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014 | Annie Phenix & her dogs, the shifts in our thinking about dogs and the sad topic of behavioral euthanasia
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Trigger Warning: Behavioral Euthanasia
Many of you will know Annie as the author of the book “The Midnight Dog Walkers” and as a dog trainer who specializes in dealing with reactivity and aggression cases and we do talk about that, but in this episode she also talks about life with her own dogs, Radar, Echo , Zimmie , Cooper and Finn (the latter two also being known affectionately as “the hooligans”).
Annie explains how she shifted her thinking around what she wants from and for her dogs and how the paradigm shift she sees in the dog training industry has made her want to hang up her shingle as a dog trainer again.
That shift has everything to do with seeing our dogs as sentient beings with emotional and physical needs that need to be met ALONGSIDE those of the human. It’s not “either/or”, it’s “and”. A plethora of trainers and new training ideas come up in our discussion and they are all linked below.
We talk about how she only wanted three things from her hooligan cattledog mixes and that was: to get along with people, to get along with dogs, and to come when called.
We also talk about why Annie decided on cattledogs, when “her breed” is the German Shepherd. That has everything to do with Zimmie, her Shiloh Shepherd who Annie has had to put to sleep because of behavioral issues. Annie hasn’t been able to have another German Shepherd after, and that says something.
Behavioral euthanasia is not an option any dog lover wants to choose ever. Annie explains what led up to the decision, and talks about her thoughts and feelings afterward as well.
She’s worked in rescue a long time and is a trainer who specializes in difficult dogs which might have made it even more difficult to accept that “we can’t save them all”.
What brings her the most sadness is the knowledge her other dogs suffered because of Zimmie.
If you are considering behavioral euthanasia for your dog or have had to go through it already, please find a host of links on the topic at the bottom of this post that could be of worth you, whether to aid you in making the decision or to help you process the grief afterward.
Links & Tons of Information on the podcast episode website which you can find here:
https://kajsavanoverbeek.com/014-ruff-around-the-edges-with-annie-phenix/
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