On Teaching Dogs to Sit
It turns out that this isn’t about sitting at all– But about shaking. The first dog I ever taught a trick to was our golden retriever Dan. I was in third grade. No one had shown me how to train … Read More
Water Water Everywhere!
Don’t drink water from the ocean. I know you already knew this but I’m advising you in case you forgot. This past weekend, I went to the Kachemak Bay Writer’s Conference in Homer, AK. I got to hear Anthony Doerr, … Read More
About Pride and Health
This November was tough on my mental health, and it’s also forced me to look at myself and my kennel setup in a whole new light. I have given lip service to the truth that if I don’t take care … Read More
At Last… My Arm is Complete Again!
It’s hard to believe… But the team at ATAO Kennel is complete! (For this winter at least.) We are so excited to announce the final additions to the kennel for our founding year. Before I do, I want to explain … Read More
Winter is Coming!
I don’t yet have a four wheeler (though I will soon, fingers crossed), but I do have some doggos who need to run– So the current solution is to use myself as the anchor / slowdown-mechanism (which is really all … Read More
4 Reasons for Puppy Walks
Why do we do puppy walks? Aside from the fact that it’s fun (obviously) there are some huge benefits to letting our little nuggets run around untethered in all their crazy glory. I first learned about free play when I … Read More
Manifesto: or, What I Learned This Year
Every year I mush, I learn something. I learn a lot of things. I have mushed for fifteen years, and this year is no different. I have learned things about dogs, techniques about mushing, about feeding, about pacing. I have … Read More
Back to Reality
Monday was my first day back to “reality.” I’m not sure “reality” is a great term for the non-dog world. One of the best parts about the dog world is how present and gritty it is. However, let’s just call … Read More