Big Changes Up Ahead!

Hello all! Summer is coming to an end, and for our little family, big changes are on the horizon. As I mentioned in the Tips for Camping with Your Cat post, we are about to make the move from our current home in Monrovia, in Los Angeles County, back to Santa Rosa, in Northern California, where I am originally from. This means that as of September 1st we will be moving from our big (albeit shared) house with our fenced in yard and pool, and into a tiny camper on my grandma's property for a bit. That's right, two humans, two dogs, and one cat in something like 100 square feet! This also means leaving my job at Unleashed, and taking the  first steps of creating my own business, which is both exciting and scary. I feel very grateful to Unleashed for giving me a start in the right direction, and for over a year of hands-on experience working each day with many wonderful dogs. Each of my students has taught me so much, and I will miss them all dearly!



In addition to all of this change, we have also failed in a big way — foster failed, that is! Our little foster pup, formerly known as Lázaro has been welcomed into our family and is now named Muchacho (although we often refer to him at Mooch.) Although the timing isn't perfect, I have never seen such a tender, loving, and almost maternal side of Koa as she has bonded with him. Mooch has blossomed with her, and she has taken to cleaning his mouth and ears carefully each day, playing so wonderfully with him, and sharing very well, especially for a dog that sometimes has jealous tendencies!

My dad's dog, Badger, at the farm.

One of the projects we will be tackling once we head up North, is helping my dad and bonus mom convert a fifth wheel trailer into a tiny home on their farm, Twin Palms Ranch. I will try and post a few updates about this very exciting project, and hope to learn lot's in doing so, as Evan and I hope to someday build our own tiny home or renovate a fixer upper to create our own home. With time, I hope to also be able to create an enriching space for doggie daycare on the farm. It may start as a simple enclosure with shade and water, but with luck it will evolve into a puppy playground with structures to climb and explore, maybe a digging area, and a little kiddy pool to cool off in! The wonderful thing about heading back to my hometown is that we will have such a great support network, and much less expenses, so with time, creativity, and hard work, I think the possibilities are endless.

One real draw back of our timing, though, is that my final workshop and assessment for my KPA class is September 8th and 9th, so although we will be moving at the end of this month, we'll have to turn around and come back after a week. I haven't posted my more about the class, because I feel that my original post sums things up pretty well. This may be the most challenging thing I've ever done, and while I struggle at times with the work load, it has pushed me and helped me grow immensely as a trainer. In all honestly it has been difficult to post on the blog at all, or do much of anything other than train, train, train as my assessment looms nearer! So for now, this is my update, but once we get through it I'll be sure to check back in.

Wish us luck!