06/16/2026
In March, I met this stoic, independent dog named K. He didn't really warm up much and people had their doubts about him. He was large and scary looking to a lot of people, I'm sure. But he had this resilience, this strength and something about him made me want to see his squishy soft side that I knew he had.
Months go by and K lives with a family that had two daughters and contacted me about training. They didn't know K and I knew each other and I didn't know I was about to meet him again. They needed behavioral help as there was an incident.
I watched him watch over his girls, especially the older one. I saw the softness in his face and how he could jump on you in excitement, his zoomies and full body wiggles. His tolerance for baths, his face saying "I hate it but my girls love it." I also saw his prey drive and his strength. I saw his cautious but confident independence. His protection and willingness to make contact. I was hired for a reason. And it would be an injustice to him to act like it wasn't also a part of who he was.
Time was not on our side. A sacrifice no one wanted to make, had to be made. For the protection of the community, K and his family. I met him at a beginning and saw him through till the end.
K, and for all the dogs like him, are the reason I do what I do. To all my moms and dads of reactive dogs: I see you. I see their mushy personalities and how it's never black and white. I see how much you sacrifice, the hard decisions you're constantly making. There will be a time where I can give you more time. I can rescue the K's of the world, rehabilitate and rehome, where we can all see their soft side. And maybe that's selfish of me, but it's everything to me as well.
