Urban living for dogs can be challenging: no freedom to be leash free, lack of space, limited time with other dogs. This affects dogs well-being that can often be overlooked. Pent up energy can lead to destructive behaviour and in some cases, aggression. 
It is important to provide your canine friend ample time outside, regardless of weather. Better yet, look for a reliable dog walker that goes to off leash dog parks. 

Part 3 with expert Tricia Casper: Is Your Dog Overcome With Fear, Anxiety, Isolation Distress?

You bring a rescue dog home (or any dog) and you find out it's not quite the happy dog you've hope for. It fears riding in the car, meeting other animals, can't stand the groomer...what do you do? 

​Terry, a professional dog trainer, agility competitor and former Animal Planet host, talks about his experience with his dog having lymphoma cancer. He addresses how it could have been prevented, how pet owners going through the same thing can deal with it. Terry has now dedicated his life to his foundation called Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research. Stay tuned for the documentary "Friends: Changing The Journey"

​Do you ever wonder if your dog could speak, what they would say? Do you ever wish you can say something to them? Animal communicator Claudia Hehr clarifies some of these questions.
2:00 - What is a memorable experience as an animal communicator?

4:08 - How do the conversations start?

5:04 - What kind of things do animals tell you?

7:27 -  Can dogs see colour?

9:00 -  At old age, do dogs let us know when they are ready to go?

10:48 - Do dogs have 3 year old mindsets?

11:31 - Can anyone communicate with animals?

12:08 - What should fosters know about rescue dogs?

15:02 - Do all foster dogs benefit from formal training?

​Did you know approx. 80,000 dogs are put down every week just in the States alone? Did you know homeless dogs outnumber homeless people 5:1? If you don't want a dog full time permanently, fostering dogs is a great option! It helps them transition into a forever home!

​Holistic Veterinary Dr Paul McCutheon, former Director of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and former President of the Toronto Academy of Veterinary Association talks with Beverly Isla about his philosophy on animal healthcare and what his recommendation is for all pet owners.

​More dogs than we think experience anxiety. They carry so much for us energetically, the least we can do is make sure they get the time they need with their pack of canine friends. This video features rescued dogs Boaz and Sophie. Far too many dogs are given up and end up homeless unless they are the few lucky ones that get adopted.

Alternative health may be sought after by people but pets do extremely well with holistic health also! In general, to be treated holistically is to be taken care of beyond our physical symptoms and to address the root cause of those symptoms. The holistic approach is to stimulate our secondary immune system in order for our bodies to heal itself. Various therapies include homeopathy, herbalism, sound therapy, chromatherapy, nutrition, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, reiki, qigong and much more.

All these modalities can be geared towards animals to avoid any harmful treatments of traditional veterinary practices. In fact, the holistic philosophy in animal healthcare has been gaining interest by the public and moving closer to mainstream practices. Holistic animal healthcare professionals are also growing in numbers. Toronto-based veterinarian Dr Paul McCutcheon believes that managing stress is crucial to addressing the foundation of your pets health. He explains that animals do experience stress without owners even being aware of it. It can come from a variety of sources including emotional and environmental factors, as well as, dietary and pharmaceutical drugs. Dr. McCutcheon recommends pet owners to provide their pets with a positive environment and food that is nutritionally good for them rather than what we think is okay for them.

Since animals are very keen to the sixth sense to begin with, animals respond very well to alternative health. They are also very aware of the energy around them especially of their owner’s as well as their own. The pet and owner relationship is a very important factor in regards to the animal’s health. Since animals cannot talk out their symptoms to the practitioner, Dr. McCutcheon applies bio-energetic testing, in addition to the owner’s perspective, to determine which treatment is most appropriate. Although the capability of the pet owner administering remedies to their pet can influence which modality is used, Dr.McCutcheon ensures that the animals do respond positively to the holistic approaches.
Holistic animal healthcare is by no means suggesting traditional methods are not at all useful. It can be effective in treating emergency or immediate circumstances alongside other modalities. Adding alternative animal healthcare philosophies to fill in the gaps left by traditional means is worth it! With our medical practices currently changing and evolving, so will the healthcare of animals. As Dr.McCutcheon states about his practice, most clients that come in are ready for change in attitude and are open to truly healing their pet. Having to turn down clients because of differences in perspectives is not really an issue for East York Animal Clinic.

Dr.McCutcheon’s tips on keeping your pet healthy:

• Examine your pet properly such as behavioral, sleeping and eating patterns
• Develop and maintain a positive relationship with them, don’t neglect them
• Maintain a positive attitude with yourself as they pick up negative energies
• Feed them healthy animal food
• Give them regular exercise
• Empathize with them and understand what they go through on a daily basis
• Limit harmful medical drugs to emergency situations

A great way to learn about your pet and his philosophy is through his book ‘The New Holistic Way for Dogs & Cats.  Available on Amazon. 
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Toronto-based veterinarian Dr Paul McCutcheon has been practicing for the past 40 years and has focused more on holistic approaches for the past 30 years. He is founder of East York Animal Clinic (https://eastyorkanimalclinic.com). Dr.McCutcheon has a long media history promoting his work and has served as President of the Toronto Academy of Veterinary Medicine as well as Director of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

If you’re thinking of being a foster, it is an awesome experience. Especially if you sincerely want to work with dogs but cannot have a permanent dog of your own for whatever reason. But please know fostering is more than just wanting a dog to cuddle with. Sure, they can give you that but as the front line of helping a dog rehabilitate, there’s a bit more work involved.
Rescue organizations don’t require you to put in that extra work but let’s face it, most fosters are not vets, practitioners or trainers. We have to do due diligence with what we can. Love is a great foundation (some trainers will argue with that) but it has to be in addition to understanding your foster dog’s triggers and helping them with certain obstacles.

Training is not the end all be all, there’s still the emotional aspect of that dog to address that conventional training may not be able to reach. Animal communicators can tell you all about it. There are things ‘outside of the box’ that is worth considering. I’m all about weighing all the options instead of being told this is the only option. Drugs are not the only option, euthanasia as the first solution to aggression is not the only option. Whether it be looking at a human or dog, a holistic approach is best to suit that particular person or dog. One size does not fit all. Human or dog, we all do not have the same fears, or same stress factors or triggers.
Personally, when I foster, I observe their behavior, their patterns, their likes, dislikes etc. Based on that, I take the time to research professionals who can give me some tips. I look for certain foods (I don’t necessarily feed them with the bag the rescue gives. If it’s low quality food, I won’t really use it) Food can greatly improve their state of mind. If you're going to put junk or chemicals in them, their health can only go so far. Same with us. I also look for natural supplements and remedies at health food stores. Trust me, this alone can help with transition. I have a few favourites but that’s for another blog.
All in all, it is extra effort that is not paid. It can be a hit in the pocket that’s for sure. But at the end of the day, if the foster dog can get a head start with me, typically the person that adopts them will continue what you started. To me, that small legacy is worth it.

So let’s get back to fostering.
Here are a few basic things to consider before you fill in that foster volunteer form.
1) Research a responsible rescue organization in your area. They are not all created equal and it is hard to spot the good ones from the shady ones. No offense to anyone running a rescue but it is what it is. There are no governing bodies in this area. So you have to do due diligence, ask them a lot of questions, research reviews, if you can try to connect with their fosters to get feedback that would be good also. I wont get into what are some of things that can go wrong because I’m not here to negate rescue organizations, I’m in support of them, just get in touch with the ones that will support you as a foster volunteer. If they have a stringent procedure in accepting fosters, that’s a good sign.
2) Prepare your living environment so it can be a positive experience for the rescue dog. The last thing they need is to be rescued from a not so good place to go into another not so good place. For eg, don’t have rowdy children around a lot, many foster dogs find it stressful. Have them stay in an area where there’s natural light, maybe put some lavender essential oil drops on their bed, it helps with relaxation (hint).

3) Have all the necessary accessories. Mind you, the rescue organization usually provides leashes, basic food items, sometimes even clothing. I find I always buy harnesses when I foster because I find it easier to walk them, and I also buy specific foods that are on the healthier side to start boosting their nutrition intake. Ok and other things that would take another blog to write about.
4) Research dog professionals in your area that would be willing to help you. Its not a requirement but I just like to take that extra step. I found a daycare that didn’t charge me to bring him there so I can see if his socialization skills with other dogs can be improved. Also a groomer helped me out because she had experience in aggressive dogs. So you wont know until you ask. Having help from a holistic veterinarian would be ideal because they have tools in their toolbox that can help tremendously with trauma and stress. Here’s a directory of them.
civtedu.org/directory
5) Engage them in some training exercises. If you get one that’s already trained, that’s a treat:) Getting professional training can be costly so try to pick up some books in the library. Be careful on the techniques you use because those foster dogs that have been abused, they do not trust you fully to allow you to be their dominant leader. I actually prefer positive reinforcement but again, due your research.
6) Do not rely on the rescue organization to do all the marketing. Post pictures, write about your foster dog and share on social media, go to the dog park and let people know this pooch is looking to be adopted. Make a simple flyer, go to your local vet clinic and see if they’re willing to display the flyer.
7) And lastly, prepare to give them a lot of love. I know there are trainers out there that think love is not how you rehabilitate or train a dog but c’mon, dogs give us unconditional love how can we not return it. They may not be the best behaved when you first get them but be patient with them. They can turn around fairly quickly.
Now that I’ve made it seem like fostering is a full time job, don’t be swayed by it. All of these steps come naturally anyways if you’re in it for the right reasons.

For many, the love of their pets, is comparable to that of family members. For most pets, the love for their owners is the true love that we dream of. No barriers, no conditions, just pure love. I view the H-C (human-canine) bond as more than just the linear perception of friendship or companionship. The 2 way street of the human canine bond has dynamics that are far beyond the external day to day interactions. It is more than just feeding them, or playing with them, in return we get kisses and cuddles. 
We live in a multitude of energies and everything in our life is run by it. Every interaction we make, within ourselves and with others, influences the ebb and flow of our energetic frequencies. Where in the spectrum our energy is on the grid depends on where we are in our own personal development journey. More and more people are opening up to this awareness. Dogs in particular are very keen in picking this up in us and around us. Whether you believe it or not, our canine friends absorb and take on our energy, it is their nature. They obviously won't tell you this but they do, everyday they are with you.
It is important to keep your energy levels clean and avoid holding too much heavy baggage, resentment, anger, and all the other emotions that are of low frequency. Your dog will not only feel it, they will, in their own way, take it on to alleviate the burden it has on you until it builds up in them. Until you take responsibility for your own frequencies, the ones holding you down can't just go away on its own, with or without a dog. As most personal development coaches teach, we do need to be our best version to be able to give to others. This includes giving to your pet.
I have a soft spot for rescues and the pain they experience, physically and emotionally. Somewhere along the chain, they have been let down either by people, hostile environments like natural disasters or just bad circumstance. I encourage those 17 million people who are looking for a dog to save and adopt them. They are not broken, they are not dirty, they just want a second, third or even fourth chance. Most importantly, dogs are not objects that go out of season, based on your life circumstances. 
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