Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast, the show for dog lovers who
see dogs not as toys or tools, but wise souls worth our respect and care.
I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.
I talk to poor some humans, people who do great work for dogs and their people.
So come and join us for today's conversation.
Anke: Hello and welcome, Miranda.
I'm so excited to have you here today.
Miranda: Yeah, it's been a long time coming.
It's great to sit down with you.
Awesome.
Anke: So before we dig into the topic, let's just give people a, you know, two
minute overview of where you're based, what's the day job, you know, what's the
business, and we'll take it from there.
Miranda: Yeah, I'll try to keep it to two minutes.
So I'm based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Um, I run a business called The Mindful Canine.
I've had it for five years.
Started out as an on the boots on the ground doing dog behavior work.
Um, now I have a, you know, an online business that's growing and I offer
virtual programs based upon wellness for humans and animals, humans and dogs.
So that's my whole thing.
Can we, can we learn, learn, grow and heal together?
So I integrate a lot of, um, innovative things like mindfulness,
um, like some somatic work.
Um, a lot of building, a lot of my focus is.
Building a lot of self awareness around our patterns, um, how we are with our dogs
and the relationship with them is a mirror for how we are in our other relationships.
Um, so my, my goal is that, um, people become empowered to, to really take
action to support themselves so that they have a better life with their dogs,
um, and they actually can then start to Think of how they want to contribute
and make the world a better place for, um, for people and for animals.
Anke: Couldn't love the small, but you know, , when I first stumbled
across your lines, like, oh, I want her, I want her for this.
Um, so I'm curious, so you started out with like dog behavior and I, I, I think,
well, I, especially when I think back of like when I first found my first dog.
So the kind of, the idea is like, oh, you know, people would go to
a dog behaviorist, dog trainer to, can you help me fix my dog?
Right?
Mm-Hmm.
. So how, how did you come across.
How did you come to the insight of, well, actually the bigger, the bigger
lever is on the other end and how do you help your clients understand that bit?
Yeah, so
Miranda: I love that question.
And, um, I, my journey is, I have a background in, um, animal health.
So I started in, as a vet tech, um, worked in pretty much every
aspect of the animal industry.
Um, and then I started, I was always interested in dog behavior, it was
always a big theme ever since I was a child, ever since I was a child, really.
Um, everything dogs, how do they work, um, all about them, so, um.
I really dove deep into that space, um, and when I quit being a vet tech,
that's when I started my business.
And, um, this shift really happened for me when I started my own personal
healing journey, um, which was seven years ago when my son was born.
Um, and I recognized that there had been a lot of things that I hadn't
looked at in my own personal life.
There had been trauma that I hadn't acknowledged.
Um, it came out as emotional reactivity, which is the, the piece
that I support people in recognizing.
Um, if you are emotionally reactive to your dog, um, to their behavior.
There's an unhealed part of you that, um, that is, is asking to
be seen, and so it's not the dog's fault and it's not your fault.
Um, very likely both of you have trauma, and so it's looking at
uncovering how can we support your dog in feeling better, feeling safer.
And how can we support you in letting go of a lot of layers of guilt and
shame and self judgment, um, and really healing, so that you can start
to see kind of the, the trueness of who you are, um, which is how I see
that our dogs, like, really see us as.
But I think in order for us to be able to really, as animal people, live
full and vibrant lives, We have to get to, we have to start to peel back
those layers of conditioning so that we accept ourselves for who we are.
Just like our dogs accept us for who we are unconditionally.
Because in order to make a difference in the world, in order to be able to actually
shift things in a big way, um, you have to be grounded in your own sense of self.
Um, and that's the only way that you're gonna build connections and relationships.
So in my journey, that's the thing that's made the biggest difference.
I went from being a burnt out, like, just living to survive animal Professional,
essentially, to now, you know, I can empower people, both pros and, um, you
know, just, just guardians, to, to live their best life, that their dog, your
dogs want you to live your best life, stop holding yourself back from that, um,
and a lot of that is just uncovering the awareness that everything is connected,
and so when we're focused 100 percent on our dog's behavior, um, It causes, it's
like you're holding a mirror, like you're holding a picture too close to your face.
So in order to be able to, I, my goal is to just, let's see if we can pull
the picture back so you can see, um, that everything is really connected.
So anything you do to support yourself directly supports
your dog and their healing.
Anke: Yeah, that makes so much sense to me.
It's, it's, uh, it reminds me of, um, There's a book by Kevin Behan, Your Dog
is Your Mirror, and there's actually, he basically, the piece I remember
most was where he says, well, look at your dog and pick up on the things
you most love about your dog and the stuff that drives you nuts, right?
They're the two areas where you kind of really have to look at yourself
and see how that, how that relates.
And I think the moment you start looking through that lens, oh
boy, the book, the more you see.
Miranda: It's so interesting because your second person has mentioned this book.
I have never read this book.
It's, it's like, it's all the things that I kind of discovered.
Well, not organically.
There's, you know, there's definitely influences there.
But, um, I think that that is a, there is so much truth to
that, um, and it's just in that willingness to look at and explore.
I, I always say, like, animals and children are our best teacher.
Um, there's a huge movement in the, I have a son as well, so I follow a lot
of the conscious parenting movement.
There's a huge shift in that space, um, for empowerment for moms to start to
look at themselves and healing their, themselves, so that they, They can heal
their child, um, and I can see that that is possible in the dog industry, and we
can start to treat animals with, um, you know, as sentient beings, with respect,
that we, we honour them, um, Yeah, even more than that, like that we can honour
and appreciate that they have a higher level of understanding a lot of times
than we give them credit for, um, and so it's about time we stopped trying to
dominate and control them and actually started to consciously connect with them
and understand them on a deeper level.
Anke: Yeah, I just couldn't.
I mean, this is what you just, the way you just summed it up.
It's like, yeah, this is why I started this project.
Like, this is what I meant with that, you know, because it drives me crazy
when people like, oh, you know, sit and, you know, it's like, as if it's
like a little toy that you can just like, you know, if we don't want to
have the little key at the end, kind of does you say something and the little
thing does like talk to so much more.
Yeah.
Yeah, if you take the time to actually look closer.
Yeah.
Well, there's a lot we can learn from them You know, I would say I want
to be like my dogs when I grow up.
I just gotta be more dog They have so much to give and to respect them for what they
are and for how they are the same and how
Miranda: they're different Absolutely, and this is the piece where I take it
with people a layer deeper and go because whenever we have a trigger that's a it's
a it's an unhealed part of ourselves.
So when I notice I'm triggered, I ask, I start to ask myself, because most of
our wounds are learned in childhood, I start to ask myself, okay, what part of
this is like, is an unmet need for me?
Like, where, and you know, so yeah, for me as well, people trying to
micromanage their dogs or trying to control a force, huge trigger.
So it's like, in me, Where is that unhealed part?
Where was I controlled or subjected to things that were unfair that I
haven't processed and worked through?
That's
Anke: really, what you just said is really interesting because I'm like,
well, I get really triggered by, you know, when somebody tries to sort of
forcefully control or yell at a dog, like I get super triggered by that.
So, you know, it might be something to have a closer look at there.
That's really, that's really interesting.
Are there particular sort of patterns that show up a lot for,
for, for your clients, for example?
Miranda: Yeah, I mean, where, where I tend to support is, um, people that are
a lot like me, so people that have huge hearts, give to everybody, um, have
a challenge receiving, um, and have a challenge using their voice, speaking
up for themselves, um, you know, taking action on the things that are important
to them, um, and so, yeah, where I see it is there's an opportunity here where
they can both Give their dog what they need, give themselves what they need.
Um, and a lot of times too, it's, it's developing a voice through
speaking for the dog initially.
My, you know, because especially when there's a, when there's a particular
challenge, there's an awareness that's being built around what the dog needs
and why the dog is the way they are.
And then we can move into, um, actually that compassion rather than judgment.
Or, you know, that they're, they're the way they are, and labels.
Like, essentially, if I can coach them through that, till the, till the point
that they get to, they're empowered to advocate, that they understand their
dog to the point where they're like, No, he's not reactive or aggressive,
he's fearful and traumatized, and...
You know, I can get them to that place where they're advocating for their dog.
Um, the bridge there is, is then I, I want to bring them into it as well.
Um, and in that building, that awareness that their dog has their own
experience, um, that their dog has, you know, a very distinct emotional world.
Um, I want to then bring that and see if they're willing
to offer that same level of.
Care, compassion, and understanding that, you know, their reactivity or their, um,
challenges are often repressed wounds.
Um, there are often things and patterns that Um, that have been, you know, just
caused by pain, um, so it's a lot easier to extend compassion to another being,
whether that be an animal, whether that be someone we love than it is to ourselves,
so it's turning that around full circle and seeing if we can create some awareness
that they're doing the best they can.
Um, and start to, to move towards that level of personal
acceptance and forgiveness.
Anke: That's powerful because there is really, you know, so many entry points and
everywhere you make a change, it impacts yourself, your dogs, people around you.
So it's just that, you know, that beautiful wholeness that, that I think
is really worthwhile having a closer look at and not just to say, well,
there's a dog that needs to do things and, you know, so it's not that separate.
That's all.
I think the magic really shows when we actually look at it from
this more holistic kind of place.
It's wonderful.
So where can people go and find out more about you?
Where can they go connect with you, find out about your work?
Miranda: Yeah, beautiful.
So right now my website is Mindfulcanine.
ca, we will be creating a new one that's just my name so I can
branch out to all of my projects, but that's the one for right now.
Um, I also run a group on Facebook, that's, that's the real
space if you want us deeper dive into this, you want to connect.
with people who think this way, I'm really creating a
movement in the community there.
Um, and so in there I do weekly lives, um, I do Q& As, I also run a monthly
masterclass, and that is geared all around emotional healing for you and your dog.
Um, so the concept that you can heal synergistically.
Um, from wounding, from trauma, and, um, build a more peaceful,
calm, present existence.
Um, because I think that at the base of it, that's what we all really want.
We want to be seen.
Your dog wants to be seen.
You want to be seen and acknowledged for who you really are.
And, um, that's the first step, is allowing yourself to
be witnessed, seen, supported.
Um, and then from there, that level of acceptance, um, and
awareness starts to grow.
Anke: So obviously, if you're listening on the podcast, the links are in the show
notes, and if you're on the newsletter, obviously it's right below this video.
So go connect with Miranda, you won't regret it, I promise.
Thank you so
Miranda: much.
Absolutely.
It was an honor to be here.
Thanks so much for listening.
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Email me at Anke.
That's A N k E at Soul touched by dogs.com.