Learn From Your Dog

One day, I was walking out of work only to see that I had a missed call from my boss at my new internship. After assuming that we would be discussing logistics for my first day of work, I dialed him back, only to be surprised by our conversation. “I know you haven’t officially started yet, but I have an exciting assignment that I would like you to work on…” He began. Several minutes of discussion later, I hung up the phone with the realization that I would be taking on a task that could tremendously boost my portfolio. I had been offered the opportunity to interview David Frei, the host of the annual Thanksgiving Day Kennel Club Dog Show and one of the biggest names in the dog show world. Following our interview, I would be writing an article to be published in Hamptons Pet Magazine, including my own byline and picture. The realization that I would be taking on my very first big assignment made me nervous, anxious, and excited all at once. I felt so incredibly lucky to be ...

A Day I Will Never Forget: The Day I Got My Puppy! I was studying at Temple. My parents were back at home in Scranton.  We communicated for several weeks about getting a puppy for the family to keep our seven-year old golden retriever, Eli, company.  We couldn’t decide on the type of dog we wanted throughout the two weeks.  They pretty much put me in charge of deciding which breed or mix we would get.  The search ended when I saw this cute, three-month old puppy, which was a mix of a boxer and a black lab.  She was so cute, with a lab's flappy and long ears, and the boxer's snout.  So without telling my parents, I quickly went and adopted her that day. The next day came and I received a text from my mom saying that they were going to pick out a golden retriever at the end of the week.  They still didn’t know I had this puppy that I had adopted sitting on my couch at my apartment.  I immediately FaceTimed my father and opened up ...

Just kidding. But now I have your attention. I am ecstatic that my first blog post is about two of my biggest passions: dogs and community service. I’ve lived on the Main Line all my life and I would bet that we have as many dogs per capita as any big-city suburban area in America. But, we also have our own dog walk. Calling All Dogs is a charity fundraising dog walk set for Saturday, October 10 from 9am - noon, at the local Wilson Farm Park in Wayne, PA. Who can pass up an entire morning of fun activities for adults, kids and canines? The walk will feature the National Dog Show Therapy Dog Ambassador Team and performance canines from the PennVet Working Dog Center doing demonstrations.  The lineup will feature David Frei, the TV personality and America’s foremost authority on all things canine plus contests for various contests for dogs organized by the well-known boarding/training facility What A Good Dog.   There will be food an...

Just like humans, dogs feel the pain of the loss of a loved one. When my father passed away last November, I wasn't the only one dealing with grief. Our family dog Colbie, a Scoodle (half Poodle, half Scottish Terrier), felt the loss in his own way. There was not a day in the seven years we had Colbie that my dad did not spend outside with him. Whether taking Colbie on his daily walks at the local track, or gardening in the spring and summer, Colbie and my father, Gary, were always side-by-side. Originally, Colbie was a surprise for my mother on my parent's anniversary. I found Colbie, and my dad and I went and bought him and brought him home. My dad never was a fan of smaller dogs, but little by little, Colbie warmed my dad's heart. It may sound cliche, but Colbie changed the man who was my dad. He became kinder. He became softer. He became a man who loved life more, and took the time to appreciate the small things. My dad became ill in late October 2014. I s...

Hello hello! I am excited to officially introduce myself as the new contributor to the Learn From Your Dog blog. I am a rising college senior, home for the summer and working to find my place in the world, and who better to be by my side through it all than my dog, Cody. Cody is a 9-year-old border collie, although from his childish energy he's still a puppy at heart. I am working from my computer this summer doing a part-time internship, which gives me the perfect opportunity to network with people in fields I'm interested in, and time to visit my friends and family in their various locations this summer. During this time, I have discovered one of my favorite parts of returning from these brief trips is coming home to Cody, who welcomes me back with a genuine euphoria that never wavers in vitality. Someone somewhere once said that there is a certain irony to how much people focus on all the things they need to teach their dogs, when our dogs have so mu...

You know what they say, dogs are “a man’s best friend.” Well, I’m here to tell you that that can absolutely be true, as I’ve learned through my brother, Michael, and our dogs. When we were younger, we owned a yellow lab named Ruffy. Michael and Ruffy were the definition of best friends, they would spend every day running around the yard together and Michael would share all of his snacks with Ruffy, even popsicles and lollipops. The two of them were inseparable. Ruffy really was “a man’s (Michael’s) best friend.” Now, no matter who you are, if you are a dog owner, you know what I am talking about. Maybe you are a bachelor, living alone with just your pup. Maybe you are a kid quite like Michael, just looking for a constant childhood best friend. Or, maybe you are a parent, glad that your kids have someone around, or that you have someone to cuddle on the couch with after a long day. Despite whatever lifestyle you may live, owning a dog can, and will, provide you with a best friend. ...