This week we’re having a conversation that might stretch how you think about life with your dog—in the best way. I’m joined by artist, photographer, and animal advocate Sophie Gamand, whose shelter work, including the viral project Pit Bull Flower Power, has helped thousands of people see rescue dogs with fresh eyes.

We talk about how you can uplevel your pet parenting game even more by truly listening to and honoring what your pet is telling you. Together, we explore how collaborative care and gentle desensitization can transform medical handling, the complicated reality of free-living dogs versus those labeled as “strays,” and what Sophie has witnessed inside shelters across the U.S., from breed stereotypes to the powerful socioeconomic forces that push good pets into cages.

If you’ve ever wondered how to love your dog in a way that celebrates who they are, not just who we hope they’ll be, this episode is for you 💜

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ Why “I love my dog” isn’t always enough, and what a deeper, more respectful bond really looks like.

✨ How to bring consent and choice into everyday moments with your dog.

✨ Why growling is communication, not disobedience, and why you don’t want to train your dog out of it.

✨How collaborative care and gentle handling can change a dog’s medical experience.

✨ Why free-living dogs can teach us about agency, adaptation, and community.

✨ The hidden truths of shelter life and what Sophie discovered after photographing hundreds of dogs across the U.S.

✨ How Sophie’s viral Pit Bull Flower Power project changed the way millions of people see pit bulls forever.

✨ Why large, working breeds struggle in most cities and what that says about our lifestyles.

✨ The emotional cost of volunteering in shelters and what it truly means to give an animal their dignity back.

✨ Why adoption is just one way to help and how each of us have a unique skill that can help a shelter.

✨ And we explore what it truly means to honor who our pets are, not just who we want them to be.

RESOURCES:

Sign up for Sophie’s newsletter on her website (just scroll to the bottom of the page) 🐶 👉 https://www.sophiegamand.com/newsletter-signup

Support Sophie’s work with shelter dogs 🐶 👉 https://www.patreon.com/SophieGamand

Purchase your own dog talisman lovingly crafted by Sophie 🐶 👉 https://www.sophiegamand.com/shop

FOLLOW:

Sophie Gamand’s website: https://www.sophiegamand.com/

Sophie Gamand on Instagram: @sophiegamand 

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet 

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