I have so enjoyed all of the feedback I've received from the folks who've read my book. Many of you indicated that certain elements in the book touched your heart, made you laugh, or even made you cry. Knowing that my words could result in such diverse emotions, has made me inordinately happy. Several people have also told me how much they appreciated my honesty. My honesty about my home life. My honesty about the ups and downs with my own pets. My honesty regarding what it's like to do what I do, day in and day out. As one person said, "And here I thought you spent your days just petting dogs." LOL. I wish. The risks involved with what I do and have done in the past seemed to surprise a lot of readers as well.
Here's the thing: I believe in honesty, transparency, and empathy. If you ask me what I'd do if I were you, I'll actually tell you, even if it's something you probably don't want to hear. I share my stories to help pet owners better understand their own pets, and give themselves some grace. Nobody's perfect. NOBODY. Anybody who tells you that their kids, pets, or lives are perfect is not being honest with you or themselves. I don't seek perfection. I seek out relationships with people and their animals that are based on mutual respect, a desire to learn, and a need to better understand how to improve those relationships. It would do my clients a disservice if I didn't share the realities of pet ownership, or at least the realities from my perspective.
After almost 35 years in this business, I know one thing for sure, and that's that I don't know everything! I'm constantly reading books, attending lectures, reviewing research on topics that relate to animal behavior, pet behavior, and behavior problems. I'm a student as well as a teacher. Every one of you who has gifted me the opportunity to help you and your pet has taught me something valuable. So, thank you!
I did experience burnout several years ago. It happens a lot with caregivers and educators. For me, I'd reached a point where I wasn't enjoying what I was doing and felt like I just couldn't treat one more animal with issues in aggression without being overwhelmed with frustration and sadness. I pulled back a bit, pursued other interests, and gave myself space to determine what I wanted to do. I ended up (obviously!) coming back to my role as an animal behaviorist, but it took me a couple of years to come back completely to this space. It IS stressful working with pets and their people everyday, and I've learned to put a bit of distance between myself and my clients so that I don't become overwhelmed again. I don't see nearly as many clients in person anymore, for example, spending a lot more of my time working with clients virtually, something I learned works really well when we were all on COVID lockdown. One of the most amazing things that's happened since I started doing more virtual work was that I suddenly had clients in Australia, England, Canada, and even Germany! Being able to reach pet owners around the country and around the world has given me the ability to help more people than I ever have before. While I made the decision pragmatically (sitting in San Francisco Bay Area traffic for 4-6 hours every single day was killing me), it's ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made.
If you've read my book, you know I love working with families, so many of my in-person appointments now tend to be family appointments. I'm also doing a lot more puppy temperament tests and evaluations which I love and find incredibly rewarding. My daughter said that she thinks that if I could see nothing but puppies in my practice, I'd never retire! That might be true (sort of), but my guess is I will retire or at least semi-retire some day down the line. To be honest, I think it will be incredibly hard for me to retire completely. I'll likely still be writing and doing lectures and other special events, but who knows? Again, being completely honest with you, some days I wish I was retired now, while on others I can't imagine ever stopping!
So, all of this to say, if me telling you I've felt burned out, or telling you about a time I was bitten by a client's dog, or about that time our Labrador ate six dozen warm, chocolate chip cookies right off the cooling racks on a high counter has been helpful, well then, I'm delighted. I think me sharing my life with you builds trust and rapport, and who doesn't want that from someone you are seeking out for help with your beloved pets?
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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