05/11/2026
✨ ✨ A little piece of why Kat’s Paw Spaw exists 💛🐾
One of the biggest reasons I care so much about fear-free handling comes from my own dogs, Zoey and Ember.
Zoey was incredibly well behaved for me and honestly a total medical champ. She was even a blood donor and never needed sedation — she was truly the most amazing girl 💛 But despite how calm and cooperative she looked, she struggled deeply with separation anxiety and found it really hard being away from me.
Ember was the complete opposite. She was scared of everything, but she wasn’t the type to cower or quietly shut down. Her fear, anxiety, and stress would go from 0–100 very quickly, and she struggled heavily with fear-based reactivity.
After taking a fear-free veterinary course, I started slowing down and working with Ember through the little things — helping her build confidence, trust, and positive associations wherever I could. She taught me so much about canine body language, stress signals, and how important patience and understanding really are.
Both Zoey and Ember passed in 2019 from different health issues, but they completely changed the way I see animal care. They taught me that every dog experiences stress differently, and that behaviour is communication — not “good” or “bad” dogs.
Because of them, I care deeply about making grooming as low-stress, patient, and comfortable as possible for every dog I work with 🐶✨
I’m so thankful I got to have them in my life, and I carry what they taught me into every appointment.
💛 Because happy paws matter. 💛
