WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.789 --> 00:00:06.320 Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast, the show for dog lovers who 00:00:06.340 --> 00:00:12.000 see dogs not as toys or tools, but wise souls worth our respect and care. 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:14.559 I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host. 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:20.560 I talk to poor some humans, people who do great work for dogs and their people. 00:00:21.099 --> 00:00:23.360 So come and join us for today's conversation. 00:00:25.628 --> 00:00:26.918 Anke: Hello and welcome, Leanne. 00:00:26.928 --> 00:00:32.488 I'm super excited to have you here for the first time in my Zoom room under the 00:00:32.498 --> 00:00:36.333 umbrella of dogs, so I'm delighted to have 00:00:36.333 --> 00:00:36.663 Lian: you here. 00:00:37.973 --> 00:00:40.173 Oh, my pleasure entirely. 00:00:40.473 --> 00:00:44.713 Um, as soon as I heard what you're doing with Soul Touched by Dogs, I 00:00:44.713 --> 00:00:46.483 was just like, that's just wonderful. 00:00:46.483 --> 00:00:48.543 What a lovely creation. 00:00:48.883 --> 00:00:52.763 And then the opportunity to talk about this, uh, again, I said to you earlier, 00:00:53.003 --> 00:00:58.738 Soul are two of the things I probably think about and talk about the most. 00:00:58.768 --> 00:01:01.678 So to be able to talk about how they interact with each other. 00:01:01.678 --> 00:01:02.108 Perfect. 00:01:03.148 --> 00:01:05.428 Anke: So you're in the right plot and the right place then. 00:01:05.738 --> 00:01:07.248 So let's just start out. 00:01:07.258 --> 00:01:09.238 Why don't you give people like a two minute birds eye 00:01:09.238 --> 00:01:10.638 overview, like where you base. 00:01:11.118 --> 00:01:12.958 You know, what's the day job? 00:01:12.958 --> 00:01:14.658 Like, what's your connection with dogs? 00:01:16.578 --> 00:01:23.968 Lian: So, um, I, I'm English, as you can probably hear from my accent, and live 00:01:23.978 --> 00:01:26.188 just outside London in Hertfordshire. 00:01:26.588 --> 00:01:33.093 Um, and we are very fortunate because we live in A very old country cottage 00:01:33.093 --> 00:01:38.613 just surrounded by English countryside, which of course is perfect when you 00:01:38.613 --> 00:01:42.273 love dogs and, uh, being able to sort of go out on like very muddy 00:01:42.273 --> 00:01:46.103 walks, let the dogs run free is, uh, yeah, for me like heaven on earth. 00:01:46.113 --> 00:01:51.373 So it's, um, my journey with with dogs. 00:01:51.743 --> 00:01:55.423 I was raised in a very, like, animal loving household. 00:01:55.443 --> 00:01:56.763 All kinds of animals, actually. 00:01:56.813 --> 00:02:00.723 Like, my whole life we've had all sorts of different kind of animals. 00:02:01.053 --> 00:02:06.918 Um, but certainly over the years I've realized, like, It's hard to say for 00:02:06.918 --> 00:02:11.158 sure, but I think probably dogs are the ones that kind of really have my heart. 00:02:11.718 --> 00:02:18.918 And from a very early age, my parents were, most of the time, very clear 00:02:18.918 --> 00:02:22.318 that if we were to take on an animal, it needed to be a rescue animal. 00:02:22.708 --> 00:02:26.098 Um, there's so many animals out there in the world that need help, need homes. 00:02:26.128 --> 00:02:29.798 And so from a very young age, that was kind of like normal to me. 00:02:30.148 --> 00:02:34.023 And so That carried on as I've got older and kind of old enough 00:02:34.023 --> 00:02:35.513 to choose to have dogs of my own. 00:02:36.343 --> 00:02:45.123 And in the last 10 years, um, since we've lived here, we've had various rescue 00:02:45.123 --> 00:02:51.293 dogs kind of We've taken on all different ages, um, right from, all of them 00:02:51.313 --> 00:02:53.463 rescued, but right, right from puppies. 00:02:53.673 --> 00:02:59.333 The oldest we took on was an 11 year old, our dear, now departed, Mabel. 00:02:59.683 --> 00:03:06.103 And each one of them has just brought, you know, so much joy, so many lessons, um. 00:03:06.858 --> 00:03:08.508 Honestly, it's something I can't see. 00:03:08.508 --> 00:03:11.808 We've got three at the moment and, uh, I have to say to my husband, 00:03:11.808 --> 00:03:12.848 I don't know if we're done yet. 00:03:12.858 --> 00:03:15.788 He thinks we are, but, uh, we'll see. 00:03:15.838 --> 00:03:18.948 But, oh, that's a kind of snapshot of about me and dogs. 00:03:19.493 --> 00:03:20.123 Anke: I love it. 00:03:20.123 --> 00:03:21.052 I love it. 00:03:21.052 --> 00:03:22.183 And it's very similar. 00:03:22.273 --> 00:03:23.503 It's like very similar to mine. 00:03:23.513 --> 00:03:26.913 Like, you know, that sort of upbringing and I've always wanted a dog and, 00:03:27.253 --> 00:03:31.183 and always felt that connection, you know, really, really strongly. 00:03:31.443 --> 00:03:34.563 Is there a particular lesson or like something that you thought, 00:03:34.563 --> 00:03:39.773 Oh, I never imagined or never expected dogs to teach me that? 00:03:41.223 --> 00:03:42.113 Lian: That's a great question. 00:03:46.803 --> 00:03:53.533 The, I think because of the work I do, which is a kind of That in itself 00:03:53.533 --> 00:03:58.193 is a, it's a hard thing to summarize but, you know, very much in the work 00:03:58.233 --> 00:04:03.673 of individuation, really understanding who we are at that deepest soul level. 00:04:03.903 --> 00:04:08.623 So I've got a very kind of, you know, shamanic spiritual lens on life, 00:04:08.833 --> 00:04:10.523 which I really bring to everything. 00:04:11.033 --> 00:04:18.008 And What I've really realised in sharing our, you know, opening up 00:04:18.008 --> 00:04:22.078 our home, our lives, our hearts to these sort of series of dogs that each 00:04:22.078 --> 00:04:26.168 bring their own, you know, blessings, but sometimes bring challenges. 00:04:26.588 --> 00:04:34.818 And it's been something that over time I've realised the, the humility. 00:04:35.168 --> 00:04:44.758 And generosity and patience that they can teach us and require of us is so 00:04:44.818 --> 00:04:47.728 helpful for us and our own growth. 00:04:48.038 --> 00:04:51.028 It can be so easy, I think, particularly in this crazy modern world where we're 00:04:51.028 --> 00:04:56.188 so, we always want things to like fit neat boxes and be so productive and like, you 00:04:56.188 --> 00:05:00.338 know, this A needs to follow B, you know, like this just keep going in this machine. 00:05:00.978 --> 00:05:06.688 And Much of the work I do is inviting people to find ways to, like, 00:05:06.688 --> 00:05:10.928 reconnect to their wild selves through, for example, nature reconnection. 00:05:10.968 --> 00:05:14.468 And I think dogs are, like, a perfect gateway back to that. 00:05:14.948 --> 00:05:19.298 You know, they, they, you know, technically are tame, and yet 00:05:19.408 --> 00:05:21.238 are so much less tame than us. 00:05:21.238 --> 00:05:25.997 You know, they really invite us back into that wild aliveness. 00:05:26.968 --> 00:05:31.288 They really bring us back into our body, back into a sense of like, this 00:05:31.288 --> 00:05:33.258 moment right now is what's happening. 00:05:33.378 --> 00:05:38.512 You might have ideas, like it, it's funny really because I've hosted a podcast for 00:05:38.803 --> 00:05:43.323 Pretty much the whole 10 years I've had, like, dogs in adult life, I've also hosted 00:05:43.323 --> 00:05:48.993 a podcast, and I was joking to, uh, one of my team earlier, like, it's crazy, really, 00:05:48.993 --> 00:05:52.563 that I run a podcast, and most of the time I'll have three dogs in this room with me. 00:05:52.563 --> 00:05:53.853 I can quickly show you. 00:05:53.913 --> 00:05:55.473 I can see one behind you. 00:05:55.473 --> 00:05:57.119 There's one there, 00:05:57.119 --> 00:05:59.315 Anke: one there, and another 00:05:59.315 --> 00:06:00.412 Lian: one there. 00:06:00.413 --> 00:06:05.308 And most of the time They're like they are now, guys. 00:06:05.358 --> 00:06:09.248 Like, they, they, they know when I'm here, they meant to the rest of the 00:06:09.258 --> 00:06:10.358 time, they used to eat all over me. 00:06:10.358 --> 00:06:13.598 But here, they, they stay quiet and, um, get on with it. 00:06:13.838 --> 00:06:15.268 But of course, that's not always the case. 00:06:15.368 --> 00:06:18.068 If they see someone outside, if there's a squirrel, knock 00:06:18.068 --> 00:06:20.178 at the door, they're in uproar. 00:06:20.838 --> 00:06:24.958 And it's been such a great lesson for me that, like, I can't control that. 00:06:25.438 --> 00:06:28.978 You know, that, that isn't, there's something out of my control and 00:06:28.998 --> 00:06:33.098 there's things that I will do to, you know, like maximize the time 00:06:33.098 --> 00:06:36.858 that I can, you know, actually have a conversation on the podcast, but 00:06:36.858 --> 00:06:41.988 also just to recognize there's, there's so much, again, the humility 00:06:41.988 --> 00:06:44.028 of like, I'm not in charge of life. 00:06:44.458 --> 00:06:46.888 I'm not in charge of any of this really. 00:06:47.338 --> 00:06:51.748 And again, bringing us back to that, like, life is just happening 00:06:51.748 --> 00:06:55.488 in this moment, it's full of all of this chaos, all of these, these 00:06:55.528 --> 00:06:59.158 calls for us to, like, realise who we are and how we're showing up. 00:06:59.638 --> 00:07:02.188 Um, there's so much more I can say, there's a particular story I'd 00:07:02.188 --> 00:07:07.173 love to tell you about, um, that I mentioned earlier, but I'll, I'll, 00:07:07.173 --> 00:07:08.773 I'll pause there for a moment. 00:07:10.183 --> 00:07:13.063 Anke: Yeah, no, I think, I think you're spot on with that, you 00:07:13.063 --> 00:07:17.743 know, that connection where, yeah, no, a dog's just like, okay, 00:07:18.023 --> 00:07:20.833 this, and this is what is, right. 00:07:20.833 --> 00:07:24.453 And what I always find fascinating when you see a dog with, you know, 00:07:24.533 --> 00:07:26.933 on a, in a wheelchair kind of thing, you know, when they kind of have, 00:07:27.343 --> 00:07:29.323 don't have the use of their legs. 00:07:30.128 --> 00:07:30.528 I don't care. 00:07:30.838 --> 00:07:31.488 Like, let's play. 00:07:32.458 --> 00:07:33.748 So they just don't have that. 00:07:33.818 --> 00:07:36.918 They don't make up all these stories around like, oh, what that 00:07:36.918 --> 00:07:37.958 means and what it doesn't mean. 00:07:37.958 --> 00:07:42.948 It's just like, you get on with what you have and you make the most of 00:07:42.948 --> 00:07:48.908 it and it doesn't stand in the way of joy and movement and playfulness. 00:07:48.908 --> 00:07:51.407 And I think there's so much we can learn. 00:07:51.408 --> 00:07:52.567 So much we can learn. 00:07:52.868 --> 00:07:53.718 Yeah, for sure. 00:07:54.928 --> 00:07:56.688 Now tell me, tell me about Mabel. 00:07:57.688 --> 00:07:59.858 Lian: Oh, our beautiful Mabel. 00:07:59.868 --> 00:08:05.878 So, she, I, at the time we had, uh, Laszlo over there who 00:08:05.878 --> 00:08:07.808 was our first Rescue Vizsla. 00:08:08.308 --> 00:08:12.823 And Weren't at all planning to get a second dog at that 00:08:12.823 --> 00:08:14.203 point, famous last words. 00:08:16.303 --> 00:08:20.563 The rescue charity that we got him from, I follow their Facebook page and of 00:08:20.563 --> 00:08:24.643 course they're constantly sharing dogs that they've got in that need homes. 00:08:25.218 --> 00:08:32.398 And I saw Mabel, and she was there kind of like, uh, like sugar face, all gone grey, 00:08:32.618 --> 00:08:35.718 and just like looking into the camera with these just like eyes that burned into 00:08:35.718 --> 00:08:40.618 your soul, and I just knew immediately, oh my goodness, she's meant to be with us. 00:08:40.778 --> 00:08:46.028 And um, so I showed him my husband, he's like, he hadn't like, why, why on 00:08:46.358 --> 00:08:49.708 earth would we be taking on another dog, let alone an 11 year old dog right now? 00:08:50.018 --> 00:08:52.778 I don't know, but I know she's meant to be with us. 00:08:53.158 --> 00:08:53.948 And, so. 00:08:54.623 --> 00:08:58.603 Cut a long story short, she, uh, we were at the point where we were kind of like 00:08:58.613 --> 00:09:04.043 really thinking, okay, we could offer a home, but it brings a lot with it, not to 00:09:04.103 --> 00:09:08.223 least the fact our children then, they're now kind of a young teen, so this was, 00:09:08.563 --> 00:09:12.713 um, maybe five years ago or so, so quite a bit younger, and we really knew that 00:09:12.713 --> 00:09:16.313 she wouldn't be with us for very long, you know, a big dog, 11, they're not going to 00:09:16.313 --> 00:09:21.483 last probably very long, and hadn't had a great life, she'd been in a kill shelter, 00:09:21.523 --> 00:09:23.263 she'd been used as a breeding bitch, so. 00:09:23.783 --> 00:09:27.713 wasn't in the best of health, you know, who knows how long we'd have her. 00:09:28.453 --> 00:09:31.723 And so we're sort of in this like, shall we get her, shall we not? 00:09:31.783 --> 00:09:36.613 And I had a conversation with my son, and he was probably about nine at the time. 00:09:36.853 --> 00:09:39.823 And I was saying, you know, this is what we're thinking about. 00:09:39.823 --> 00:09:42.783 But you know, if we do get her, we need to be prepared. 00:09:43.063 --> 00:09:45.643 You know, we may not have her for long, and then we'll lose her. 00:09:46.453 --> 00:09:50.673 And my son said something like to this day, I go back to and I think like, 00:09:50.703 --> 00:09:55.728 oh my goodness, like, Just that showed me so much about what's really going 00:09:55.728 --> 00:09:57.548 on when we take these animals on. 00:09:57.988 --> 00:10:03.278 He said, well mummy, even if we only have her with us for six months, 00:10:03.548 --> 00:10:06.958 at least she gets the opportunity to like spend the last part of her 00:10:06.958 --> 00:10:08.378 life with a family who love her. 00:10:10.898 --> 00:10:15.798 And it brings tears to my eyes again remembering like, he's just clarity. 00:10:16.078 --> 00:10:17.398 Like he's not about us. 00:10:17.438 --> 00:10:18.908 He's not about us. 00:10:20.113 --> 00:10:23.883 You know, I was, I was even projecting my own, like, you know, that on my 00:10:23.883 --> 00:10:27.683 children, that they can't put themselves aside for the dog, but they can, 00:10:27.693 --> 00:10:29.383 they can feel this isn't about us. 00:10:29.723 --> 00:10:32.513 And so we, we, uh, gave her a home. 00:10:32.513 --> 00:10:37.703 She actually was with us, um, until she was 14. 00:10:37.713 --> 00:10:40.203 So we actually had her for far longer than six months. 00:10:42.183 --> 00:10:42.683 Really was. 00:10:42.703 --> 00:10:44.613 And she was just amazing. 00:10:44.613 --> 00:10:46.323 And in the end she lost her sight. 00:10:46.323 --> 00:10:48.723 And it was so, she'd gone so blind. 00:10:48.753 --> 00:10:49.513 It was such an old age. 00:10:49.513 --> 00:10:52.723 She just couldn't seem to adapt to life as a blind dog. 00:10:53.183 --> 00:10:59.788 Um, and the, I remember being in the vets when she was put to sleep and I've 00:10:59.788 --> 00:11:03.378 remembered, I thought I'd guarded my heart, I thought because we'd taken her 00:11:03.378 --> 00:11:06.818 on, knowing we wouldn't have her very long and we're almost doing it as a gesture 00:11:06.818 --> 00:11:10.558 of like, you know, like generosity rather than it being like, we're getting the 00:11:10.558 --> 00:11:13.168 dog, it's so exciting, but like, you know, again, like my son was saying, 00:11:13.368 --> 00:11:15.088 you know, at least she'll have a family. 00:11:15.318 --> 00:11:19.623 And so I thought I'd protected my heart, you know, like, We won't have a long 00:11:19.653 --> 00:11:21.283 and, you know, won't get too attached. 00:11:21.863 --> 00:11:24.623 I was so devastated in the vet. 00:11:24.753 --> 00:11:28.523 I was, I was literally sitting on the floor, like, just in streams 00:11:28.523 --> 00:11:31.293 of tears to the point where the vet said to my husband, is she okay? 00:11:32.533 --> 00:11:33.573 That taught me another lesson. 00:11:33.573 --> 00:11:40.263 I was so devastated and I came out of there, I was just like, There isn't 00:11:40.353 --> 00:11:42.743 any protecting your heart from them. 00:11:42.823 --> 00:11:44.553 That's not, that's not the game. 00:11:44.573 --> 00:11:45.633 That's not the point. 00:11:45.643 --> 00:11:47.253 That's not what this is all about, right? 00:11:47.323 --> 00:11:47.593 No. 00:11:48.453 --> 00:11:52.853 And, uh, I remember coming out of the vet, it's like, again, I still cry when 00:11:52.853 --> 00:11:57.773 I think of her because she just was like, she, everyone kind of like was forced 00:11:57.783 --> 00:11:59.783 to open her heart, their heart to her. 00:12:00.428 --> 00:12:05.308 And just that whole experience has taught me so much. 00:12:05.308 --> 00:12:09.868 I would, I would recommend, you know, just as a side, really anyone 00:12:09.868 --> 00:12:12.948 that's in a position to take on an older dog like that, if you can do. 00:12:12.948 --> 00:12:15.978 She taught me so much. 00:12:16.748 --> 00:12:19.768 Anke: Yeah, and actually a friend of mine, she, um. 00:12:20.663 --> 00:12:25.803 always takes in, you know, and when one passes, there'll be another one, and it's 00:12:26.013 --> 00:12:30.443 always an older dog, you know, and, and it's, it's always that, you know, but it's 00:12:30.483 --> 00:12:35.668 every time it's You know, usually they hang around a lot longer than one expects, 00:12:36.418 --> 00:12:38.338 you know, and you do get attached to them. 00:12:38.358 --> 00:12:41.648 Like, yeah, it doesn't matter if they, if it's only a few months or 00:12:41.648 --> 00:12:43.658 a year or something, it doesn't. 00:12:44.478 --> 00:12:44.768 Yeah. 00:12:44.768 --> 00:12:46.568 I don't think there's like a time. 00:12:46.848 --> 00:12:50.338 I don't think connection, I guess it's the same with people, right? 00:12:50.958 --> 00:12:54.128 I think connection and time aren't strictly 00:12:54.148 --> 00:12:54.798 Lian: related. 00:12:55.548 --> 00:12:57.098 No, we think they are. 00:12:57.108 --> 00:12:58.108 It's another thing, isn't it? 00:12:58.138 --> 00:13:01.488 We project our ideas of like, this equals this. 00:13:01.903 --> 00:13:02.293 Yeah, 00:13:03.403 --> 00:13:05.833 Anke: because you can have that, you know, and I think you kind of said 00:13:05.833 --> 00:13:09.513 it, it's like, okay, that, that, and I had like that sensation that 00:13:09.523 --> 00:13:10.873 these eyes go straight through. 00:13:11.013 --> 00:13:14.713 I had that in an extreme way with, with the one that's, 00:13:14.743 --> 00:13:16.583 that's right here beside me. 00:13:16.863 --> 00:13:21.443 You know, I was just like, yeah, I don't know, like these eyes go in, in a way 00:13:21.443 --> 00:13:24.013 that the rational mind cannot follow. 00:13:24.013 --> 00:13:24.442 Right. 00:13:24.442 --> 00:13:27.743 And it doesn't matter how, and it's instant. 00:13:28.518 --> 00:13:31.828 You know, so there is no, like, you don't need time to get used to 00:13:31.828 --> 00:13:36.568 them or any of that, like, yeah, it's, it's, it's really instant. 00:13:36.848 --> 00:13:41.128 And there's so much that, that, do you find, like, having more than one dog, 00:13:41.178 --> 00:13:44.838 that was like, they were, for me, there were so many lessons that I didn't expect, 00:13:44.838 --> 00:13:48.298 because there was always like, yeah, you know, dogs, they, they kind of very shaped 00:13:48.298 --> 00:13:50.768 by you and your relationship, right? 00:13:51.098 --> 00:13:55.128 And what I didn't really see coming is like how different they are, even 00:13:55.128 --> 00:13:57.078 if they grew up in the same household, 00:13:57.208 --> 00:13:57.458 Lian: right? 00:13:58.398 --> 00:14:05.493 Completely, and also the way that Each new one coming in will shift the 00:14:05.503 --> 00:14:10.493 dynamic between the three of them, so suddenly you see a different aspect 00:14:10.563 --> 00:14:13.553 of one of them that you thought you knew really well, and you're like, oh, 00:14:13.603 --> 00:14:15.583 I didn't know that was there for you. 00:14:16.133 --> 00:14:20.683 Um, talking about that kind of like, eyes bearing into your soul, our recent 00:14:20.683 --> 00:14:23.043 addition, Huxley, the uh, Sausage Dog. 00:14:24.198 --> 00:14:25.298 Exactly the same thing. 00:14:25.298 --> 00:14:28.028 We weren't at all planning to get another dog. 00:14:28.318 --> 00:14:32.268 Um, my, my husband was like, no, two is definitely, I've got two 00:14:32.268 --> 00:14:34.118 hands, two dogs is the maximum. 00:14:35.003 --> 00:14:39.673 I had the exact same experience where I saw him, it was through the same rescue 00:14:39.673 --> 00:14:43.733 charity, even though they're primarily business, uh, they come from Hungary and 00:14:43.733 --> 00:14:48.433 they have kind of links with a Hungarian, uh, uh, fashioned rescue charities. 00:14:48.463 --> 00:14:51.113 They often, uh, will show those on the page as well. 00:14:51.123 --> 00:14:53.213 So anyway, I had the same experience. 00:14:53.223 --> 00:14:56.303 I think by this point, my husband's like, okay, she knows something 00:14:56.303 --> 00:14:57.613 I don't, we'll go with it. 00:14:58.103 --> 00:15:03.673 And, um, He's, he's coming with such a, I think it is a bit like that 00:15:03.683 --> 00:15:07.343 breed nature, like, they're actually quite similar to Vizsla's really, 00:15:07.343 --> 00:15:11.623 you know, like Barry, lots of energy, lots of character, really soft, really 00:15:11.623 --> 00:15:14.223 want to be with, with their family. 00:15:15.053 --> 00:15:19.468 And, He's come in and it's so interesting because the, the one that's 00:15:19.468 --> 00:15:24.268 off our camera at the moment, my long haired fizzler, he's the softest dog. 00:15:24.278 --> 00:15:26.368 He is like a forever baby dog. 00:15:26.418 --> 00:15:28.338 He's just absolutely gorgeous. 00:15:28.338 --> 00:15:31.588 Like the, everyone just says like he's the softest dog in the world. 00:15:31.658 --> 00:15:33.318 Like just not a bad bone in his body. 00:15:33.678 --> 00:15:39.248 And it's been really interesting seeing Huxley come in and then the whole pack 00:15:39.248 --> 00:15:41.648 obviously all shifts in relationship. 00:15:42.038 --> 00:15:48.293 And now starting to see Ah, Watson's now realising, like, ah, I'm sort of 00:15:48.493 --> 00:15:50.273 the baby, but I'm not really the baby. 00:15:50.323 --> 00:15:50.663 But not really. 00:15:51.913 --> 00:15:54.663 Yeah, I'm not the little one anymore. 00:15:54.963 --> 00:15:59.463 And it's starting to get more, like, independent in a way that, like, I 00:15:59.463 --> 00:16:01.493 never imagined, like, he's now five. 00:16:02.033 --> 00:16:04.673 You know, by five you're going to get independent, you would have done, 00:16:04.683 --> 00:16:08.363 but no, it took getting the little one for him to, like, oh, perhaps I 00:16:08.363 --> 00:16:11.063 could, uh, be on my own sometimes. 00:16:11.933 --> 00:16:15.853 But like you said, they are all just such distinct personalities. 00:16:16.163 --> 00:16:21.713 It was funny, I did a podcast with, um, a chap for my podcast yesterday, and 00:16:21.713 --> 00:16:27.643 we were talking about how sort of human centric we can be, where we can very 00:16:27.643 --> 00:16:32.928 much think that we Everything in the world is here for us and doesn't have 00:16:32.928 --> 00:16:35.318 its own sensuous, its own consciousness. 00:16:35.808 --> 00:16:39.358 And, um, it's a world view that we've kind of like, it's a very modern 00:16:39.358 --> 00:16:42.388 world view, and we then look at everything we do through that lens. 00:16:42.998 --> 00:16:47.658 And how, even if we start to take a step back into a more, like, shamanic, 00:16:47.708 --> 00:16:52.038 animistic lens, because we're still looking at it through that viewpoint, 00:16:52.278 --> 00:16:54.038 it's like, oh, we see a crow. 00:16:54.808 --> 00:16:56.798 And it's like, what does that symbolize? 00:16:56.828 --> 00:17:01.258 Rather than, no, it's just, it's a being in its own right. 00:17:01.958 --> 00:17:05.418 That crow, of course, has some commonalities with other crows, but 00:17:05.418 --> 00:17:11.088 it's also its own individual being with its own needs, its own, you know, 00:17:11.288 --> 00:17:14.018 I'm not going to reject too much kind of, again, human ways of being and 00:17:14.028 --> 00:17:17.988 thinking, but it has got its own nature, its own way of being in the world. 00:17:18.378 --> 00:17:23.138 And I think dogs are really great at reminding us that, like you're saying, 00:17:23.138 --> 00:17:26.278 it's like you have more than one dog, you know more than one dog, you see 00:17:26.278 --> 00:17:31.938 that these aren't just dogs as a breed that are here for humans to do what 00:17:31.938 --> 00:17:36.948 they want with and to control and to own, each of them are their own beings, 00:17:37.278 --> 00:17:42.248 all with their own right to life and own right to express themselves 00:17:42.248 --> 00:17:43.718 and be in the world as they are. 00:17:44.208 --> 00:17:49.968 And I think it's, again, really It's a helpful reminder, if we're 00:17:49.998 --> 00:17:53.798 open to that lesson, I think we really need that as a species. 00:17:54.543 --> 00:17:55.533 Yeah, I couldn't agree 00:17:55.533 --> 00:17:55.823 Anke: more. 00:17:55.823 --> 00:17:58.973 And I think it's one of the reasons I even started this, because I felt like 00:17:58.973 --> 00:18:01.373 the narrative needs to be changed. 00:18:02.363 --> 00:18:07.473 Like, we can't keep looking at dogs specifically, but I guess it applies 00:18:07.543 --> 00:18:11.763 to other animals as well, as like, Oh, they're a tool, we use them when we 00:18:11.793 --> 00:18:17.173 kind of, you know, or a toy for the kids, you know, or like, my emotional 00:18:17.203 --> 00:18:22.993 support, like, you know, my psychological dumping ground, you know, so it's just 00:18:22.993 --> 00:18:27.198 like, Respecting them for what they are, exactly how you say, like, you 00:18:27.198 --> 00:18:32.328 know, they are their own soul, really, you know, and we have the privilege to 00:18:32.328 --> 00:18:35.518 connect with them, but I don't think we have the right to control them. 00:18:37.328 --> 00:18:39.178 Lian: Yeah, yeah, very much so. 00:18:40.113 --> 00:18:41.453 Anke: Yeah, I love that. 00:18:42.413 --> 00:18:46.693 So how can people find out more about the work you do and, you 00:18:46.693 --> 00:18:51.063 know, about you and your pups and the business and all of that? 00:18:51.833 --> 00:18:52.013 Yes, 00:18:52.013 --> 00:18:55.569 Lian: I'm constantly, uh, if they're not showing up in the background on 00:18:55.569 --> 00:18:58.952 podcasts, I'm constantly talking about them and sharing pictures of them. 00:18:58.953 --> 00:19:00.553 Even though it's not what I actually do for a job. 00:19:00.833 --> 00:19:06.673 And so, if you're listening to this in the early part of 2020, Four, you'll 00:19:06.673 --> 00:19:13.543 find us@wakingthewild.com, but we are imminently about to, um, go to a rebrand 00:19:13.543 --> 00:19:16.423 and we'll become be mythical.com. 00:19:16.483 --> 00:19:20.173 So if you go to one or the other, they'll, um, redirect anyway, but 00:19:20.233 --> 00:19:23.893 probably by the time you listen to it, we'll be@bemythical.com and we 00:19:23.893 --> 00:19:28.483 have a free podcast, all sorts of offerings and, um, we share on, you 00:19:28.483 --> 00:19:30.043 know, most social media platforms. 00:19:30.043 --> 00:19:34.003 So find out more if anything I've said has, uh, resonated. 00:19:35.008 --> 00:19:35.428 Anke: Love it. 00:19:35.718 --> 00:19:37.068 Thank you so much for coming. 00:19:37.468 --> 00:19:39.908 Um, I'm glad we finally made it together. 00:19:39.908 --> 00:19:44.098 It wasn't the last one. 00:19:44.798 --> 00:19:45.618 Lian: It's been delightful. 00:19:45.618 --> 00:19:47.318 Thank you so much for inviting me. 00:19:47.318 --> 00:19:48.638 It's been gorgeous conversation. 00:19:49.528 --> 00:19:50.058 Thank you. 00:19:50.751 --> 00:19:51.981 Thanks so much for listening. 00:19:52.501 --> 00:19:56.801 If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget to subscribe, and leave a review so 00:19:56.901 --> 00:19:58.681 other dog lovers can find the show. 00:19:59.471 --> 00:20:02.961 If you haven't already, head over to soul touched by dogs. 00:20:03.391 --> 00:20:08.961 com and sign up for weekly doggy cuteness tips, recommendations, and personal 00:20:09.061 --> 00:20:11.431 stories to warm your dog loving heart. 00:20:11.431 --> 00:20:15.161 And if you know a pawsome human you think I should interview, 00:20:15.581 --> 00:20:16.721 I'd love an introduction. 00:20:17.201 --> 00:20:19.031 Email me at Anke. 00:20:19.301 --> 00:20:23.536 That's A N k E at Soul touched by dogs.com.