It’s no secret. I melt like a chocolate bar in the glorious sun when I see a grey-faced dog. I met delightful Sammie when he was a blossoming boy and man, did he LOVE jumping on people. How could he not? Sammie was such a happy guy who had to share his excitement at the sight of a “PERSON!” who deserved his paws-in-the-air enthusiasm. Then, I had the golden opportunity to see him again nine years later to help teach this choosy canine learn that other dogs were not as despicable as he seemed to think they were. Here’s Sammie’s story.

How did you and your dog find each other?
I saw a man walking a golden retriever puppy a few blocks from my house when I was driving to the store. I stopped to let the gentleman know that a fox was walking around the neighborhood. I’m not in the habit of stopping strangers on the street. But I had seen the pair strolling before and thought it was important to keep that cutie-pie puppy safe.

We started talking about Sammie, the puppy, and he said: “Do you want him?” He continued by sharing that his girlfriend and her kids loved him. But they weren’t home often, so they felt guilty about the extensive amount of time Sammie was alone and cooped up in his crate. While this may sound awful to die-hard dog lovers, they did love him and took wonderful care of him. He was healthy and well-trained in obedience at just 4-1/2 months old! They knew their limits, and I was lucky to have landed my darling dog.

What’s the biggest assumption people make based on your dog’s looks?
He likes dogs! Sammie loves people and will do ANYTHING to be near a human being. But he has absolutely no interest in interacting in ANY way with neighborhood dogs. If another dog dares to sniff Sammie, he makes sure the dog understands his displeasure with a warning growl and lunge.

What personality trait does your dog possess that contradicts his or her physical appearance?
Sammie is a big golden retriever, so people cross the street when they see us coming. If they only knew, he just wants to lick them from head to toe and lean in for a good petting session!

What are the biggest obstacles you and your dog have overcome together, and what was most helpful? 
I adopted Sammie when he was almost five months old. He was well-trained but not socialized at all (there’s a difference) and was fearful of other dogs. I shared my home with a 10-year-old Eskie mix and spent the necessary time and effort properly introducing my dogs. I wanted to make sure my home was peaceful, and my dogs were happy. But the sight of other dogs in the neighborhood turned Sammie into a barking, snarling, lunging lunatic.

The biggest obstacle came on walks with Sammie. If he saw a dog, he would bark and growl and lunge like a crazy boy! It took a lot to control him and get him to calm down even after the dog had passed us.

Enter Brandi and the “touch” cue. Redirecting Sammie’s focus from the dog to me using “touch” was a game changer! Being the smart dog that he is and with Brandi’s fantastic guidance—it didn’t take long for both of us to enjoy our long walks.

If you could make a sign for the world to understand your dog’s individual needs better, what would it say?
All dogs stay away, PLEASE.

Anything else you want to share?
Sammie is almost 14 years young now. He’s no longer dog reactive. I still do “touch” with my sweet senior for mental stimulation. But now I only need put my hand in position for him to nose my fingers. He knows what I want which is great because his hearing is starting to fade— unlike my love for him and his adoration for people.

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I met this dazzling dog when she was a wee little tyke. Even as a puppy, Kaia carried a lot of weight on her gorgeous shoulders. She absorbed every sound and sight that came her way and stashed them away in her canine crock. Fortunately, she landed in the perfect home, for her. I still remember saying and thinking simultaneously “that’s BRILLIANT” when her mom announced that she taught Kaia to alert her that the train was approaching to help overcome her fear of the “L” noise in their neighborhood. Read on for Kaia’s story.

How did you and your dog find each other?
I found Kaia online after our last dog passed away from illness. I couldn’t sleep without a dog in the house and wanted a dog that I could start agility with who had no genetic health issues. We were going to pick up her sister but fell in love at first sight with Miss Kaia.

What is the biggest assumption people make based on your dog’s looks?
That she’s friendly and enjoys being pet, but she just wants to work. Kaia is super snuggly with our immediate family and naturally thinks her job in the house is to be our service dog. If someone is hurt or sad, Kaia tries her darndest to comfort them. She hates when we’re walking, and random people try to pet her. I keep her a bit scraggly on purpose because it seems to prevent strangers from touching her. I tried to tell them “no, ” but it wasn’t working. My Shaggy Strategy works great to help keep random hands from invading my sweet girl’s space AND helps keep her in a better place.

What personality trait does your dog possess that contradicts his or her physical appearance?
She has the collie wobbles (physically shaky, fearful, and uncertain) so we can’t do agility. We didn’t want Kaia to get hurt or reinforce her nervousness. She also has food allergies. We’ve trained her very well, but stubborn Kaia can be sneaky when bored—she has a deadly taste for chocolate. Kaia can open any fridge and climb any counter. She’s pushed a chair across the room to open the refrigerator so she can eat the sweet treats she watched put away for safe keeping. We have to outsmart our dog DAILY to prevent her from figuring out our McGyver, steel proof containers, and super-sleuth hiding places.

What are the biggest obstacles you and your dog have overcome together, and what was most helpful?
Whew! We’ve dealt with a lot! A short list: collie wobbles, gastro issues (she is allergic to beef and gets pancreatitis flares quickly), sound fears, and reactivity, dislike of other dogs and strangers, a hearty, independent streak, consistent need to be mentally stimulated, my own health issues, and sharing my attention and time with a child with my very physically and mentally active border collie.

Training, training, training, and more training has and continues to help. Not so much for my brilliant girl, but for ME! I had to learn to adapt to situations as they come up and not walk around nervously anticipating what MIGHT happen or I make her more nervous. I had to learn to listen to what she wants and to meet that by giving her what she needs. She acts as a service dog to me because of my health issues and enjoys it. Although, she’d never pass training or be able to travel on a plane because of her sound fears. So, we’ve worked on the things we can do, and with a border collie, the sky is the limit. For example, she would not walk under the L train tracks until I figured out to make it her JOB to alert me when she hears a train approaching. Then we trained to not alert me to planes, ambulances, fire trucks, and all the other city noises that are tough on a sound sensitive dog. It’s always a work in progress. And tons of fun.

If you could make a sign for the world to see to understand your dog’s individual needs better, what would it say?
Do not pet!

Anything else you want to share?
You do not always get the dog you think you want. You DO end up with who you need and who needs you. Had I not learned any of this from my pup, mostly by listening—I would not be a good mom to my kiddo who has especially sound reactive SPD (sensory perception disorder). Had we not put so much into dog training and tried to do it all on our own, after I had a kid…wow, everything would have been so much work. My girls (pup and kiddo) though are the best!

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