Watch this video about Courthouse Dogs and the amazing difference they make for so many people!

Click here to watch video!

Visit the Courthouse Dogs website at www.courthousedogs.com

Trina speaks out about “rampant” Military Sexual Violence, living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and how “Suzie”, her Heeling Allies trained Mental Health Service Dog has changed her life!

Check out this site!  Darcie has created this amazing program within her company, Heeling Allies, for older adults who want a dog, but need support!

www.companiondogsforseniors.com

Check out the main site, too!  www.heelingallies.com

“Heeling Allies is a company dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with mental health issues, and older adults by providing expertly trained mental health assistance dogs, and individualized support services.

We specialize in training four types of mental health assistance dogs: Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, Therapeutic Companion Dogs, and Companion Dogs for Older Adults.”

Click this link to read the article written about Darcie Boltz, owner of Heeling Allies.
http://bastyr.edu/alumni/profiles/darcie-boltz-health-psychology.aspx
Darcie is a graduate of Bastyr University.

Brandie with City Dog Magazine is back on the show today to tell us about upcoming events and talk about the holidays.

A subscription to City Dog Magazine is only $18 for a whole year!  $30 for two years!  Go to www.citydogmagazine.com to subscribe or gift someone you love the gift of City Dog Magazine this holiday season!

What are some considerations for older adults who live with dogs or who are thinking about getting a dog?

Listen to Julie’s interview with Jennifer DeRosa, Occupational Therapist and owner of Adaptable for Life.  www.adaptableforlife.com

Also go to www.companiondogforseniors.com to look at this wonderful program to support older adults in getting and living with a dog!

Check out the full articles sited on this episode of The Dog Talk Show

Dog Ownership and Walking Behaviour and Mantained Mobility in Later Life:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118579434/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

The Waukesha Humane Society and ProHealth Care Cardiac Rehab Clinic Team Up
http://fetchmag.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/waukesha-humane-society-dogs-prohealth-care-cardiac-rehab-patients-team-up/

**Missing Pet Partnership Lost Pet Recovery Booth July 5-7th

At Kent Animal Shelter.  Please read below and help if you can.  This is AMAZING.  I volunteered last year and I was blown away at how necessary this is!!!  Donate, Volunteer, Spread the Word!!!!

This 4th of July, Missing Pet Partnership (MPP) has partnered with the Kent Animal Shelter to offer FREE lost pet assistance. MPP’s booth will be set up outside of the Kent Animal Shelter (21615 64th Ave South, Kent, WA) from Monday July 5th through Wednesday July 7th (noon to 6:00 p.m.). Families in the Puget Sound area who’ve lost a pet will be encouraged to drive to the Kent Animal Shelter for free assistance. Last year, MPP had an 80% success rate of helping recover lost pets offering these same services! To volunteer at the booth, you must attend a 3-hour MPP training session on Saturday July 3rd from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Kent Senior Center, 600 E. Smith Street, Kent, WA 98030. IMMEDIATE DONATIONS TO PURCHASE POSTER SUPPLIES AND WINDOW MARKERS ARE STLL NEEDED TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT! PayPal donations can be made on the MPP web site (www.missingpetpartnership.org) or call (253) 529-3999 to volunteer or donate.

Visit The Delta Society’s website to learn more about their wonderful work and how to become a pet partner!

www.deltasociety.org

Also check out these sweet prayer flags for your pet:

http://www.prayersonthewind.com/

NEXT WEEK!

Brandie Ahlgren, Founder and Editor of City Dog Magazine with a list of upcoming dog events.

And welcome back Beth Rivard, Executive Director of Prison Pet Partnership Program!  They train service dogs in the Women’s Correctional Facility in Purdy, WA.  Amazing program!  visit www.prisonpetpartnership.org for more info!

Darcie and I are looking to fill as many tables as we can for the Prison Pet Partnership’s Annual Fundraiser – May 22nd in Tacoma.  Only $40 per person, includes food and “bubbly”.  Join us at our table or fill your own!  Eight people per table.

Email me, Julie Forbes, at host@dogtalkshow.com for more info and to sign up!

Check out Daisy Peel and Solar’s agility runs!  Impressive!

http://www.youtube.com/user/cflyrun#p/a/u/0/gR0MqqVMTKQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/cflyrun#p/a/u/2/k9dvATBVIn8

DAISY AND SOLAR’S WINNING RUN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVy_Ol-g_Qo&feature=related

Also on the show today: A Beautiful Story about Poodle Love

Read more stories like this and find out more about Mental Health Assistance Dogs and Heeling Allies at: www.mentalhealthdogs.org

“I have suffered from severe depression, anxiety and agoraphobia for over seven years with things seeming to get progressively worse every passing year.  Eventually I even stopped going into stores or restaurants, waiting in the car while my husband shopped.  With three small children, I was painfully aware that I was creating a negative impact on my kids’ lives and memories.  Being a military family, moving and family separation is always a factor and I knew that I needed to find more help than just my current medications in order to take care of my family.

I discovered Heeling Allies entirely by chance while doing a search on assistance dogs from a recommendation from my doctor. Darcie called me immediately and I felt hope for the first time in years as she talked me through the process of choosing and training the perfect dog for me and my needs.  Darcie encouraged me to write a letter of support to send out to my friends and family since money was a barrier in my desire to find a medical alert dog. I was overwhelmed by the financial support that was given by family and friends!  None of them had been aware of my issues, I had worked so hard for so many years to hide my fears and anxiety by creating excuses to avoid social situations and many other activities.

Darcie has been my angel and found Blue, my handsome black standard poodle.  At first I was a little nervous about a stranger choosing the dog that will be by my side constantly but Darcie seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to dogs and pairing them with their owner.  Blue wakes me up in the morning either by alarm or when my youngest son cries, reminds me to take my medications twice a day, Blue is by my side throughout the house helping me to feel as if I’m not alone in my anxieties and most of all he provides a calming presence and distraction while in stores. Now I can go freely into stores once again and not feel as if everyone is pressing in around me.  People automatically give us a wider berth and when it does get crowded, Blue presses up against me which automatically turns my attention to him rather than the crowds.  I had forgotten what this type of freedom felt like and I am thankful every single day that I found Darcie and Heeling Allies.

Darcie continues to check in with Blue and I, she is always willing to answer questions that arise, offer advice and support.  She is an amazing woman and I would refer anyone who is considering a service dog to contact Heeling Allies.  It is a decision that I will never regret.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve said in the past several years, “Walking through the woods with my dogs off leash is one of my favorite things to do.”It is.

There is something so simple, and right, about footsteps in a forest with dogs galloping around you – the feeling of walking together as a unit, a pack, a family.

I am beginning to think it isn’t just because I love my dogs, that I love this experience. I am beginning to think it is genetic wiring.

Dogs have been living with people for potentially over 100,000 years. If the two species have been living together, day in and day out, for SO LONG, wouldn’t it make sense that we are evolving together as animals?

Dogs seem to be getting smarter and smarter and in some cases, almost human-like with the way they relate socially to the world. As we pull dogs closer to humanity, I think dogs are pulling us closer to them.

Consider this: Dogs have measurable, positive psychological and physiological effects on people when they are with them.

There are many positive physiological effects that people benefit from, when with a dog. To generalize: People are more relaxed in the presence of a dog.

I believe this is genetic wiring. When dogs first started transforming from wolves, their roles with us quickly developed into these basic jobs: alerting us to the presence of a threat: cougar in the neighborhood, hunting partner: making our hunts easier and more fruitful, and herding: helping us manage large flocks of livestock.

Dogs have made things easier for us. Imagine being in the wilderness among dangerous predators. Wouldn’t the presence of a dog that barks when he senses a threat, allow you to relax and not feel like you have to be so vigilant? Are you a woman who lives alone and finds comfort in having a dog with you to alert you/deter any potential threat when you feel vulnerable? This phenomenon has been happening for tens, and tens, of thousands of years.

Yup, we are wired to live with dogs. I think our reptilian brains think that our survival depends on it!

Welcome to the Dog Talk Show blog.  This blog provides insights and information for people and their dogs.  In the blog I will disucss a variety of topics, including:

• Animal welfare
• Dog behavior
• Dog alterntaive health
• Dog massage
• Dog shows and events
• Dog stories
• Kids and dogs
• Dog nutrition
• Service and therapy dog training
• General dog training

. . . and much more.  The Dog Talk Show also provides access to all of my Dog Talk Show radio broadcasts (click the Podcasts menu item).  Most of all, I would like to hear from you – whether it’s to share stories, ask questions or express your point of view on a topic.

I hope you will enjoy the Dog Talk Show and share it with others.