog wants to learn.
If a dog wants to learn, itlasts.
(42:42):
Otherwise with methodologists,it only lasts as long as you're
making them do something.
I want to convince them to dosomething because it's the right
choice and the book shows this,because these are extreme cases
.
These are cases where there wasno hope and we found it, and it
(43:08):
came full circle.
The real catalyst for the bookwas a German shepherd that I
dealt with that was bought by amillionaire.
He bought three puppies andleft them in a kennel for two
years and abandoned them.
One of the dogs was adopted bythis lovely couple and his name
was Martin, and I'll neverforget him and I'm not going to
(43:28):
cry when I talk about this.
But one night he broke free.
I had taken a lot of time withMartin.
Martin had black eyes, he wasdead inside.
He would do whatever you said,but there was no joy, there was
nothing.
After he started to come around,after he started to wag his
(43:49):
tail, after he actually startedto look and the light was back
in his eyes, he was goingthrough a second class with me
and in the middle of the classhe broke free from his owner and
did something he had never donewith anybody before and his
owner started crying.
(44:09):
And then I was bawling like ababy.
She was putting her coat on andthe leash dropped and he ran
across the room, jumped in mylap.
I've got 90 pounds of GermanShepherd licking me, knocking my
hat off.
I'm bawling like a baby.
But all I heard was thank you,thank you, thank you, and I
(44:33):
still.
It still affects me becausethat was proactive communication
that was proactive.
He got nothing out of that.
He wanted to tell me somethingand that's why it's so important
to fine-tune your communicationwith this dog.
It increases the bond, itincreases the safety factor and
(44:58):
they're a social being.
So make them a social being,talk to them, listen to them,
and that's what I hope the bookdoes, by seeing how it can work
If it can work with theseextreme cases imagine on a
well-balanced dog.
But it's a heart book.
It's a very personal book aboutspecial dogs that have taken me
(45:21):
through a journey and I in turn, have taken them through the
journey, and I hope people enjoyit.
I've gotten a lot of goodfeedback so far.
Last chapter's a bitch, though,because it's your final
conversation.
Amy Castro (45:34):
Uh-oh.
Pete Campione (45:35):
Yeah, I'm a firm believer.
I have put on Academy Awardwinning performances with that
last conversation with some veryspecial dogs, but you owe it to
them to send them off in peace.
So that last chapter chapter isprobably my most important
(45:57):
chapter but the hardest one forme to read or edit or talk about
, because it's so personal andwe all go through it.
All of us in the animal worldhave signed on for children that
will die before us and we gothrough that always.
But it's something that wesigned on for, so we owe it to
(46:20):
them.
Amy Castro (46:25):
Yeah.
So, definitely encourage peopleto, and we'll put links in the
show notes so that people cancheck out the book on on.
Pete Campione (46:33):
Amazon.
Amy Castro (46:34):
You can listen to it you can read it if you want the
paperback version, and we'llput those links out there.
But, Pete, thank you so muchfor being here today and sharing
your experience and your wisdom.
I really appreciate it and Ihope people take to heart all
the advice that you providedthroughout this episode.
Pete Campione (46:51):
Well, amy, thank you and God bless you for the
work you do, because good rescuepeople are true givers, because
you are not in this to get rich.
You know when you get involvedwith animals.
Amy Castro (47:04):
I haven't made a dime.
All I do is waste money.
Pete Campione (47:07):
I mean, you know, I knew I was not going to get
rich doing this.
If I did get rich, I knew I wasnot going to get rich doing
this.
If I did get rich, I would becompromising my integrity.
So you don't.
It's love.
So that's why you guys are outin the trenches and I offer my
school will give free trainingto any rescue.
(47:30):
If I've got room in a class andyou guys have got dogs that
have problems, you come to meand that dog has a place,
because if you can give, Icertainly can.
So you know you should you geta gold star for your life.
Amy Castro (47:45):
Well, thank you.
I appreciate that.
All right, folks, if today'sepisode has saved even one
person from adopting or buying adog, they had no business
bringing home than.
Pete and I have done our jobs.
If you're about to bring home anew pup, please think before
you leap.
Don't just fall for that cuteface or that sad story on the
internet.
Do your homework and set yourdog and yourself up for success
(48:08):
because, trust me, nobody wantsto be the person crying on the
phone to a trainer or to arescue saying I don't know what
went wrong.
A huge thanks again to PeteCampione for sharing his wisdom,
and if you want to learn more,go grab his book.
We put links in the show notes.
If you love this episode, makesure to subscribe, leave a
review and tell your dog-lovingor dog-struggling friends about
(48:30):
it.
And if you've made a dogdecision disaster in the past,
I'd love to hear about it.
And if you've made a dogdecision disaster in the past,
I'd love to hear about it.
Find us on social media andspill your story.
So until next time, love yourdogs for who they are, not for
who you thought they should be,and we'll see you in the next
episode.
Thanks for listening to MuddyPaws and Hairballs.
Be sure to visit our website atmuddypawsandhairballscom for
(48:52):
more resources and be sure tofollow this podcast on your
favorite podcast app, so you'llnever miss a show.
And hey, if you like this show,text someone right now and say
I've got a podcastrecommendation.
You need to check the show outand tell them to listen and let
you know what they think.
Don't forget to tune in nextweek and every week for a brand
new episode.
And if you don't do anythingelse this week, give your pets a
(49:14):
big hug from us.
All right, dog lovers, listen up, because this
episode might just save you frommaking a tremendous mistake.
Too many people pick a dog theway they pick a new pair of
shoes because it looks cute.
Then, a few months later,they're wondering why their
house is destroyed.
Their dog is bouncing off thewall.
Their life is a chaotic mess.
If you don't want to have dogbuyers remorse, then this
(00:23):
episode is for you.
Stay tuned.
I'm Amy Castro and, as you know,I'm the host of Muddy Paws and
Hairballs, and today I've gotwith me a guy who has seen it
all in his 25 years as a trainerand behaviorist working with
extreme canine behavior cases.
He's the owner of Kindred SoulsCanine Center in Howell, new
(00:45):
Jersey, and his new book iscalled Canine Conversations and
it's available now on Amazon inpaperback and as an e-book, and
his name is Pete Campione, andPete and I are here to save you
from yourself, or at least fromchoosing a dog that's going to
turn your life upside down.
We're going to talk about bigmistakes people make, what you
should actually look for whenpicking a pup, and why a dog is
(01:09):
not a cute accessory it is alifetime commitment.
So before you bring home anadorable fluff ball.
Let's make sure you're notabout to make a disaster-level
decision.
So, pete, welcome to the showand let's save these people from
themselves to the show andlet's save these people from
themselves.
Pete Campione (01:27):
Hi, amy, thank you so much and it cracks me up
because in your intro you saidpeople spend more time
researching a pair of shoes.
Do you know?
I actually got a bad review onYelp for saying that to somebody
.
This woman came in and she hada French bulldog and she was
getting pissed at it because itwas being a French bulldog and
my assistants kept whispering inmy ear.
(01:49):
They said she's being reallymean to that dog, she's doing
this, she doesn't like that.
And she gave me a bad review.
And I had actually walked up toher and I looked at her shoes
and she had Hoka sneakers, whichare really cool sneakers, and I
said there's nothing wrong withthis dog.
I guarantee you you researchedthose sneakers more than you did
this, because this is aperfectly normal French Bulldog
(02:13):
and she gave me a bad review forit.
But tough luck, there wasnothing wrong with the dog.
Amy Castro (02:18):
Yeah, I agree.
Yeah, I'm sure she did.
I'm sure she did, or she justgot lucky because she followed
the trend of other people aroundher, which is another way that
people tend to pick their pets,which is why I think there are
so many French bulldogs anddoodles that are in the wrong
homes and we won't even get intowhether those dogs should
really exist or not.
(02:39):
That's a whole other show.
Oh, please, but I do want to dothat show yeah.
So you've been working withdogs for 25 years.
What are some of the mostcommon mistakes people make with
picking a dog, and how often dothey come to you?
And the conversation startswith but he was so cute.
Pete Campione (02:56):
Oh please.
I've learned in 25 years toavoid the look of horror that
normally goes on my face when Ihear this, and now I've learned
to breathe five times before Ianswer, because you're dealing
with close to 50% of myclientele will come in with a
(03:18):
dog that they know nothing about, and then I hear these words
which make my head explode Well,well, I didn't know, but that's
why I'm here to which, ofcourse, I always answer do you
buy the car before you learn todrive or do you buy the car
after you learn to drive?
(03:39):
And do you buy the car becauseit's red or do you drive the car
because it's efficient, saveyou know whatever?
So that's the problem with alot of the breeds that are
popular right now, that arereally iffy in most homes.
I'm a firm believer every dog,including mixed breeds,
(04:02):
including mixed breeds every dogis not right for every home,
and that is neither good nor bad.
It's not anybody's fault ifyou're not the right home for a
chihuahua.
If you've got sixfour-year-olds running around
your house, you should not havea chihuahua or a dachshund.
(04:23):
These are just common sense,and I think the most crazy
making thing is people really doso much research when it comes
to everything.
Now they get their phones outand immediately Google what they
want and what are the reviewson it and what are people saying
(04:44):
.
But again, just like you said,but he was so cute, or he picked
me, I couldn't leave.
Because he picked me, I'm likeno, he didn't.
No, he didn't, you just smellednice.
Amy Castro (05:02):
Come on, you smelled like that hamburger you ate
five minutes ago.
Pete Campione (05:05):
Yeah, I mean, come on, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Amy Castro (05:10):
It's interesting you say, when you gave the example
of buying a car before yourlicense so I teach, amongst
other things, that I teach tohumans.
I know you teach dogs Well, youteach humans too.
Pete Campione (05:22):
Absolutely.
Probably more than the dogs,but anyway.
Amy Castro (05:24):
Absolutely.
When it comes to productivityand how people spend their time,
oftentimes people don't knowhow to judge what is the most
important thing on their to-dolist, and I'm a big believer
that you should have criteria,just like you would when you
were buying a car.
So when you buy a car, you havecriteria for fuel efficiency,
(05:45):
how many passengers can hold,what is the right reliability
rating.
You know what is the pricerange that I can afford, etc.
Etc.
Etc.
And I advocate for people to dothat with their productivity.
You know, to identify what arethe things that are your goals
and objectives and then use thatas the criteria to filter how
(06:06):
you spend your time.
And I think you know, anytimewe're making big decisions like
having a pet, we should have alist of criteria.
You know we should be goingthrough some questions that say
you know what's my activitylevel, what's my lifestyle, etc.
What kind of thing would yousay if somebody was going to
create that list?
What kind of questions orcriteria do you think that they
(06:28):
should be going through tonarrow down what kind of dog
they should get, where theyshould get it, et cetera.
Pete Campione (06:35):
Well, first of all, you're looking at two lists
.
You're looking at your bucketlist and then you have to look
at the dog's bucket list.
So you decide okay, this is whoI am, this is the time I spend
at work, this is the time I havefree, this is the time I want
to do this, this is the time Iexercise.
You look at your surroundings.
(06:57):
The environment is so criticalin every dog.
That's why I mean my breeds,and they're both.
In the room with me right nowis my Australian Shepherd, which
I've had Australian Shepherdsfor over 25 years, and Dobermans
.
These are two breeds that arenot for everybody.
(07:17):
They have bucket lists, so notonly do they have to fit my
lifestyle, I have to be able tosupport what they need to make
them healthy and balanced.
If you don't do both, you're ona crash course, and what
happens a lot of times?
What I see is okay, they didn'tdo that.
(07:40):
So now the human, not the dog.
The human has to work harder tocompensate to the dog's bucket
list, because the dog is now notgetting what it needs,
therefore redirecting it in allthe wrong places.
And then they come to you.
(08:02):
I have actually heard the words.
Can't you train this husky notto be so active, and then of
course, my head explodes.
Calm down and answer them no, Icannot change the DNA on this
dog.
This is something that isinherent in this breed.
(08:24):
So you got two lists, butyou've got to look at everything
.
My problem people start withtheir heart and then it goes to
their head.
They need to start with theirhead so then their heart can
enjoy the situation.
Switch it Head first, heartsecond.
(08:44):
You're inviting something intoyour house.
I would tell people, do as muchresearch on the dog.
But imagine you're invitingsomeone to rent a room in your
house and think of all theresearch you would do on that
person before you allowed themto live with you.
(09:05):
Why not do the same thing?
Because more than likely theroommate won't last more than a
few months or a year or twoDog's going to be there 15 years
minimum, you know, depending onthe dog.
And the research you do doesstart first off with yourself.
(09:28):
I have three kids and I may getin trouble for this, but most
good breeders and I don't knowabout your rescue, but most
rescues in new jersey do notadopt to families with children
under six.
It is not fair to thosetwo-year-olds and
three-year-olds who do notunderstand the concept of this
(09:51):
is not a toy to make themmiserable following rules that
they don't understand.
So you know you have to look ateverything.
Do you have 95-year-oldgreat-grandma living with you
who has skin like cellophane,who cannot have a dog jumping on
(10:12):
her?
Here's my environment.
Now, the rescues I deal with andthe breeders that I deal with
not only want to get these, notonly rehab the dogs and profile
them, but then they profile thefamilies that are coming in and
asking I mean, do you know howmany people I actually know
(10:33):
right now with AustralianShepherds who have no backyards?
Oh my God, I mean, how do youhave a herding breed with no
backyard?
So that means they either gotit from someone who's a puppy
mill or they got it from someonewho was just trying to make a
buck.
(10:53):
Here's the dog.
Give me the money Bye.
And you know, as a legitimaterescue, how many rescues are out
there right now making moneyand just grabbing dogs from
no-kill shelters, selling themfor $4.50, and you never hear
from them again.
They don't care who takes thedog.
So research on everything.
(11:14):
Research who you're buying orgetting the dog from.
Research who the dog is.
A good rescue has a profile.
A good rescue will ask you asmany.
Amy Castro (11:31):
I want to make the point that the research starts
before you walk into thatadoption event or walk into that
shelter You're doing this workin advance.
You're assessing your lifestyle,your home, the people that are
living in it, and you know Iwould just plead to people out
there is just to be honest aboutit.
I mean your comment about kidsunder six.
(11:51):
I don't care how well behavedyou believe your kid is and we
recently just rejected somebody.
It was actually for a cat.
They wanted to adopt not one,but two cats living in a very
small apartment and one of thecats recently had a front leg
amputated and they had childrenunder the age of three.
And I was like, yeah, no,that's not going to happen.
(12:13):
Well, my kids are good, my kidsare well behaved.
I'm like if you're not watchingthem 24-7 and that cat can't
get away, it's going to use theother three paws and its teeth
to get away and we're notputting that animal in that
situation.
And I think activity level isanother huge one.
It's that people, whether it'sa herding breed or whether it is
(12:35):
just a working dog breed, thatneeds a job, if you're a couch
potato, don't get a DobermanPinscher, don't get an
Australian Shepherd, because youalready are not going to give
that animal even just itsphysical needs, let alone its
mental needs.
Pete Campione (12:50):
But even that is still down to the individual dog
.
My girl, shelby here, who'sthree.
My assistant has her brothernight and day.
Her brother I can't stand him.
He sleeps until 12 o'clock.
Shelby is whining at sevenevery morning.
(13:13):
You will not sleep past seven,that is it, or I will scream.
You have to base the individual,which is why when you go to a
rescue, you go to a breeder, youask a ton of questions.
Do you know it takes me usuallysix months to acquire a new dog
?
Do you know it takes me usuallysix months to acquire a new dog
(13:37):
?
And if I go to rescue or to abreeder, I give them my list of
what I'm looking for and I letthe professional who knows the
dog tell me what's right for myhouse.
When I got Louie, my Doberman,I had the breeder pick.
I said look, I run a school.
I need a dog that's active, Ineed a dog that's got high drive
(13:59):
and interested, that wants towork.
But I need sweetness.
And that's what I got.
And if I were to go to a rescue, I'd say the exact same thing
Give me a dog who wants to work,give me a dog who doesn't have
this or has this and that's theway you do it.
And you said something beforeabout evaluations.
(14:20):
Evaluations are cumulative.
I have found this over time.
I love people who charge an armand a leg to evaluate a dog.
I've had people come to me withdogs that have bitten numerous
people, especially men, justbecause the dog then curls up in
(14:40):
my lap and that has happened.
That doesn't erase the sixbites.
So profiling and evaluation iscumulative.
You have to put it all together.
Same thing when you're lookingat a dog to get a dog, if I'm
looking at a dog, I will go andsee that dog three and four
(15:02):
times before I take it, becauseon one day the dog could have
just eaten, been very slow andsleepy, and I'll think, oh my
God, look, how laid back thisdog is.
But if I go back the next time,he hasn't eaten yet, how laid
back this dog is.
But if I go back the next time,he hasn't eaten yet, hasn't
gone for a walk yet, and nowhe's bouncing six feet in the
air.
So you know, you have torealize that this is a living
(15:25):
thing that is not going to bestatic and consistent in its
behavior all the time and youhave to move with that variation
.
Amy Castro (15:40):
Right, let's jump back a second because I want to
make a point.
As far as the applications, weget a lot of people that
complain about our application,that it's so long, and why do
you ask all these nosy questions?
And what we're trying to do iswe're trying to ask the
questions that you should beasking, but we're going to ask
you about you instead and thenwe're going to make those
evaluations about.
You know, it's not aboutevaluating you as a human being,
about whether you're good orbad.
It's about finding the right fitanimal for your lifestyle based
(16:04):
on what we know about theanimal and we don't always know
everything.
Like you said, things changeover time.
But I think that is a goodpoint too, is that you know you
don't decide.
Today's the day I'm going tohit all the shelters in my area
and I'm coming in with something, because it does take more than
one view.
And then one other thing I wantto say, about shelter dogs too,
especially, is that you have tobe very cautious about where
(16:25):
are you viewing that dog, and Ithink shelters should do this
more of assessing the person andwhat they're looking for before
you even show them any animals.
Pete Campione (16:39):
Right.
Amy Castro (16:39):
Don't take them back and walk them the 40 gauntlet
cages, with everybody raisinghell and jumping up on the cages
and barking, they're not goingto get a good feel for that
animal in that environment.
Pete Campione (16:50):
No.
Amy Castro (16:50):
Find out what that person is looking for, because
you know those animals.
Go back and select an animaland then have them meet that
animal in a quieter place,versus because I've seen too
many times great, perfect fitanimals get overlooked because
they're acting very active orthey're sitting in the corner
because they're overwhelmed bythe chaos that's going on around
(17:11):
them.
And that's not really who theyare.
It's who they are at that timein that bad environment.
Pete Campione (17:17):
Quite frankly, in shelters you're dealing with a
dog that is in a semi-state oftrauma.
They've been displaced, theyare packless, so they're all
over the place.
This is why adaptive processtakes between 30 and 90 days.
So the dog is in flux whenthey're there.
(17:38):
So their responses are measuredand normally on better behavior
than worse behavior.
Because they've got no rules,they've got no pack, so they
tend to be looser and then whenthey get the dog home, the dog
starts to revert to what I callinherited behavior.
(17:59):
And that's where you come inand you start training and
saying okay, this is where youare now and this is what we do
here.
I love I just love what you saidabout how long your
applications are.
If I don't, if I'm applying forsomething and this is what I
tell people I said if they don'tdo a home check, if they don't
(18:23):
give you a lot of questions,then they don't care where their
dog is going.
They just want you to take thedog.
If they ask you a lot ofquestions, if they ask about
your environment, they want togive you.
Take the dog.
If they ask you a lot ofquestions, if they ask about
your environment, they want togive you the right dog, why
would you argue?
Why would you take the wrongdog when they're trying to give
(18:44):
you the right one?
But we live in a very mediagratification society.
That's the human.
We want it now.
Amy Castro (18:54):
Yeah, what should I be looking for?
Like, let's say, I am going toa shelter, right, and they're
doing the right thing.
They're bringing an animal upfor me to look at what would be
some positive versus cautionarysigns when I'm being introduced
to an individual, assuming we'veassessed the lifestyle thing.
Pete Campione (19:11):
Start with engagement.
Start with how easily does thisdog engage?
That shows you a level oflearnability.
It also shows you how much workthe dog will need to get to
full engagement.
You know if a dog engages withyou very, very easily, looks at
you, follows you.
Sometimes I'll just take a dogand play with it in the room and
(19:33):
move around and see does thisdog stay with me?
Just to see if there's thatlevel of engagement.
If a dog runs in the corner andgoes under a chair, well that
tells me something else.
I let the dog tell me who theyare and simple tests of
communication back and forth.
Does the dog understandcommunication?
(19:55):
If the dog doesn't understandcommunication, then that tells
me this dog has spent its lifein a backyard or in a cage
because he doesn't understand toand fro.
The environment creates the dog.
So when you're looking at andassessing a shelter dog, that
all plays into it.
Because that's why it's so hardto get research and that's what
(20:20):
drives me so crazy aboutmethodologists is we can't get
research on dogs because theminute we touch them, we infect
them with us, they reflect us.
So it's very hard.
You know, you can study bees,you can study whales Can't study
dogs.
We don't infect bees, we don'taffect whales.
(20:42):
Dogs immediately startreflecting the environment and
who we are and that's whyindividualism and that
connection that you make withthat dog tells you something
about that dog in the moment.
But going back and seeing, doesthe dog improve.
I'm dealing with a BorderCollie right now that was
(21:04):
brought in that had growled andwouldn't let anybody but the
owner near it.
Took me a half an hour to getthe dog sitting next to me and
now I'm actually using the dog.
We're on, I think, a week fourof a class and the dog is
actually working with me now andthe dog has calmed down.
But I have to let the dog tellme okay, come forward.
(21:28):
Okay, no, go back.
Okay, this.
Okay, that you have to earntrust and then communicate this.
Okay, that you have to earntrust and then communicate.
And your test would be okay,how quickly did this dog learn
and how much do they want tocommunicate?
That's just giving you an ideaof not whether it's a good dog
or a bad dog, but who the dog is.
(21:48):
That's all.
Amy Castro (21:50):
Well, and I think it's key that you know that, and
I like that you didn't label itgood, bad or otherwise, because
the dog is who, the dog isRight.
And then you know, going intoit, how much work you're going
to have to do to integrate itinto your life, your lifestyle,
your household and all of that.
And are you up for thatchallenge?
You know some things are goingto go much easier and some
(22:10):
things are going to take a lotof time and effort, and do you
have that time and are youwilling to put in that effort?
I think that's so important forpeople to ask themselves.
Pete Campione (22:18):
There are generalities.
If you look at a dog, you couldjust tell by the way the dog is
moving.
Okay, this dog likes to work.
This dog has got a lot ofenergy.
This dog needs a lot ofstimulation.
This dog is thriving on that.
That tells you something, Okay.
Well, do I have time to do allthis?
You know, if the dog just comesand curls up in your lap, well,
(22:42):
okay, this dog may be a littlemore laid back.
But you have to realize it's aliving thing and you have to be
open to the evolving nature of adog, because no dog stays the
same.
So you can start with an idea,the DNA idea of a boxer versus,
you know, a Shih Tzu, but thenyou have to go directly to
(23:05):
individuality.
Amy Castro (23:07):
So when it comes to getting a dog and I don't want
to go too deep into the shelterversus rescue, versus breeder,
but I kind of want to talk abouthow do people make good choices
, let's just say in general,about sourcing a dog.
You've already said a couple ofthings.
You mentioned the questions onthe application and how
(23:28):
extensive the application,whether they do home visits or
not, things like that or thingsthat give you some information
about that organization.
But there are a lot of peoplewho go under that guideline of I
want to save a life, so I'mgoing to only get something from
a shelter or I want to getsomething from a breeder,
because that way I know what I'mgetting.
And both of those are notnecessarily good criteria or the
(23:51):
only criteria.
What are your thoughts as faras shelter dogs versus going to
a breeder and knowing who theparents are of that dog and the
grandparents, et cetera, etcetera, if it's a good breeder.
Pete Campione (24:04):
I don't see a difference when you're acquiring
a dog.
Shelter, rescue versus puppy tome are the same, because what
people don't realize when theygo into a shelter?
Oh, this dog has already grownand knows everything.
I don't have to do any workWrong, you have to do just as
much work Whether you have apuppy or an adult.
(24:27):
You're still teaching, you'restill parenting, you're still
guiding.
So I don't believe in adifference between it's what
fits your lifestyle, but I dobelieve in whichever you choose,
choosing quality.
You don't go to Walmart for awedding dress.
(24:49):
So if you're going to get a dog, go to a good shelter or a good
breeder.
This is the age of information.
There's plenty out there andfor the 15 years you're saving a
lot of trouble and you want toenhance your experience with the
(25:10):
dog.
You want to add to theirexistence.
Experience with the dog, youwant to add to their existence.
And that's the unfortunateproblem that you deal with more
than breeders is I saved him?
Well, no, you didn't.
If you took him home, you justtook him from one box to another
.
If he's in the wrong home, he'snot thriving.
(25:31):
He has a right to be the bestversion of himself.
Amy Castro (25:35):
So are there red flags in any facility or
organization that I shouldbasically go screaming into the
hills if I see that or if Iexperience that?
Pete Campione (25:46):
The red flags would be shelters that are
adopting in malls people who arenot doing background checks.
Red flags are that they're notasking a lot of questions of you
.
Amy Castro (25:59):
Now we do adoption events out in the community, but
we don't let you take anythinghome from the homeless, just
using that as a pickup pointbecause we've already arranged
and we do mostly cats.
We don't do a ton of dogs, butit would be the last step of
handing over the dog in theadoption process.
But we don't just let you fillout an application on site and
then just let you go home with apet.
Pete Campione (26:22):
With rescues.
You want a rescue that's asinterested in you as you are in
the dog With a breeder.
If you can't meet the parentsof your new puppy, you don't get
that puppy.
That's standard.
You have to go back, especiallyif you're buying a purebred
from a breeder.
You go back, you do yourhomework.
I go back in history, I go backand I look at parents, I look
(26:45):
at guarantees.
I look at standard market pricefrom a breeder for a dog.
If you've got a dog, thatnormally.
Now we go back to FrenchBulldogs because they are now
the number one dog in America.
They are averaging between$8,000 and $10,000 for a dog
that five years ago cost $3,000.
(27:08):
So you look at standard pricesfrom breeders.
If somebody is giving you anoutrageously low deal, red flag,
there's something wrong.
My dogs have hips checked,shoulders, eyes, all certified.
What is the guarantee?
That is coming from either thebreeder or the shelter.
(27:29):
Every good shelter I deal withstands behind their dogs.
If that dog does not work out,you sign a contract that says
that rescue is going to takethat dog back or that cat back.
They stand behind it and sodoes a good breeder.
You sign the contract.
God forbid I ever had to giveup one of my dogs.
(27:51):
The breeder has to know aboutit.
This shows you that the rescueor the shelter is proud of their
placement of their dog with youand they want it to work.
That's a red flag if you don'tget that.
Amy Castro (28:09):
Right.
Pete Campione (28:10):
If it's too good to be true.
Amy Castro (28:12):
Well, it shows a commitment to the animal and its
future too.
Pete Campione (28:16):
If it's too good to be true it's not true, you
know then there's somethinggoing on and right now puppy
mills have gotten very smartabout using fake homes.
They'll put the puppies in apen with fake parents and people
don't know, and then they go.
(28:36):
Oh no, it was a real breeder.
I went to a house and I saw theparents and I said and you got
your German Shepherd from them?
I said and how much was the dog?
$800.
No, you don't get a GermanShepherd for $800.
That was not real.
I said where's your contract?
(28:57):
Oh, there was no contract,there was just a bill of sale.
No, no, people who are proud ofwhat they do follow through.
I guarantee my work.
If somebody goes through myclass and they don't get it,
they take it again for free.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You're not leaving until thatdog is worth it and that dog has
(29:18):
gotten what it needs.
You know, your red flags are nodifferent than with anything
else If somebody's selling you aRolex for 25 bucks no For the
fees, though I want to just saythat you know, in rescues we
keep our fees based on.
Amy Castro (29:38):
You know we don't raise it because it's because we
happen to take in a purebredthis or that.
Our fees are based on the kindof average expense of what it
costs us to care for the animalwhile it's in our care and we
kind of take a loss on most ofour animals.
Pete Campione (29:53):
But that's a good rescue.
Unfortunately, yeah, whatpeople think is this is the
thing about rescues.
There are rescues making a tonof money because down south
there are so many shelters andso many displaced dogs that are
on death row and any rescue canwalk into these shelters and say
(30:15):
, well, I'll take all those dogsoff of death row and they may
pay 10 bucks a dog and then theyjust drive them up in a van,
right, and then they drive themup in a van and they just hand
them off to the first personwith $400.
And I also get people who arelike, well, I looked everywhere
and this was the only person Icould get the dog from now.
(30:38):
Well, no, not now.
I've waited half a year for adog.
I've waited for litters.
I've waited for the right dogto come in to rescue.
I've done both, and that againrescue.
I've done both.
And that again speaks to myneeds as a trainer.
(30:59):
My dogs accompany me and workwith me, so sometimes I need a
puppy to be brought up in thatenvironment so that they're kind
of bulletproof.
And taking in a rescue dog withunknowns could be a problem.
But I've lucked out.
I had a border collie, toby,that actually I rescued him.
He was found on the street ofNew Hampshire at two years old,
(31:20):
covered in ticks and fleas, andToby ended up winning an award
from New Jersey governor for hiswork with deaf children, which
was an amazing rebound andsuccess story.
In fact, I wrote about him inthe book.
But I know what I'm.
You know when you take a dog in, there's a certain amount of
(31:45):
rehab.
You're introducing yourself tothe dog.
You have to be ready to teach,you have to be ready to parent,
and I use that analogy a lotwith people.
You're parenting.
When somebody tells me whatthey did with the dog, I say
would you do that with your kid?
If somebody said this couldpossibly hurt your child, would
(32:07):
you take a chance?
Well, no, yeah, but you knowhow many people take chances
with dogs.
That's why good breeders andrescues need to ask a lot of
questions to find out who isthis that's asking me for my dog
?
Amy Castro (32:24):
yeah, yeah.
Then sometimes you end upsitting on animal.
I mean I've had people getpissed off and I guess you just
don't want this animal to find ahome.
It's like, no, I just don'twant it to go home with you.
It's like I hate to be an ass,but you're not the right fit and
I would rather I'm taking ablind pit bull with me when I
move, because she's not my dogbut we have not found the right
(32:45):
adopter for her and I'm not justgoing to give her to anybody
just because I don't feel liketaking seven animals with me
back to the East Coast.
They're all coming with Oncesomebody feels like they've got
the right dog and they bring ithome.
You know we give a lot ofinstruction on what to do when
you bring the dog a dog or a cathome and what kind of
(33:07):
environment they need, and weobviously talk about equipment
and things like that in advance.
But what are the successfactors, let's say in the first
30 days?
Let's say things that peopleshould be doing when they bring
a new dog home.
Pete Campione (33:20):
Whenever you bring a new dog home, whether
it's an adult dog or a puppy,there's a period of an
adjustment.
If it's a puppy, it's a littlebit easier because they're
smaller, they're babies.
But either way, adult or puppy,it's like a baby.
You're bringing something intoyour house that knows nothing.
(33:41):
Dogs seek three things who isthe leader?
What are the rules?
How do I survive?
And they survive by knowing therules and the leader.
Now, knowing the rules are notabout anything more than safety.
So you have to think betweenthe first 30 and 90 days, how
(34:04):
can I make sure this dog is safeand how can I make sure this
dog is learning?
That means, as far as I'mconcerned, that no dog, no puppy
is out of sight if you can't bemonitoring that dog or that
puppy.
That's what your crate is for.
(34:24):
Your crate is your babysitter,your safety seat.
You would never turn your backon an infant crawling on the
floor.
You would never turn your backon an infant crawling on the
floor.
There would be no such thing aswhere's the baby?
No, and there should not beanything like that with the dog.
It takes two seconds for anydog to pick something up off the
(34:45):
floor and choke on it.
So your rule of thumb in thebeginning to provide stability,
success and a good bond is thedog is out, he has my attention,
I'm focused, that's it.
Give yourself a break.
If you've got something to do,put the dog in a safe area a pen
(35:09):
or a crate.
That way you know this dog isnot learning bad behaviors.
Because the beauty of bringinga new dog home is they're ready
for you to take charge.
Tell them how their life isgoing to be happy, and you got
to do that.
(35:29):
I often tell people, especiallywith adult dogs and puppies.
I often tell people, especiallywith adult dogs and puppies, to
let them drag a short two tothree foot chain leash around
the house.
Why a chain?
So they don't chew and choke onit.
But that leash gives you theability to correct and to
(35:50):
instruct.
If you say, doggy come, and thedog doesn't understand that,
then you pick up the leash,bring the dog to you.
And now the dog is like, oh,that's what it means.
Oh, and you loved when I didthat, so I'll do that again.
Or if you see a puppy startingto poop on your floor because
(36:10):
he's not housebroken yet, youpick up the leash, you say no,
no and get the dog outside.
I don't want people grabbing thedog.
That's intrusive.
Picking up a leash isinstructive but I have to
emphasize it must be chained.
I don't want dogs chokingbecause they're bored and
chewing on their leash, but thatwhole thing teaches dogs not to
(36:35):
jump.
What's acceptable, what's notacceptable?
It's an instruction tool.
The first 90 days of puppy andrescue of an adult is learning
and absorbing.
If you put the work in in thebeginning, you can enjoy them
later.
(36:55):
You don't put the work in thebeginning, then it's tedious the
entire time.
Amy Castro (37:02):
Yeah, and I think you need to engage everybody in
that process.
Like one of the things that Iknow we have had issues with you
got a guest or people comingover at some point and they
don't want to follow the rules.
Like people will say thingslike oh, that's okay.
When they jump up, it's like no, it's not okay.
No, it's not Just because youaccept, it doesn't mean that I
(37:22):
want them jumping on my grandmaor knocking down a two-year-old.
Pete Campione (37:25):
So no, thank you.
Amy Castro (37:27):
We have to follow these rules, yeah.
Pete Campione (37:29):
Thank you.
I honestly use the exact samething.
You have to remember it's againparenting.
You don't let your guests comein and give your kids chocolate
five minutes before you eat.
When your guests come in, theyfollow the rules for the safety
(37:50):
and the development of the child.
This is the same thing.
And again, if the dog isdragging a leash and someone
comes in now you can teach thedog.
If you want to engage with thatperson, say please, please is
sit, so the dog sits.
Then that becomes the go-tobehavior.
But you can't let anybodyundermine your teaching of your
(38:12):
child.
And it's the same thing with anew dog.
You know, when I get a dog thatis constantly jumping, I mean
one of the first rules I lay afoundation down for all my
students and the first thing isyour dog.
You teach your children to sayplease.
You teach your children to sayplease.
You teach your dog to sayplease, your dog sits for
(38:35):
everything.
That's teaching the dogpoliteness, manners.
Secondly, you follow through oneverything you say so the dog
learns clarity and language andI can tell if people are not
doing those things, Because ifthey come back four weeks later
and say, well, my dog is stilljumping.
My first question is are youletting the dog drag a leash and
(38:58):
who's letting the dog jump onthem?
It's not the dog's fault.
Dogs follow.
They don't lead, they don'twant to be in charge, they want
a parent.
It provides dogs withconfidence and security.
You get a much more balanceddog when the dog knows the
answers and the dog knowsclearly what you want.
(39:19):
And you achieve that byinstruction, consistency,
repetition, those things equalbehavior.
Amy Castro (39:27):
Such a good point.
So to kind of wrap things up,number one I want you to tell us
about your book, because Imentioned it in the beginning
and you've mentioned it a coupleof times.
But tell us a little bit moreabout what we've defined when we
buy the book.
Pete Campione (39:42):
Well, oddly, it came about because I keep
reading scientific studies thatsay no, dogs are not empathetic,
dogs do not do anything,they're not going to get
something from.
My firm belief is dogs areproactively communicating with
(40:02):
us now on a level that does notinvolve what can they get out of
the situation, and I've had alot of experiences with that and
I have found communication withdogs is the key to.
I don't like the word training,I like forming behavior.
(40:25):
You know you don't say I'mtraining my child, but you're
teaching your child, andteaching is effective
communication and I feel likethe book teaches people to
listen and respond.
In my area I get a lot of dogswho are not accepted other
(40:50):
places I get dogs with severePTSD who've been abused, bait
dogs, hoarding dogs.
There's a story on my websiteabout a dog named Fiona.
She's also a book.
She was a husky who was foundin a box of dead puppies in a
hoarding situation.
And Fiona it took her about ayear to finally learn how to
(41:13):
play.
I look at these broken and youknow, coming from my childhood,
I just sort of, like you know,project onto them like, wow, if
only somebody had done this forme.
So I take a lot of cases thatnobody else will Deaf dogs,
blind dogs, ptsd, severe anxiety, behavioral issues.
(41:36):
That keeps these dogs frombeing resilient, because,
unfortunately, when people getthese dogs again, they're
thinking with their heart firstwhy are you adopting a blind dog
when you have no experiencewith that?
You can't rehabilitate what youdon't know, and my job then is
(41:57):
okay, you've already got the dog, here's what you need to do.
So the book is about creatingcommunication First.
I am over looking at endlessverbal vomit from training
videos where everybody justwalks in a room and starts
yanking on the dog.
Nobody communicates to the dogfirst to say hey, we got a back
(42:19):
and forth going here.
I'm talking to you, you'retalking to me, introduce
yourself Before.
A lot of these trainers justwalk in okay, do this, do this,
do that.
No, you can't Introduce.
Have a connection first, andthat way the dog wants to learn.
If a dog wants to learn, itlasts.
(42:42):
Otherwise with methodologists,it only lasts as long as you're
making them do something.
I want to convince them to dosomething because it's the right
choice and the book shows this,because these are extreme cases
.
These are cases where there wasno hope and we found it, and it
(43:08):
came full circle.
The real catalyst for the bookwas a German shepherd that I
dealt with that was bought by amillionaire.
He bought three puppies andleft them in a kennel for two
years and abandoned them.
One of the dogs was adopted bythis lovely couple and his name
was Martin, and I'll neverforget him and I'm not going to
(43:28):
cry when I talk about this.
But one night he broke free.
I had taken a lot of time withMartin.
Martin had black eyes, he wasdead inside.
He would do whatever you said,but there was no joy, there was
nothing.
After he started to come around,after he started to wag his
(43:49):
tail, after he actually startedto look and the light was back
in his eyes, he was goingthrough a second class with me
and in the middle of the classhe broke free from his owner and
did something he had never donewith anybody before and his
owner started crying.
(44:09):
And then I was bawling like ababy.
She was putting her coat on andthe leash dropped and he ran
across the room, jumped in mylap.
I've got 90 pounds of GermanShepherd licking me, knocking my
hat off.
I'm bawling like a baby.
But all I heard was thank you,thank you, thank you, and I
(44:33):
still.
It still affects me becausethat was proactive communication
that was proactive.
He got nothing out of that.
He wanted to tell me somethingand that's why it's so important
to fine-tune your communicationwith this dog.
It increases the bond, itincreases the safety factor and
(44:58):
they're a social being.
So make them a social being,talk to them, listen to them,
and that's what I hope the bookdoes, by seeing how it can work
If it can work with theseextreme cases imagine on a
well-balanced dog.
But it's a heart book.
It's a very personal book aboutspecial dogs that have taken me
(45:21):
through a journey and I in turn, have taken them through the
journey, and I hope people enjoyit.
I've gotten a lot of goodfeedback so far.
Last chapter's a bitch, though,because it's your final
conversation.
Amy Castro (45:34):
Uh-oh.
Pete Campione (45:35):
Yeah, I'm a firm believer.
I have put on Academy Awardwinning performances with that
last conversation with some veryspecial dogs, but you owe it to
them to send them off in peace.
So that last chapter chapter isprobably my most important
(45:57):
chapter but the hardest one forme to read or edit or talk about
, because it's so personal andwe all go through it.
All of us in the animal worldhave signed on for children that
will die before us and we gothrough that always.
But it's something that wesigned on for, so we owe it to
(46:20):
them.
Amy Castro (46:25):
Yeah.
So, definitely encourage peopleto, and we'll put links in the
show notes so that people cancheck out the book on on.
Pete Campione (46:33):
Amazon.
Amy Castro (46:34):
You can listen to it you can read it if you want the
paperback version, and we'llput those links out there.
But, Pete, thank you so muchfor being here today and sharing
your experience and your wisdom.
I really appreciate it and Ihope people take to heart all
the advice that you providedthroughout this episode.
Pete Campione (46:51):
Well, amy, thank you and God bless you for the
work you do, because good rescuepeople are true givers, because
you are not in this to get rich.
You know when you get involvedwith animals.
Amy Castro (47:04):
I haven't made a dime.
All I do is waste money.
Pete Campione (47:07):
I mean, you know, I knew I was not going to get
rich doing this.
If I did get rich, I knew I wasnot going to get rich doing
this.
If I did get rich, I would becompromising my integrity.
So you don't.
It's love.
So that's why you guys are outin the trenches and I offer my
school will give free trainingto any rescue.
(47:30):
If I've got room in a class andyou guys have got dogs that
have problems, you come to meand that dog has a place,
because if you can give, Icertainly can.
So you know you should you geta gold star for your life.
Amy Castro (47:45):
Well, thank you.
I appreciate that.
All right, folks, if today'sepisode has saved even one
person from adopting or buying adog, they had no business
bringing home than.
Pete and I have done our jobs.
If you're about to bring home anew pup, please think before
you leap.
Don't just fall for that cuteface or that sad story on the
internet.
Do your homework and set yourdog and yourself up for success
(48:08):
because, trust me, nobody wantsto be the person crying on the
phone to a trainer or to arescue saying I don't know what
went wrong.
A huge thanks again to PeteCampione for sharing his wisdom,
and if you want to learn more,go grab his book.
We put links in the show notes.
If you love this episode, makesure to subscribe, leave a
review and tell your dog-lovingor dog-struggling friends about
(48:30):
it.
And if you've made a dogdecision disaster in the past,
I'd love to hear about it.
And if you've made a dogdecision disaster in the past,
I'd love to hear about it.
Find us on social media andspill your story.
So until next time, love yourdogs for who they are, not for
who you thought they should be,and we'll see you in the next
episode.
Thanks for listening to MuddyPaws and Hairballs.
Be sure to visit our website atmuddypawsandhairballscom for
(48:52):
more resources and be sure tofollow this podcast on your
favorite podcast app, so you'llnever miss a show.
And hey, if you like this show,text someone right now and say
I've got a podcastrecommendation.
You need to check the show outand tell them to listen and let
you know what they think.
Don't forget to tune in nextweek and every week for a brand
new episode.
And if you don't do anythingelse this week, give your pets a
(49:14):
big hug from us.
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