Communication is at the heart of any relationship. So much of a healthy relationship depends on being able to communicate our thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires to the people we love. This isn’t always easy, of course- wires get crossed, words get misunderstood. And all of this gets even harder when one of us isn’t human. We love our pets and we think (or at least hope) that they love us as well. But how can we be sure when we can’t speak the same language? Is it even possible for us to have authentic communication with our animal friends?

Each of us has visions of what we want in life- things we hope to do, achieve, and experience. Envisioning, planning, and daydreaming about these things can be useful and is certainly enjoyable, but when it comes time to take action to try and make them a reality…well, that can be intimidating, even frightening. It’s often tempting--and always easier--to simply enjoy the daydream.

It makes sense to say that we can’t do it all. After all, we’re each just one person, and no one person can do everything, right?

But then you meet someone like Dr. Meghan Herron who seems like she really has done it all- gone to veterinary school, raised two kids, and single-handedly started an entirely new program of study at OSU- and you can’t help but wonder if maybe there is some way to do it all.

But how? What’s the secret? How can you possibly do everything you both need and want to without going stark raving mad?

Dr. Herron joined me today to talk about her work as a behavioral vet and her philosophy to “doing it all” while protecting your own mental health and avoiding burnout.

Our lives very rarely take the paths we think they will. Even if we end up where we planned, we seldom take the route we thought we would. Looking back, it’s sometimes easy to see how a combination of seemingly unconnected chances, events, and decisions led us to where we are (for good or ill), but in the moment we often feel as though we’re flying blind. And then there are the times we’re sure we’ve made the right decision only to look back later and see how wrong or misinformed we were, despite our best efforts.

Professional pet sitter Maria Giaccio always thought she’d work with animals, but didn’t get there the way she thought she would. Join us as we discuss her roundabout route to owning a doggy daycare, reflect on Maya Angelou’s words about knowing and doing better, and remember the importance of having compassion for our past selves.

Whether it’s relationships, jobs, finances, health, or a dozen other areas, everybody wants to feel as though they have control over their life. We crave the security that comes from knowing–or at least feeling like we know–where we’re headed, and that things are going according to plan. But the truth is that we actually have control over far fewer things than we might like. 

While facing the limits of our control can be frightening, it can also be liberating and allow us to achieve a certain amount of calm, even in the face of uncertainty. Today, dog trainer and vet tech Stephanie Kern joined me to talk about her experiences working with dogs and how she’s learned to embrace the fact most things are outside of her control.

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Time, whether we like it or not, marches on. All our experiences, both good and bad, are only temporary.

Reminding ourselves of this can be a double-edged sword. While it may make it easier for us to soldier on through the hard times, remembering that they won’t last forever, it can also be disheartening to remember that all the good times will pass away as well.

But maybe the well-known saying that “this too shall pass” doesn’t have to be a source of sadness when we apply it to the things we love. Maybe instead, it can be an inspiration to dive headlong into whatever comes our way, making the most of it while it lasts.

Dog trainer and anthrozoologist Marika Bell came on the show to discuss this with me, as well as share stories of her many and varied experiences with animals ranging from bears to dogs to deadly snakes.

https://colleenpelar.com/102

We all know the old adage “practice makes perfect.” At first glance, it seems like good advice.

Isn’t perfection the goal, the thing we should all strive for? After all, if something is perfect it is, by definition, the best it can possibly be. Nothing can be better than that–or can it? Is there something out there that could be better than the ever-elusive “perfect?” Turns out there just might be!

https://colleenpelar.com/101

Stress. Burnout. Compassion fatigue. These are issues everybody faces, but are especially common among pet professionals. Awareness around these issues is growing, but it can still be hard to know what to do when we find ourselves in those tough times.

https://colleenpelar.com/100

Time. It’s quite possibly our most precious resource, and one that many of us feel we never have enough of. With what can seem like a million things all clamoring for our attention at once, trying to figure out how to prioritize our time and use it wisely can feel overwhelming and well-nigh impossible.

Support is essential to all of our endeavors. If we lack the support and encouragement of those around us, especially our nearest and dearest, our mental and emotional well-being suffers and success becomes harder to achieve.

https://colleenpelar.com/98