About me

I got into the world of dog by way of my first Great Dane, Ishie. She was my heart and soul. She was an adventuring spirit that got bored doing the same thing twice. Like me. And she really loved long exploratory car rides. Like me. We were a very bonded pair. She had to just look at me and I knew exactly what she wanted or needed. I don't know why or how that happened, but it did and it was beautiful.

She taught me so much about the world of dog.

I remember learning how important the ability to stop and sniff things are in the world of dog. She was a sniffologist by trade. I remember the first time I saw her sniff a blade of grass for a full 5 minutes. She moved her giant great dane snout up and down this wee blade of grass a dozen time, appearing to hit at least 50 different scents along the way. She savoured and swished those scents around like the most skilled sommelier does a fine aged wine. I was in awe. And thankfully, not in a rush to get anywhere too fast!

She also taught me that dogs are their own beings! They have preferences the same way we do. Ishie liked some dogs, and not others. She wanted to walk a different way some times. She would never turn away a piece of kolbasa (the same way I wouldn't caramel cheesecake), but sometimes she wasn't in the mood for the same meal I was feeding her twice daily. She taught me that not all dogs enjoyed meeting all humans. She, in particular, offended a lot of humans with her indifference to them! I learned that each dog is their own being and that we need to keenly observe their behaviours to learn them.