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. 00:00:24.946 --> 00:00:27.166 Anke: Hello and welcome back, Miranda. 00:00:27.166 --> 00:00:30.856 I'm super excited to have you back in the, well in the studio. 00:00:30.856 --> 00:00:31.696 I was about to say. 00:00:33.436 --> 00:00:34.126 So formal. 00:00:34.366 --> 00:00:34.996 Miranda: So formal. 00:00:35.086 --> 00:00:35.356 Yeah. 00:00:35.356 --> 00:00:35.416 Yeah. 00:00:36.766 --> 00:00:37.606 It's great to be here. 00:00:39.856 --> 00:00:41.596 Anke: You know, we're just talking about breathing. 00:00:41.596 --> 00:00:43.846 It's really funny how you're gonna get conscious of that. 00:00:44.266 --> 00:00:49.006 So, well, for people who haven't met you before, let people know as 00:00:49.006 --> 00:00:52.666 always, you know, where you based and what's your business with dogs. 00:00:53.746 --> 00:00:54.796 Miranda: Yeah, I love this. 00:00:54.796 --> 00:00:59.146 So, um, I'm Miranda Rubush and I'm based in, uh. 00:00:59.701 --> 00:01:05.251 Little place called New Canada Nova Scotia now, which is in, um, yeah, about an hour 00:01:05.251 --> 00:01:08.431 and a half outta Halifax, which is the biggest area and it's still not very big. 00:01:08.431 --> 00:01:10.621 I think there's like a million in all of Nova Scotia. 00:01:11.191 --> 00:01:19.471 Um, and my business is the mindful canine and um, I am part holistic 00:01:19.651 --> 00:01:21.426 dog coach, part intuitive healer. 00:01:22.216 --> 00:01:27.586 And you know, really what, um, I'm most passionate about right now is, um, my 00:01:27.586 --> 00:01:33.016 soulful dog Mama circle, which was my membership for dog moms and helping them 00:01:33.016 --> 00:01:37.006 intuitively connect back to their own wisdom, back to their own heart form, a 00:01:37.006 --> 00:01:39.166 deeper connections with their dogs again. 00:01:39.556 --> 00:01:41.746 Um, and some really, really cool. 00:01:42.166 --> 00:01:45.256 Shifts happening both in their dog's behavior. 00:01:45.526 --> 00:01:47.236 We're not focusing on dog behavior at all. 00:01:47.236 --> 00:01:49.006 But it's interesting that those are shifting. 00:01:49.396 --> 00:01:55.426 Um, and also in, um, just in their general stress level and, and outlook 00:01:55.426 --> 00:01:56.896 on life, which is really neat. 00:01:58.186 --> 00:01:58.786 Anke: I love that. 00:01:58.786 --> 00:01:59.206 I love that. 00:01:59.206 --> 00:02:02.836 You know, because the slot so often in the dog space, it's all about the dog. 00:02:02.836 --> 00:02:05.716 Like the dog does this and we need to kind of fix the dog. 00:02:05.926 --> 00:02:07.906 So you know what I hear you say? 00:02:07.906 --> 00:02:10.726 It's like, well, let's have a look at the other end of the leash. 00:02:11.026 --> 00:02:12.171 So how did you Absolutely. 00:02:14.251 --> 00:02:18.211 Because I mean, we, we've, you know, we've, you've been on the podcast before. 00:02:18.211 --> 00:02:19.411 We've known each other for a while. 00:02:19.411 --> 00:02:22.441 And so you were definitely more focused on the dogs, right? 00:02:22.621 --> 00:02:27.331 So what's triggered that shift, or how did you come about, uh, you know, like what 00:02:27.331 --> 00:02:31.741 sparked that focus more on, on the person? 00:02:33.031 --> 00:02:36.121 Miranda: Yeah, I mean I think that there is a shift, I see a 00:02:36.121 --> 00:02:39.631 shift in the dog world as well, like people being more self-aware. 00:02:39.901 --> 00:02:42.061 For me it's like just my own personal journey. 00:02:42.151 --> 00:02:48.991 Um, kind of a combination of becoming a mom had becoming aware there that I was 00:02:48.991 --> 00:02:54.751 as triggered by my son and emotionally reactive as I was many times by my dog. 00:02:54.751 --> 00:02:57.001 That was a very hard mirror to look into. 00:02:57.691 --> 00:03:00.511 Um, and then also just wanting to be a better. 00:03:00.961 --> 00:03:03.871 Better dog mom and a better human mom to my human child. 00:03:03.871 --> 00:03:07.861 That caused me to start to explore personal development, mindfulness, 00:03:08.251 --> 00:03:11.131 and then along the way when helping people with their dogs, people would 00:03:11.131 --> 00:03:12.961 be coming to me going, well fix my dog. 00:03:12.961 --> 00:03:14.551 And I'd be going, okay. 00:03:14.551 --> 00:03:18.571 But I think maybe part of this is, is there's a connection 00:03:18.571 --> 00:03:22.591 here into how stressed you are or how busy your lifestyle is. 00:03:23.161 --> 00:03:27.751 Um, and maybe if we, you know, I, I remember, you know, having even clients. 00:03:27.751 --> 00:03:31.886 Come to their own realizations about needing to slow down a little bit or need 00:03:31.886 --> 00:03:37.886 me needing a different pace of life, or maybe that their dog was kind of show 00:03:37.886 --> 00:03:39.896 them something about what wasn't working. 00:03:40.406 --> 00:03:45.746 And, you know, um, also in my own healing journey, I remember having lots of 00:03:45.746 --> 00:03:49.766 different conversations with different, um, therapists of my therapists, 00:03:49.826 --> 00:03:51.056 kind of put the pieces together. 00:03:51.056 --> 00:03:54.176 And then I, I have a background in psychology as well, so I love this stuff. 00:03:54.596 --> 00:03:56.726 And what came through is like. 00:03:57.511 --> 00:04:02.041 A lot of, um, what therapists do as well is like understanding that it's not always 00:04:02.461 --> 00:04:06.451 say if you bring a child to therapy, it's not always the child, the child is 00:04:06.451 --> 00:04:11.941 exhibiting, um, that there's problems in the family unit or there are problems 00:04:11.941 --> 00:04:13.621 in the environment that it's living in. 00:04:13.621 --> 00:04:16.501 And I see a lot of that similar parallels to our dogs. 00:04:16.801 --> 00:04:22.951 And this is not in a way to cast any type of blame or shame, um, onto dog guardians. 00:04:23.011 --> 00:04:25.321 Everyone is always doing the best that they can. 00:04:26.266 --> 00:04:31.276 But, um, I just kind of got really curious and then in that kind of, 00:04:31.276 --> 00:04:37.036 that course, I also lost, um, my three girls, my three dogs, and my cat Alaska. 00:04:37.516 --> 00:04:41.476 In a two year period, I lost four animals and that was devastating. 00:04:41.476 --> 00:04:43.216 I was, it was in constant grief. 00:04:43.876 --> 00:04:44.506 Um. 00:04:44.941 --> 00:04:51.181 But the bright side of that, uh, was that I also realized that 00:04:51.181 --> 00:04:53.131 I couldn't run for my emotion. 00:04:53.221 --> 00:04:57.931 I've always been a deeply feeling person and working in the vet industry for many 00:04:57.931 --> 00:05:03.751 years, I learned to shut off my emotions because I couldn't, I couldn't handle 00:05:03.781 --> 00:05:09.811 the depth of the pain of the daily kind of struggle of guardians and euthanasia. 00:05:10.981 --> 00:05:13.561 Sick puppies and all of the things that you're exposed to. 00:05:14.221 --> 00:05:19.081 Um, in the process of losing my dogs, I started to feel again, and in that 00:05:19.081 --> 00:05:25.051 I actually started to wake up because when you learn to feel sadness and 00:05:25.051 --> 00:05:33.091 grief, you also feel joy and presence and wonder more when you shut off your 00:05:33.091 --> 00:05:35.851 emotions that as I had done for survival. 00:05:36.481 --> 00:05:38.461 I didn't feel also the good stuff. 00:05:38.641 --> 00:05:40.141 I was kind of emotionally numb. 00:05:40.531 --> 00:05:43.891 So that's, you know, a really gift, a big gift that my dogs have given me. 00:05:45.016 --> 00:05:49.936 And yeah, more recently I've always been curious about energy healing, curious 00:05:49.936 --> 00:05:55.336 about learning more kind of under the, on the DL because um, I have such a 00:05:55.336 --> 00:05:58.876 science background that it, I would kind of shut that stuff down as well. 00:05:59.086 --> 00:05:59.206 Anke: Mm-hmm. 00:05:59.596 --> 00:06:02.746 Miranda: Um, but I really see this intuitive connection stuff 00:06:02.746 --> 00:06:05.686 as coming back to that little girl that I always have been. 00:06:06.136 --> 00:06:06.496 Um. 00:06:07.351 --> 00:06:11.701 I, I grew up running in the woods with my dogs and so happy, so free. 00:06:12.151 --> 00:06:15.781 Um, at a certain point I shut all that down and I needed to be an adult. 00:06:15.781 --> 00:06:20.461 And, you know, I learned to understand dogs in a very sciencey way and analyze 00:06:20.461 --> 00:06:25.561 their behavior and I'm, you know, I'm so much moving away from that and to just. 00:06:26.131 --> 00:06:30.691 Um, being present, being with our dogs, feeling them, understanding 00:06:30.691 --> 00:06:34.741 their communication, and also what they're showing us about, 00:06:35.191 --> 00:06:36.721 um, maybe our own patterns. 00:06:36.781 --> 00:06:39.391 Uh, and that's, that's really, it's really fun. 00:06:39.451 --> 00:06:42.631 It's also really, um, it's really amazing. 00:06:42.841 --> 00:06:44.866 It's a different level of connection and communication. 00:06:46.376 --> 00:06:46.516 Anke: I love that. 00:06:46.516 --> 00:06:46.801 I love that. 00:06:47.521 --> 00:06:52.591 And do you find that more people are actually, look, I mean, at least in my 00:06:52.591 --> 00:06:56.881 world, it feels like it that people are becoming more aware and actually looking 00:06:56.881 --> 00:07:01.111 more for connection on that level with with their dogs and themselves, I guess. 00:07:02.686 --> 00:07:03.976 Miranda: Yeah, I definitely do. 00:07:03.976 --> 00:07:07.006 I think that during COVID people did a lot of soul searching. 00:07:07.186 --> 00:07:08.476 Also a lot of people got dogs. 00:07:08.896 --> 00:07:10.966 So interesting kind of connection there. 00:07:10.966 --> 00:07:13.276 But like we had a lot of quiet time. 00:07:13.396 --> 00:07:16.516 Um, and I think that either a lot of people, I do find that it 00:07:16.516 --> 00:07:20.536 drove them to be more, um, curious about their patterns, maybe. 00:07:21.511 --> 00:07:25.621 By source of necessity because there was stress and so much stress and struggle. 00:07:25.621 --> 00:07:29.851 Like I think that humans and dogs, we change sometimes when things 00:07:29.851 --> 00:07:34.081 are uncomfortable and we can't stay the same, um, or it just doesn't 00:07:34.081 --> 00:07:36.661 work to, to be the same as we are. 00:07:36.661 --> 00:07:39.301 And we see like, okay, what could be different? 00:07:39.301 --> 00:07:41.311 We wanna, we wanna take a different path. 00:07:41.731 --> 00:07:44.316 I do see, yeah, like a lot of people reaching out to me both. 00:07:45.136 --> 00:07:50.926 Um, dog guardians, but also professionals who maybe are, are, are feeling stressed, 00:07:50.926 --> 00:07:59.596 overwhelmed, um, like they're, they're tired of just analyzing behavior or 00:07:59.596 --> 00:08:04.666 tired of trying to fix dogs and wanting to, um, see if there's a different, a 00:08:04.666 --> 00:08:07.276 different way, um, that they could work. 00:08:07.876 --> 00:08:12.221 And that's been really rewarding as well to kind of support in that space. 00:08:13.636 --> 00:08:14.356 Anke: That's interesting. 00:08:14.356 --> 00:08:14.596 Right? 00:08:14.746 --> 00:08:18.016 So, so what are, when the doc professional comes to you, 00:08:18.016 --> 00:08:19.726 like what are they looking for? 00:08:19.726 --> 00:08:23.536 Mostly like, like for help with the connection to 00:08:23.536 --> 00:08:26.086 themselves, to their own, um. 00:08:26.746 --> 00:08:30.561 You know, maybe to not second guess themselves or to their own dogs or 00:08:30.561 --> 00:08:33.166 to their client's dogs or, I mean, obviously it's all been related. 00:08:33.556 --> 00:08:35.776 What's the thing they come to you first for? 00:08:35.806 --> 00:08:36.106 Miranda: Yeah. 00:08:36.106 --> 00:08:39.766 A lot of times it's that they're feeling disconnected from their own dogs or that 00:08:39.826 --> 00:08:42.106 their dogs, their own dogs have issues. 00:08:42.466 --> 00:08:47.296 Maybe it's, um, physical issues or, you know, like, because we help. 00:08:48.016 --> 00:08:48.946 People with their dogs. 00:08:48.946 --> 00:08:52.456 Oftentimes we end up with dogs ourselves that have challenges and 00:08:52.456 --> 00:08:56.131 we're kind of trying to simultaneously navigate helping our own dogs. 00:08:56.941 --> 00:09:01.861 While, you know, helping clients dogs and that's a lot of energy output. 00:09:01.861 --> 00:09:04.501 So I do find that a lot of the women that I'm speaking to are just 00:09:04.501 --> 00:09:08.101 struggling with energy management, um, supporting themselves. 00:09:08.101 --> 00:09:12.871 They may be just, um, are pouring a lot into their clients, pouring 00:09:12.871 --> 00:09:16.381 a lot into their dogs, and are just feeling maybe a bit depleted. 00:09:16.861 --> 00:09:20.611 The thing with connection is that, um, we need to have a balanced 00:09:20.611 --> 00:09:21.961 service system in order to. 00:09:22.516 --> 00:09:29.626 Um, to connect if we are in survival mode of just, just eking by in the 00:09:29.626 --> 00:09:34.036 day and we don't have any space, you don't have space for connection. 00:09:34.126 --> 00:09:37.066 And that goes, that goes for calling a friend and getting outta 00:09:37.066 --> 00:09:38.356 your house and having coffee. 00:09:38.596 --> 00:09:41.806 That goes to just sitting with your dog and observing and. 00:09:42.581 --> 00:09:46.121 Being with them, fully accepting them and loving them. 00:09:46.541 --> 00:09:50.081 Um, or, you know, if you need to teach them something, like 00:09:50.411 --> 00:09:51.701 you don't have the capacity. 00:09:51.701 --> 00:09:55.571 And then I think a lot of the people also express that they're kind of 00:09:55.571 --> 00:09:59.501 hitting a wall and then there's guilt and shame and like, oh, well 00:09:59.501 --> 00:10:03.581 I, I'm telling my clients to do all these things and I'm not doing them. 00:10:03.941 --> 00:10:06.701 Or, you know, I have this broken dog too. 00:10:07.031 --> 00:10:09.941 Um, and I've been there 'cause I have a high needs boy, Willie. 00:10:10.411 --> 00:10:13.651 You know, we've been on a journey for the last four years to support 00:10:13.651 --> 00:10:17.221 him doing everything from working with his gut health, working with 00:10:17.221 --> 00:10:20.131 his behavior, working with, um. 00:10:20.581 --> 00:10:23.131 You know, pain working, like discovering. 00:10:23.461 --> 00:10:27.211 I'm currently working with two people teaching me and 00:10:27.211 --> 00:10:29.281 with my own dogs, so I get it. 00:10:29.431 --> 00:10:32.431 Um, I think that we, it's really good and really important also 00:10:32.431 --> 00:10:33.991 that we don't have to be islands. 00:10:34.081 --> 00:10:37.111 We don't have to figure everything out on our, on our own. 00:10:37.111 --> 00:10:40.681 And just because we're a dog professional doesn't mean that we can't see sometimes 00:10:40.771 --> 00:10:43.201 our own wine spots too, with our own docs. 00:10:43.711 --> 00:10:45.991 Um, so it's so beautiful to have a sounding board. 00:10:46.501 --> 00:10:47.761 Um, and I'm really honored that. 00:10:47.991 --> 00:10:51.621 You know, other pros are trusting me with that in that space, um, to 00:10:51.621 --> 00:10:55.041 help them, you know, to have a deeper connection with their dog, a better 00:10:55.041 --> 00:11:00.651 understanding of themselves so that they, I mean, my real, my real why is 00:11:00.651 --> 00:11:03.141 like, so people can live joyful lives. 00:11:03.141 --> 00:11:08.721 Like people can, um, have purpose like that can feel like they're, you know, 00:11:08.811 --> 00:11:13.041 they wanna wake up and they wanna do their day, um, with their dog by their side. 00:11:14.626 --> 00:11:18.076 Anke: And I guess for doc professionals it is, there's this added thing, 00:11:18.076 --> 00:11:19.666 you know, that little, um. 00:11:20.116 --> 00:11:22.846 Well, I should, my dog should be perfect, right? 00:11:22.846 --> 00:11:24.256 So my dog, I should, you know, yeah. 00:11:24.526 --> 00:11:28.066 I'm going out here pretending to help other people with their dog. 00:11:28.096 --> 00:11:31.636 Like my dog shouldn't have, you know, problems. 00:11:31.636 --> 00:11:31.966 Right. 00:11:32.236 --> 00:11:34.696 And I guess that's not, that's not realistic. 00:11:34.696 --> 00:11:40.036 And, you know, so I, I love that there's this space there where you can, you 00:11:40.036 --> 00:11:41.956 don't have to keep that mask up, right? 00:11:41.956 --> 00:11:42.616 So you can just 00:11:42.766 --> 00:11:43.096 Miranda: mm-hmm. 00:11:43.396 --> 00:11:44.116 Anke: Be yourself. 00:11:44.386 --> 00:11:44.776 So. 00:11:45.541 --> 00:11:48.241 You were talk, I mean, obviously we were talking before, like, you know, 00:11:48.241 --> 00:11:53.011 you were talking about, um, you know, like a, a meditation process you have. 00:11:53.011 --> 00:11:54.976 Like, can you tell, touch a little bit on like mm-hmm. 00:11:55.056 --> 00:11:57.571 What that, what that looks like for somebody? 00:11:58.891 --> 00:11:59.611 Miranda: Yeah, absolutely. 00:11:59.611 --> 00:12:04.951 So a lot of what I do now is more, is less about the cognitive thinking mind and more 00:12:04.951 --> 00:12:08.521 about, um, ta like finding ways to both. 00:12:09.136 --> 00:12:12.586 Calm your nervous system, like simple tools that you can use in 00:12:12.586 --> 00:12:15.706 your day, um, like as quick resets. 00:12:16.066 --> 00:12:18.376 And a lot of those come from HeartMath. 00:12:18.586 --> 00:12:20.716 Um, and the HeartMath Institute is in California. 00:12:21.286 --> 00:12:26.746 Um, and they teach really, really simple, uh, breathing exercises. 00:12:27.106 --> 00:12:29.176 Um, and some of them I teach directly from there. 00:12:29.176 --> 00:12:30.346 Others I've adapted. 00:12:31.186 --> 00:12:34.906 I find we need those little, like, check-in points in our day. 00:12:35.296 --> 00:12:40.276 But a lot of us, because our world is so busy, we may be processing 00:12:40.306 --> 00:12:43.516 a lot of, um, trauma or grief. 00:12:43.906 --> 00:12:49.276 Um, we need longer processes to help us really connect in with ourselves. 00:12:49.756 --> 00:12:50.266 Um. 00:12:51.211 --> 00:12:53.581 And so that's really, really important. 00:12:53.581 --> 00:13:00.031 So I have a, you know, kind of created a intuitive connection process, 00:13:00.031 --> 00:13:02.611 which is a long visualization. 00:13:02.911 --> 00:13:07.831 Um, so essentially start with kind of relaxing the mind, relaxing the body, 00:13:08.161 --> 00:13:09.991 and then there's some visualization. 00:13:09.991 --> 00:13:11.131 So visualizing. 00:13:11.426 --> 00:13:16.106 Your own heart space, your own energy, expanding out, um, and then 00:13:16.106 --> 00:13:17.876 imagining your dog in that space. 00:13:18.056 --> 00:13:19.136 Where is your dog? 00:13:19.436 --> 00:13:24.146 Um, sending them love, like visualizing the love from your heart, going 00:13:24.146 --> 00:13:27.626 to their heart, them receiving it and sending it back to you. 00:13:27.926 --> 00:13:30.296 And then just being curious and open. 00:13:30.621 --> 00:13:33.381 To anything that wants to come in that moment. 00:13:33.381 --> 00:13:36.801 Maybe it's a intuitive hit about something you're curious about. 00:13:37.071 --> 00:13:38.871 Maybe it's a picture that comes to you. 00:13:39.201 --> 00:13:42.201 Um, maybe it's just a sense of overall peace and wellbeing. 00:13:42.591 --> 00:13:46.431 Maybe it's a sense of love that you actually can feel the amount of love. 00:13:46.941 --> 00:13:49.971 Um, people have all different kind of experiences. 00:13:49.971 --> 00:13:52.761 Everything from um, just having a sense of. 00:13:53.581 --> 00:13:57.331 I had one client recently who just had a sense immediately she was having 00:13:57.331 --> 00:13:58.951 this problem struggling with her dog. 00:13:58.951 --> 00:14:00.781 Her dog wasn't settling, was whining. 00:14:00.991 --> 00:14:03.241 She's like, oh, why don't I just move her bed? 00:14:03.781 --> 00:14:06.751 I think she wants me to move her bed closer to where I work. 00:14:07.291 --> 00:14:09.601 And immediately the dog the next day settled. 00:14:09.631 --> 00:14:10.411 Most calm. 00:14:10.981 --> 00:14:14.161 Um, sometimes people are receiving messages from their dogs that have 00:14:14.161 --> 00:14:18.871 passed away, um, either pictures of their dog being, you know, happy and 00:14:18.871 --> 00:14:21.751 healthy, um, or messages of love. 00:14:22.516 --> 00:14:25.576 A lot of really cool, profound stuff that's not coming through 00:14:25.576 --> 00:14:27.616 me, and I think that's important. 00:14:27.616 --> 00:14:33.946 I'm just creating a space for you to tap into your own, um, your own knowing, 00:14:33.946 --> 00:14:39.016 your own intuition, and for your dog to, to be able to share too, how much 00:14:39.586 --> 00:14:41.596 they love you, how much they care. 00:14:41.596 --> 00:14:45.406 I'll never forget one of the first times, and I, I kind of created this process 00:14:45.406 --> 00:14:50.596 both from working with energy healers and adapting some of the HeartMath. 00:14:51.376 --> 00:14:54.616 Um, techniques of like heart-centered breathing into it. 00:14:55.606 --> 00:14:59.926 And I remember, um, doing with Willie, my boy, when he had injured 00:14:59.926 --> 00:15:01.216 himself, he'd injured his paw. 00:15:02.161 --> 00:15:05.791 And you know, a lot of times when our dogs are injured, we're under stress, 00:15:05.791 --> 00:15:08.491 so we're going quickly and we're like, okay, I gotta get this done. 00:15:08.491 --> 00:15:11.731 And I could just see he was like, just like resistant. 00:15:11.851 --> 00:15:12.811 So I just stopped. 00:15:12.811 --> 00:15:16.741 I just did a really gentle, quick process where I tapped in my heart, 00:15:16.741 --> 00:15:20.731 I visualized connecting to his heart, and I just felt like him soften. 00:15:21.181 --> 00:15:25.381 I just, I instantly got emotional because I felt how much he loved 00:15:25.381 --> 00:15:27.001 me and how much he trusted me. 00:15:27.541 --> 00:15:33.241 And I just had, I had enough of a pause to recognize, wow, he has no point of 00:15:33.241 --> 00:15:34.711 reference for what's going on here. 00:15:35.146 --> 00:15:37.066 I have just, he's injured. 00:15:37.396 --> 00:15:39.346 I have just taken out all this medical stuff. 00:15:39.346 --> 00:15:43.186 I'm asking him to put his foot in a, a basin of Epsom salts, 00:15:43.426 --> 00:15:45.196 I, all those damaging material. 00:15:45.676 --> 00:15:49.996 And he loves and trusts me enough to be there, be present with me during this. 00:15:49.996 --> 00:15:54.316 And I was just so humbled honestly by how much. 00:15:54.321 --> 00:15:58.906 And so I think when we slow down, we can really sense that and really feel that 00:15:58.906 --> 00:16:03.226 in a different way, um, that maybe we haven't had a chance to experience before. 00:16:03.346 --> 00:16:03.736 Um. 00:16:04.561 --> 00:16:07.741 And that can be really beautiful and and really profound. 00:16:08.881 --> 00:16:12.511 Anke: And I can imagine that dogs respond to it as well because 00:16:12.511 --> 00:16:14.131 they're so in tune, right? 00:16:14.641 --> 00:16:15.871 Like, absolutely. 00:16:15.871 --> 00:16:18.991 Any example I would, you know, I, I can totally imagine that when you 00:16:19.386 --> 00:16:22.591 are in that space that, um, yeah. 00:16:22.591 --> 00:16:25.801 I like when I'm in a sort of a meditative space, my dogs just. 00:16:25.861 --> 00:16:27.421 Drop around me, right? 00:16:27.751 --> 00:16:30.481 And they come closer and then they just wedge out and you 00:16:30.481 --> 00:16:31.591 sort of see them belly up. 00:16:31.591 --> 00:16:34.861 And so it's like you can really notice that they, they are tapping into that, 00:16:34.861 --> 00:16:36.361 they can sense that space, right? 00:16:36.631 --> 00:16:40.531 So it's not, it's not just about kind of a nice feeling or anything. 00:16:40.531 --> 00:16:45.196 It's actually, uh, like really alive communication between, 00:16:45.201 --> 00:16:46.036 between the two, right? 00:16:47.011 --> 00:16:47.641 Miranda: Yeah. 00:16:47.701 --> 00:16:48.751 Oh, absolutely. 00:16:48.811 --> 00:16:49.231 Yeah. 00:16:49.231 --> 00:16:53.971 So I mean, there's so much with our dogs that's beyond words and is feeling. 00:16:53.971 --> 00:16:55.441 So our dogs are in there. 00:16:55.816 --> 00:16:57.316 Feelings all the time. 00:16:57.616 --> 00:16:58.816 And they're sensing. 00:16:59.596 --> 00:17:04.696 They're sensing how much stress and guilt and fear we might be carrying. 00:17:04.996 --> 00:17:09.376 And it might be related to things with our dogs, might be related to things we're 00:17:09.376 --> 00:17:12.856 worried about, you know, or they're sick and we're worried about them, they sick. 00:17:12.856 --> 00:17:15.106 It might be completely not related to them. 00:17:15.106 --> 00:17:18.376 It might be you're worried about a trip you have coming up, or, 00:17:18.766 --> 00:17:20.326 um, a bill you have to pay. 00:17:21.376 --> 00:17:23.626 The thing is that our dogs don't understand. 00:17:23.866 --> 00:17:27.106 They just sense our emotional state because they're just so 00:17:27.106 --> 00:17:28.726 deeply in tune with our hearts. 00:17:29.176 --> 00:17:34.336 Um, when we take time to release some of that heavy emotional weight through 00:17:34.336 --> 00:17:40.756 a visualization, um, come back to love, come back to our hearts, they 00:17:40.756 --> 00:17:45.106 automatically re relax because they're like, mom, let go of some stuff. 00:17:45.406 --> 00:17:47.026 So I had, um, a client. 00:17:47.641 --> 00:17:50.851 One of my very first clients when I was experimenting with this, um, her 00:17:50.851 --> 00:17:54.871 name is Jillian, and she had had, um, she doesn't mind if I share the 00:17:54.871 --> 00:17:56.401 story if I've cleared it with her. 00:17:56.401 --> 00:18:04.261 She, she had, um, she has a, a, a big Dolby guy and he is stranger reactive. 00:18:04.441 --> 00:18:06.991 And they had had a really, really stressful incident where 00:18:06.991 --> 00:18:08.311 he'd actually bit someone. 00:18:09.556 --> 00:18:14.656 Um, she reached out right after that and she was just obviously so distraught. 00:18:15.226 --> 00:18:17.236 Um, she was just. 00:18:18.361 --> 00:18:20.401 Thinking about all the implications of this. 00:18:20.401 --> 00:18:24.631 She was feeling so bad that it happened for him, um, for 00:18:24.631 --> 00:18:26.401 Spencer, but also for herself. 00:18:26.881 --> 00:18:31.711 And, um, we did, you know, a version of this where we just, we processed 00:18:31.771 --> 00:18:35.011 verbally, but then we also, I gave her the meditation to do on her own 00:18:35.011 --> 00:18:36.931 when she was, you know, comfortable. 00:18:36.931 --> 00:18:38.166 It was just a, a track. 00:18:39.106 --> 00:18:44.716 And you know, she sent me a picture that night of Spencer, like fully 00:18:44.716 --> 00:18:46.486 lying with her, cuddled right up. 00:18:46.936 --> 00:18:51.586 Um, and this was really different because she said since the incident. 00:18:52.111 --> 00:18:56.011 He had been so, she had been so stressed and he had been so stressed 00:18:56.011 --> 00:18:57.811 as well that he had been avoiding her. 00:18:57.811 --> 00:19:02.161 He'd been, he'd been like hiding and shaking and completely not 00:19:02.161 --> 00:19:05.611 himself because he was so freaked out about what had happened too. 00:19:06.121 --> 00:19:10.381 And she was so, she was carrying so much so by the, by her taking 00:19:10.381 --> 00:19:14.066 space and releasing some of that, he actually wanted to be with her again. 00:19:15.061 --> 00:19:18.991 Um, and he came, you know, and she needed that comfort in that moment. 00:19:18.991 --> 00:19:20.581 So it was really beautiful. 00:19:20.581 --> 00:19:24.301 And, and it, the cool thing is, is that they didn't do anything. 00:19:24.481 --> 00:19:28.051 There was no behavioral treatment protocol that happened there, 00:19:28.321 --> 00:19:31.621 there was just, you know, we didn't counter condition anything. 00:19:31.621 --> 00:19:36.871 We didn't, you know, it was just an emotional release and a moment of 00:19:36.871 --> 00:19:40.411 connection between them, and that really was all that was needed. 00:19:41.281 --> 00:19:42.541 Anke: That's so powerful though. 00:19:42.541 --> 00:19:47.071 That's so, because I think what I love about this is that it goes to, 00:19:47.131 --> 00:19:49.171 to the root of the connection, right? 00:19:49.171 --> 00:19:52.921 Because yeah, you can, you know, like there's a saying like you, it 00:19:52.921 --> 00:19:55.651 doesn't matter how fast you run, if you run in the wrong direction, you 00:19:55.651 --> 00:19:59.431 know, and whatever you do, if you fix the wrong problem, it's never gonna, 00:19:59.911 --> 00:20:02.071 you know, it's never gonna last. 00:20:02.071 --> 00:20:05.761 You know, it may you do something in, in the moment if you're lucky, 00:20:05.911 --> 00:20:07.771 but it's not gonna last and, and. 00:20:08.606 --> 00:20:12.056 Having that tool available, you know, and it shows up in other 00:20:12.056 --> 00:20:13.496 areas of life as well, doesn't it? 00:20:14.066 --> 00:20:14.606 Like it's bound 00:20:14.606 --> 00:20:15.236 Miranda: to, absolutely. 00:20:15.506 --> 00:20:15.596 Anke: Mm-hmm. 00:20:15.986 --> 00:20:16.526 Miranda: Yeah. 00:20:16.526 --> 00:20:20.216 And I think so much of the time when we have dogs that have challenges, 00:20:20.216 --> 00:20:24.056 behavioral challenges specifically, I mean, I find that people, when they reach 00:20:24.056 --> 00:20:27.596 out to me, they're just, they've been going in 17 different directions and 00:20:27.596 --> 00:20:31.946 legitimately there is a lot that you need to do if you have a dog that has issues 00:20:31.946 --> 00:20:33.236 and you're trying to sort through it. 00:20:33.806 --> 00:20:34.256 Um. 00:20:34.681 --> 00:20:38.431 But what, you know, that you may need to multiple vets or multiple, 00:20:38.491 --> 00:20:41.581 you know, taking specialist visits or doing things like muzzle 00:20:41.581 --> 00:20:43.231 training, all the physical things. 00:20:43.231 --> 00:20:44.881 I'm not saying those are not important. 00:20:44.911 --> 00:20:45.331 They are. 00:20:46.021 --> 00:20:50.791 Um, however, if you are, if you are frantic and stressed and so maxed 00:20:50.791 --> 00:20:54.391 out, which a lot of the people that I, I, you know, have the privilege 00:20:54.391 --> 00:20:58.441 of supporting are when you're in that energy space and you're trying to help 00:20:58.441 --> 00:21:00.361 your dog, it's like trying to push. 00:21:01.321 --> 00:21:02.221 Train uphill. 00:21:02.521 --> 00:21:04.291 You're just, it's all effort. 00:21:04.321 --> 00:21:05.221 There's no ease. 00:21:05.671 --> 00:21:10.441 It's all stress, and your dog senses that they are causing you stress, 00:21:10.981 --> 00:21:15.871 and so you need to take pauses and release that to come back to maybe 00:21:16.201 --> 00:21:17.791 having a little bit of capacity. 00:21:17.791 --> 00:21:20.851 And when you have a little bit of capacity, take some action forward into 00:21:20.851 --> 00:21:22.336 what you need to do to support your dog. 00:21:23.221 --> 00:21:28.291 It comes back to like you, when you support yourself, when you take 20 00:21:28.291 --> 00:21:32.911 minutes or 30 minutes to do one of these visualization processes, relax your 00:21:32.911 --> 00:21:37.681 body, relax your nervous system, allow yourself to to come back, release some 00:21:37.681 --> 00:21:40.291 fear and stress, and come back to love. 00:21:40.801 --> 00:21:43.201 Ultimately, you have so much more capacity to help your dog 00:21:43.201 --> 00:21:44.281 that's right in front of you. 00:21:44.701 --> 00:21:48.341 Um, and that's, I know what so many people really wanna be able to do. 00:21:48.871 --> 00:21:48.931 For 00:21:49.411 --> 00:21:50.011 Anke: sure, for sure. 00:21:50.881 --> 00:21:53.521 That actually reminds me of when I, with my little Kay. 00:21:53.521 --> 00:21:57.901 And he was like, you know, before we moved into a quiet space where 00:21:57.901 --> 00:22:00.901 he became a different dog, but you know, where we used to live. 00:22:00.901 --> 00:22:03.781 And he was like, you know, he is always kind of frantic and sometimes, 00:22:03.781 --> 00:22:07.021 and I was like, sake, I just wanna go for a walk with the dog. 00:22:07.021 --> 00:22:07.261 Right? 00:22:07.681 --> 00:22:09.601 And, and, but I learned. 00:22:10.516 --> 00:22:15.586 I was like, okay, if I, if I started to look at him as my signal, right. 00:22:15.796 --> 00:22:17.896 Like when he was particularly frantic. 00:22:17.956 --> 00:22:18.466 Oh yeah. 00:22:18.466 --> 00:22:19.201 I'd be like, yeah. 00:22:20.371 --> 00:22:21.061 Wait, wait, wait. 00:22:21.301 --> 00:22:22.681 What are, what's going on for you? 00:22:22.741 --> 00:22:24.736 Like, I'm fine, you know? 00:22:25.246 --> 00:22:25.536 Yeah. 00:22:26.056 --> 00:22:31.471 I said, well, lemme just, you know, and invariably the moment I stopped, 00:22:31.591 --> 00:22:35.731 you know, and yeah, and just kind of like, okay, let's breathe for a bit. 00:22:35.731 --> 00:22:37.441 Let's be really present. 00:22:37.446 --> 00:22:37.536 Right. 00:22:38.581 --> 00:22:39.176 He would calm down instantly. 00:22:39.451 --> 00:22:39.691 Right. 00:22:39.691 --> 00:22:41.011 It's, it's, um. 00:22:42.226 --> 00:22:45.796 And I guess, you know, like you can probably explain it scientifically 00:22:45.796 --> 00:22:48.916 if you wanted to, you know, I don't think it's, it's magic in that sense, 00:22:48.916 --> 00:22:50.326 but it's, it's really powerful. 00:22:50.656 --> 00:22:51.106 Yeah, 00:22:51.496 --> 00:22:52.036 Miranda: yeah. 00:22:52.456 --> 00:22:53.446 Oh, absolutely. 00:22:53.451 --> 00:22:58.366 And, and where I think it's really neat is that so many of us may be disconnected 00:22:58.366 --> 00:23:00.241 from our emotional state, like we may be. 00:23:00.946 --> 00:23:05.056 From trauma or numb to how we're feeling or where we feel it in 00:23:05.056 --> 00:23:07.366 our bodies or that experience. 00:23:07.366 --> 00:23:10.636 But if we can turn and we can start to notice what does our, what does 00:23:10.636 --> 00:23:12.256 my dog do when I'm frustrated? 00:23:12.706 --> 00:23:12.796 Yeah. 00:23:12.796 --> 00:23:13.516 Like you did. 00:23:13.516 --> 00:23:15.406 Or what does my dog do when I'm sad? 00:23:16.006 --> 00:23:19.276 Then we can, it helps us actually identify and name our emotion, 00:23:19.276 --> 00:23:23.596 which is a big part of reducing the charge that an emotion has, is 00:23:23.596 --> 00:23:25.846 actually going, oh, that's sadness. 00:23:26.206 --> 00:23:26.686 You know? 00:23:26.691 --> 00:23:26.921 Mm-hmm. 00:23:27.231 --> 00:23:27.521 Yeah. 00:23:27.741 --> 00:23:28.081 And then. 00:23:29.116 --> 00:23:33.916 We can kind of move from there so our dogs can really, you know, really support 00:23:33.916 --> 00:23:37.606 us with that, that, um, recognition. 00:23:37.756 --> 00:23:39.736 Anke: Yeah, they're definitely brilliant teachers. 00:23:40.006 --> 00:23:42.616 So where can people find out more if they're like, oh, well 00:23:42.616 --> 00:23:44.146 that sounds really interesting. 00:23:44.146 --> 00:23:45.886 I wanna kind of dig into that. 00:23:45.886 --> 00:23:47.236 So what have you got? 00:23:47.896 --> 00:23:48.436 Miranda: I love this. 00:23:48.436 --> 00:23:55.036 So, um, my website is my flick canine uh, dot ca, um, and I run challenges. 00:23:55.396 --> 00:23:56.356 Every quarter. 00:23:56.356 --> 00:23:59.656 So I have one coming up, the soulful dog mama experience where you can, 00:24:00.046 --> 00:24:02.716 um, you can set up for that if you're interested in kind of doing a 00:24:03.106 --> 00:24:05.716 completely free deep dive into this. 00:24:06.076 --> 00:24:11.626 Um, and I also have a freebie gift, um, of my opening ear, 00:24:11.626 --> 00:24:13.186 intuitive connection to your dog. 00:24:13.606 --> 00:24:18.946 Um, like a webinar that I did, uh, that includes a call with me as well. 00:24:18.946 --> 00:24:22.606 So, um, take advantage of that and kind of have an opportunity to 00:24:22.606 --> 00:24:27.376 experience, um, what's possible for, for you and your dog and when you, 00:24:27.436 --> 00:24:28.816 when you tune in and connect with them. 00:24:29.671 --> 00:24:30.031 Anke: Awesome. 00:24:30.151 --> 00:24:31.261 Well, thank you so much. 00:24:31.561 --> 00:24:32.536 Uh, like do yourself a favor. 00:24:32.696 --> 00:24:32.816 Absolutely. 00:24:32.911 --> 00:24:34.081 You know, like try it out. 00:24:34.081 --> 00:24:35.071 It's, yeah. 00:24:35.791 --> 00:24:37.026 Really powerful, powerful work. 00:24:37.026 --> 00:24:37.056 You can't, I 00:24:37.056 --> 00:24:38.101 Miranda: can't explain it. 00:24:38.316 --> 00:24:39.136 You need to experience, 00:24:39.496 --> 00:24:40.976 Anke: I think that's the thing you need to experience. 00:24:41.191 --> 00:24:42.991 Like, you can talk about chocolate all you want. 00:24:42.991 --> 00:24:43.231 Right? 00:24:43.231 --> 00:24:46.591 You're never gonna know what it takes until you take, 00:24:46.801 --> 00:24:48.001 Miranda: you have to just give it a shot. 00:24:48.241 --> 00:24:48.451 Yeah. 00:24:48.451 --> 00:24:49.856 Take a leap. 00:24:49.856 --> 00:24:50.881 Anke: Well, thank you. 00:24:50.881 --> 00:24:54.961 Thank you so much for, for sharing and I think we'll, we'll all need a bit of this. 00:24:55.081 --> 00:24:55.471 Yeah, 00:24:55.771 --> 00:24:56.581 Miranda: absolutely. 00:24:56.851 --> 00:24:57.271 Right. 00:24:57.271 --> 00:24:57.751 Take care. 00:24:58.081 --> 00:24:58.381 Bye. 00:24:59.193 --> 00:25:00.423 Thanks so much for listening. 00:25:00.943 --> 00:25:05.243 If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget to subscribe, and leave a review so 00:25:05.343 --> 00:25:07.123 other dog lovers can find the show. 00:25:07.913 --> 00:25:11.403 If you haven't already, head over to soul touched by dogs. 00:25:11.833 --> 00:25:17.403 com and sign up for weekly doggy cuteness tips, recommendations, and personal 00:25:17.503 --> 00:25:19.873 stories to warm your dog loving heart. 00:25:19.873 --> 00:25:23.603 And if you know a pawsome human you think I should interview, 00:25:24.023 --> 00:25:25.163 I'd love an introduction. 00:25:25.643 --> 00:25:27.473 Email me at Anke. 00:25:27.743 --> 00:25:31.978 That's A N k E at Soul touched by dogs.com.