Dog Almighty - Sue Walsh

28/07/2026

Truffle Hunting 2020.

Rosie Posie in her heyday. She was my little truffle hunting ninja 🥷 🐶

We spent 8 winters as a contract truffle hunting team. It was such an adventure for us both 🙏❤️

Truffle is a winter crop so I often get a bit nostalgic for truffle hunting at this time of year in NZ.

Rosie is almost 15 years old now and spends her winters curled up in a blanket, snug as a bug 🐶❤️

28/06/2026

These two lovely Labradoodles, Ollie and Flynn, are learning to stay on their bed while a visitor arrives.

One of my favourite strategies for controlling excitement at the front door is using a food puzzle toy stuffed with delicious goodies as the reward for staying on their place. Not only is it a highly motivating reward, but it also keeps the dogs happily occupied during those first few minutes after a visitor arrives - often the time when barking and jumping are at their worst.

The rule is simple,
… if either dog gets up before I give them their puzzle toy, it’s a bust. My volunteer visitor has to step back outside, we reset, and try again. No telling off, no frustration - just another opportunity to practise the behaviour we want.

(Don’t worry… I always warn my volunteer visitors that they may end up standing outside the front door a few times! 😂)

I recommend starting with “fake” visitors before expecting your dog to greet real guests politely. It gives everyone the chance to practise without the pressure of a genuine social visit.

Ollie and Flynn’s family are getting ready for a busy holiday season next summer, so they still have plenty of time to build this new habit.

I’m so proud of these two. Just a few weeks ago they had to be dragged away from the door and would try to jump all over visitors (or each other!). Look at them now. ❤️👏

26/06/2026

It was a real pleasure to meet Carissa from Snap Marketing & Grow Your Biz. Thanks Carissa for all your are doing for businesses in our community ❤️🐶

💚 LOCAL MOTUEKA BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Sue.

Some people take the scenic route to their calling. Sue took the very scenic route.

She started out as a commercial lawyer, intellectual property her specialty, the kind of career most people spend a lifetime building. Then skydiving brought her all the way to New Zealand, and somewhere between the freefall and the landing, life had completely different plans for her. Plans that involved dogs.

Sue is the heart behind Dog Almighty, and she has been since 2011. Fifteen years on, she is still the one this community trusts with their dogs, and you only have to look at how long people stay to understand why.

She has dogs who have walked with her for ten years. Twelve years. One who was with her for thirteen. That kind of loyalty does not happen by accident.

She walks in small, calm groups, because she cares what happens out there. And because she is a behaviourist as well as a walker, every single walk is really a little training session in disguise. Her dogs know their recall whistle. Her clients know their dog is in the safest possible hands.

Lawyer turned dog walker turned experienced trainer. Honestly? Sounds like a pretty perfect plot twist to me.

Motueka, you already know her. And if you don't yet, you're in for a treat.

📍 Dog Almighty - Sue Walsh

💚 Know a local Motueka business that deserves a spotlight?
The Motueka Ripple is all about paying it forward. If there is a business owner in our community who deserves a little love and recognition, send us a message. Let's keep shining a light on the people who make Motueka special.

22/06/2026

I am hiring dog walkers! One, or two, depending on availability. This role starts and finishes in Motueka so you should live within an easy drive. Please apply using the Google form (link in post below).

Sue 🐶❤️

19/06/2026

❤️🐶😇

god is a dog
not metaphorically
not in some poetic
kind of way
I mean literally
panting
drooling
wiggling
grace with paws

god doesn’t sit up
in some cosmic control tower
judging your calories
and catastrophes

nope

god is under the table
hoping you’ll drop
a potato chip

and when you do
she doesn’t say
“too bad that’s trans fat”

she says

“holy wow thank you
that was delicious
I love you
I love you
I LOVE YOU”

you stumble
in the door
after screwing up everything

again

and god bolts toward you
like you’re the best thing
that ever happened to Tuesday

she doesn’t care
that you yelled in traffic
or forgot to return the call

or ate the entire pint
of Ben & Jerry’s
with a spoon
that still had peanut butter on it

she just wants
to sit in your lap
and sniff your face

and listen
I don’t know about your theology

but mine’s built on
salty snacks
dark chocolate
and the unshakable truth
that mercy wears a collar
and chews socks

when you’re crying
in bed at 3 a.m.
when you feel like
a burnt piece of toast
that no one wanted anyway
god jumps up beside you
licks your tears
and falls asleep with her nose
in your armpit
not because you smell good
'cuz chances are you don’t

but because
that’s where you are
and god always
wants to be where you are

she’s not interested
in your five-year plan

she’s not keeping score
she doesn’t care if you meditate
or hydrate or
know the number
for your senator
she just wants to be with you

god is a dog

and love
real love
has fur on the furniture
and forgiveness in the eyes

that’s all the theology I need

************

Poem © Angi Sullins my book "The Fragile and the Fierce” SHIPPING FREE HERE: https://angisullins.com/shop-3-2/

Times are dicey out there, friends, and free speech has gotten quite expensive. Please stay in touch with me by joining my mailing list here https://angisullins.com/get-your-muse-letter-2/.

15/06/2026

The first clip is Holly on Day 1 of bootcamp learning a down using a food lure. Fast forward a few weeks and she's responding to verbal cues, holding a down stay and confidently going to her bed when asked.

Your dog doesn’t need to win competitions to be a good dog. For most pet dogs, a small number of well-trained behaviours can make a huge difference to everyday life.

One of the things we're working on here is stimulus control—helping Holly understand exactly what each cue means so she can respond quickly and confidently when asked. At this level of training I am still rewarding every correct response. The magic happens when you build understanding, consistency and reliability.

And contrary to popular belief, that doesn't require hours of training every day. Just a few minutes here and there, practised thoughtfully and built up over time.

Well done Holly. 🐾

12/06/2026

Brave Bruno 💪✌️

This is a training walk with a fearful doggie - he is the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet. But he looses his confidence in certain situations in public and gets super scared. His fear is real 😱🙀

Bruno’s behaviour is interesting in that he doesn’t have one trigger for his fear, it is usually caused by a “trigger stack” which means there are multiple scary things around at the same time. Like traffic AND people AND weird noises.

We can build a dogs confidence with regular supportive outings where they are protected from becoming overwhelmed and feel safe.

10/06/2026

Life tags – you’re it for life! We’re making dog registration a little more ‘pawsitive’ with the introduction of life tags – durable stainless steel registration tags designed to last for your dog’s lifetime.

Instead of receiving a new plastic tag each year, your dog will keep the same tag and unique number for life. It’s a simple change that means less hassle for owners, less waste heading to landfill, and a better way to help reunite lost pups with their humans.

While the tag is changing, annual dog registration is still required by law. Registration fees, microchipping requirements, and dog control rules all remain the same. Dogs must also continue to wear their registration tag at all times – no ifs, or mutts about it.

Think of a life tag like a car number plate – the plate stays the same, but registration still needs to be renewed each year.

The new tags are laser-engraved to help them stay readable for years to come. They also mean we can stop producing and posting thousands of plastic tags every year, which is something to bark about.

Meanwhile, although dog registration fees haven’t changed since last year, there has been an alteration to dog categories. Category 1 is dogs on properties smaller than one hectare, while category 2 is dogs on properties larger than a hectare, and the third is working or farm dogs.

Our life tags are a ‘furtastic’ step forward in modernising dog identification.

Don’t ‘furget’ to register your dog before 31 July to avoid penalty fees. Visit tasman.govt.nz/dog-registration.

10/06/2026

We are back at the front door 👀 🐶

Training one dog to stay calm when visitors arrive is challenging enough. Training three dogs in the same household? Difficulty level: HARD.

In this session, Holly, Penny and Bruno practised staying in position while I answered the door, chatted to a “visitor” and even rang the doorbell.

Did Bruno have a few woofs about the doorbell? Absolutely. 😂 But despite the distractions, all three dogs stayed put.

The best part? These dogs were complete novices just a few weeks before. No magic tricks, no shortcuts - just consistent training, repetition and building the difficulty one step at a time.

I'm pretty proud of this crew. ❤️