Pure Spirit - Animal Communication & Dog Solutions

02/12/2026

06/26/2025

Adopting a pet? Congrats! You've just picked someone up in your car who isn't great at communicating, just got out of a tough situation, and isn't sure if they trust you yet. Sound familiar? That's because the first three days with a new pet are basically a 72-hour first date.

It's exciting, it's awkward, and it's definitely not the time to start planning your holiday cards or giving them a bubble bath.

No judgment, but some of y'all might need a quick refresher on first-date etiquette. So here's your official guide to early red flags (from you, not them).

🚩 Leaving them unattended like it's no big deal
Imagine showing up to a blind date and immediately getting ditched at a party where you know no one. That's how your pet feels when they're left alone right away.

Bottom line: Don't ghost your new pet. It's day one. Stick close.

🚩 Being too handsy
They're cute. You're smitten. But this isn't the moment for kisses, cuddles, or TikToks with voiceovers. You just met. They don't know your intentions yet.

This isn't a fling; it's the start of something real. Let them come to you. (Consent matters, even in pet parenting.)

🚩 Introducing them to your entire cast of characters
You ever meet someone and they immediately want you to meet their mom? Yikes.

Your pet doesn't need to meet your whole social circle (or animal crew) right away. Let them settle in, one face at a time. Save the group hangs for later.

🚩 Giving them a bath
You wouldn't give someone you just met a bath, and if you would… we don't want to talk about this anymore.

Yes, shelter pets can be a little stinky. But baths are a lot. They're wet, stressful, and weirdly intimate for a pet who doesn't even know your hobbies yet. Spritz some pet-safe essential oils around the house and give them time to decompress before sudsing them up.

🚩 Taking them on a spontaneous adventure
You are not on The Bachelor. No one wants a surprise helicopter ride on day one.

Keep things calm and close to home. No breweries, dog parks, or road trips. Your pet's just trying to figure out which room has the snacks, don't make them learn a whole new location yet.

🚩 Expecting instant love
Some folks swipe right, go on one date, and expect sparks to fly immediately. The same energy applies to new pet parents who expect instant attachment.

Sometimes it does happen, but more often, it's a slow burn. They might hide under the bed, bark at the fridge, or side-eye you for three days straight. It doesn't mean it's not working. It just means you're still getting to know each other.

💘 The Bottom Line: Love doesn't always strike like lightning. Sometimes, it starts with awkward silences, side-eyes, and mutually agreeing that you won't make any sudden moves. But give it time, stay patient, and keep showing up, and you just might find yourself in the best relationship of your life.

06/24/2025

Heartbreaking. Words matter.

The wildlife rescue community recently experienced a devastating loss. Mikayla Raines, the executive director of Save A Fox Rescue, passed away in the manner that so many rescuers do: losing a lifelong battle with mental illness.

Her beloved husband Ethan posted a beautiful tribute on the Save A Fox page that I encourage you to watch, but I also wanted to share some words and thoughts of my own.

I did not know Mikayla well enough to call her a friend, but we were in touch with some regularity, and our work often overlapped, and we shared many close mutual friends in common. From people who knew her well, I heard only positive things. The public often got me and Mikayla mixed up, because we are both fox rescuers who have been open with the public about our struggles with autism and depression. I would always laugh and say, “No, Mikayla’s the pretty one.”

About a year ago, Mikayla was given an opportunity to permanently close a fur farm and save *five hundred* foxes. For someone who dedicated her life to ending the fur trade, this seemed like a dream come true, the pinnacle of her entire career. The fur farm agreed to sell her the cages at a low cost so they wouldn’t lose their investments, and she could have all the foxes for free.

Mikayla moved heaven and earth trying to get veterinary care and find homes for all of them. A lot of people love the idea of a pet fox, but few want an unsocialized fur farm fox that wants nothing to do with them. Zoos and sanctuaries took many of them. We were asked, but ultimately said no because of a lack of space. In the end, Mikayla still had dozens of them left and not enough space and resources to adequately house and care for all of them.

I heard the rumors and the gossip: critics saying that it’s wrong to take that many foxes— much less “buy” them— without a full plan for them. That may be true, but there isn’t a rescuer on this planet who has never made an impulsive decision in a desperate attempt to save lives. But I never doubted that she was doing her best and that her heart was in the right place. I felt for her because I understood how the situation happened.

But I failed Mikayla in my own way. When I saw the public and other rescues criticizing her, I didn’t come to her defense. I thought she was fine— she always looked so happy and put-together— and I thought that the criticism and harassment she faced were rolling off her back. Just one day before her death, I didn’t say anything when someone in the comments on this very page had mentioned “the fox rescue that buys foxes from fur farms.” While I know in my heart that it wouldn’t have made a difference, I deeply regret that I had an opportunity to defend Mikayla and I did not take it.

Mikayla’s husband Ethan is too polite, or too justifiably afraid of retaliation, to say the names of the people who harassed Mikayla to death, but I know them and have had my own dealings with them. One of the people primarily responsible for Mikayla’s death is a convicted animal abuser who was shut down after she hoarded, starved, and tortured wild animals. This person tried to distract from this by pointing fingers at rescues like Save A Fox and For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue that maintain ethical and financial transparency and have licenses in good standing.

I have often told other wildlife rescuers that when documented animal abusers become your enemy, it’s a sign you’re doing things right. I just wish the public had understood this, and I wish I had used my own voice to speak up before it was too late.

To all who knew Mikayla, please accept our deepest, most heartfelt condolences for your unimaginable loss. We at For Fox Sake are thinking of you in this difficult time and here for you.

And to those who “knew” Mikayla only by following her rescue online, please channel your grief and anger toward helping the animals that Save A Fox still has in their care, so that Ethan can finish the work that his beautiful wife started. You can make a donation through www.saveafox.org.

And, please: while it’s valid and necessary to criticize “rescues” that are not rescues at all— the ones with major, documented cruelty and the ones that engage in true fraud— please check your sources and your facts before trying to destroy a rescuer’s life, because you could succeed.

Finally, this is a reminder to all that suicidal ideation is a medical symptom and a medical emergency. I am not at all ashamed to say that I have had to be hospitalized for my depression when it was too much to bear. It saved my life and it can save yours too. Please call 988 or 911 if you are in danger.

-Juniper Russo, CWR
Executive Director
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

02/26/2025

11/16/2024

Of course you shouldn't bring an unvaccinated puppy to an unregulated place that is frequented by unknown dogs, but there are plenty of opportunities to socialize in safe places. I agree with the experts that the minor risk is well worth the reward! -Mary Budd Bente

Looking at current position statements from organizations like AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior), who are the leaders on veterinary care and behavior, they are abundantly clear that the outdated belief of avoiding socialization until vaccines are completed has no place in current standards. This is relevant because in many cases this fear of strangers or a particular group of people, results from lack of socialization during this critical period and can have lifelong impacts into adulthood.

11/11/2024

11/04/2024

New study published in Animal Cognition found that dogs have a bias towards vowels when understanding human language. This differs from people who have a bias for consonants. In the study 44 dogs were played mispronounced versions of their names, one with the vowels incorrect and one with the consonants incorrect.

Dogs demonstrated a vowel bias rather than a consonant bias, preferring their own name over a vowel-mispronounced version of their name, but not in comparison to a consonant-mispronounced version. It didn't seem to have much of an impact on their understanding if the consonants in their own name were wrong.

This is interesting when thinking about how dogs respond to our vocal commands - it is more important for us to pronounce the vowels well than the consonants. This might not be intuitive because it is the other way around for us humans.

I've actually tried this on my own dog, Maki. If I call him Baki or Raki or Waki, he responds as if I'm calling his name. If I call him Muki or Moki, he doesn't pay as much attention. Does anyone else have similar experiences?

Paper: The role of linguistic experience in the development of the consonant bias, Animal Cognition October 2020

Link to paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-020-01436-6

11/04/2024