Pure Spirit - Animal Communication & Dog Solutions

06/26/2025

Adopting a pet? Congrats! You've just picked someone up in your car who isn't great at communicating, just got out of a tough situation, and isn't sure if they trust you yet. Sound familiar? That's because the first three days with a new pet are basically a 72-hour first date.

It's exciting, it's awkward, and it's definitely not the time to start planning your holiday cards or giving them a bubble bath.

No judgment, but some of y'all might need a quick refresher on first-date etiquette. So here's your official guide to early red flags (from you, not them).

🚩 Leaving them unattended like it's no big deal
Imagine showing up to a blind date and immediately getting ditched at a party where you know no one. That's how your pet feels when they're left alone right away.

Bottom line: Don't ghost your new pet. It's day one. Stick close.

🚩 Being too handsy
They're cute. You're smitten. But this isn't the moment for kisses, cuddles, or TikToks with voiceovers. You just met. They don't know your intentions yet.

This isn't a fling; it's the start of something real. Let them come to you. (Consent matters, even in pet parenting.)

🚩 Introducing them to your entire cast of characters
You ever meet someone and they immediately want you to meet their mom? Yikes.

Your pet doesn't need to meet your whole social circle (or animal crew) right away. Let them settle in, one face at a time. Save the group hangs for later.

🚩 Giving them a bath
You wouldn't give someone you just met a bath, and if you would… we don't want to talk about this anymore.

Yes, shelter pets can be a little stinky. But baths are a lot. They're wet, stressful, and weirdly intimate for a pet who doesn't even know your hobbies yet. Spritz some pet-safe essential oils around the house and give them time to decompress before sudsing them up.

🚩 Taking them on a spontaneous adventure
You are not on The Bachelor. No one wants a surprise helicopter ride on day one.

Keep things calm and close to home. No breweries, dog parks, or road trips. Your pet's just trying to figure out which room has the snacks, don't make them learn a whole new location yet.

🚩 Expecting instant love
Some folks swipe right, go on one date, and expect sparks to fly immediately. The same energy applies to new pet parents who expect instant attachment.

Sometimes it does happen, but more often, it's a slow burn. They might hide under the bed, bark at the fridge, or side-eye you for three days straight. It doesn't mean it's not working. It just means you're still getting to know each other.

💘 The Bottom Line: Love doesn't always strike like lightning. Sometimes, it starts with awkward silences, side-eyes, and mutually agreeing that you won't make any sudden moves. But give it time, stay patient, and keep showing up, and you just might find yourself in the best relationship of your life.

06/24/2025

Heartbreaking. Words matter.

The wildlife rescue community recently experienced a devastating loss. Mikayla Raines, the executive director of Save A Fox Rescue, passed away in the manner that so many rescuers do: losing a lifelong battle with mental illness.

Her beloved husband Ethan posted a beautiful tribute on the Save A Fox page that I encourage you to watch, but I also wanted to share some words and thoughts of my own.

I did not know Mikayla well enough to call her a friend, but we were in touch with some regularity, and our work often overlapped, and we shared many close mutual friends in common. From people who knew her well, I heard only positive things. The public often got me and Mikayla mixed up, because we are both fox rescuers who have been open with the public about our struggles with autism and depression. I would always laugh and say, “No, Mikayla’s the pretty one.”

About a year ago, Mikayla was given an opportunity to permanently close a fur farm and save *five hundred* foxes. For someone who dedicated her life to ending the fur trade, this seemed like a dream come true, the pinnacle of her entire career. The fur farm agreed to sell her the cages at a low cost so they wouldn’t lose their investments, and she could have all the foxes for free.

Mikayla moved heaven and earth trying to get veterinary care and find homes for all of them. A lot of people love the idea of a pet fox, but few want an unsocialized fur farm fox that wants nothing to do with them. Zoos and sanctuaries took many of them. We were asked, but ultimately said no because of a lack of space. In the end, Mikayla still had dozens of them left and not enough space and resources to adequately house and care for all of them.

I heard the rumors and the gossip: critics saying that it’s wrong to take that many foxes— much less “buy” them— without a full plan for them. That may be true, but there isn’t a rescuer on this planet who has never made an impulsive decision in a desperate attempt to save lives. But I never doubted that she was doing her best and that her heart was in the right place. I felt for her because I understood how the situation happened.

But I failed Mikayla in my own way. When I saw the public and other rescues criticizing her, I didn’t come to her defense. I thought she was fine— she always looked so happy and put-together— and I thought that the criticism and harassment she faced were rolling off her back. Just one day before her death, I didn’t say anything when someone in the comments on this very page had mentioned “the fox rescue that buys foxes from fur farms.” While I know in my heart that it wouldn’t have made a difference, I deeply regret that I had an opportunity to defend Mikayla and I did not take it.

Mikayla’s husband Ethan is too polite, or too justifiably afraid of retaliation, to say the names of the people who harassed Mikayla to death, but I know them and have had my own dealings with them. One of the people primarily responsible for Mikayla’s death is a convicted animal abuser who was shut down after she hoarded, starved, and tortured wild animals. This person tried to distract from this by pointing fingers at rescues like Save A Fox and For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue that maintain ethical and financial transparency and have licenses in good standing.

I have often told other wildlife rescuers that when documented animal abusers become your enemy, it’s a sign you’re doing things right. I just wish the public had understood this, and I wish I had used my own voice to speak up before it was too late.

To all who knew Mikayla, please accept our deepest, most heartfelt condolences for your unimaginable loss. We at For Fox Sake are thinking of you in this difficult time and here for you.

And to those who “knew” Mikayla only by following her rescue online, please channel your grief and anger toward helping the animals that Save A Fox still has in their care, so that Ethan can finish the work that his beautiful wife started. You can make a donation through www.saveafox.org.

And, please: while it’s valid and necessary to criticize “rescues” that are not rescues at all— the ones with major, documented cruelty and the ones that engage in true fraud— please check your sources and your facts before trying to destroy a rescuer’s life, because you could succeed.

Finally, this is a reminder to all that suicidal ideation is a medical symptom and a medical emergency. I am not at all ashamed to say that I have had to be hospitalized for my depression when it was too much to bear. It saved my life and it can save yours too. Please call 988 or 911 if you are in danger.

-Juniper Russo, CWR
Executive Director
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

02/26/2025

11/16/2024

Of course you shouldn't bring an unvaccinated puppy to an unregulated place that is frequented by unknown dogs, but there are plenty of opportunities to socialize in safe places. I agree with the experts that the minor risk is well worth the reward! -Mary Budd Bente

Looking at current position statements from organizations like AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior), who are the leaders on veterinary care and behavior, they are abundantly clear that the outdated belief of avoiding socialization until vaccines are completed has no place in current standards. This is relevant because in many cases this fear of strangers or a particular group of people, results from lack of socialization during this critical period and can have lifelong impacts into adulthood.

11/11/2024

11/04/2024

New study published in Animal Cognition found that dogs have a bias towards vowels when understanding human language. This differs from people who have a bias for consonants. In the study 44 dogs were played mispronounced versions of their names, one with the vowels incorrect and one with the consonants incorrect.

Dogs demonstrated a vowel bias rather than a consonant bias, preferring their own name over a vowel-mispronounced version of their name, but not in comparison to a consonant-mispronounced version. It didn't seem to have much of an impact on their understanding if the consonants in their own name were wrong.

This is interesting when thinking about how dogs respond to our vocal commands - it is more important for us to pronounce the vowels well than the consonants. This might not be intuitive because it is the other way around for us humans.

I've actually tried this on my own dog, Maki. If I call him Baki or Raki or Waki, he responds as if I'm calling his name. If I call him Muki or Moki, he doesn't pay as much attention. Does anyone else have similar experiences?

Paper: The role of linguistic experience in the development of the consonant bias, Animal Cognition October 2020

Link to paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-020-01436-6

11/04/2024

11/03/2024

10/06/2024

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on their cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing with other people while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem to some, but it is something that many people have a problem with, even more so if you have a reactive dog.

I compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

Some people might say – “but my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that.

But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, are not sociable, are recovering from an illness, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs. Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of relationship, of seeing the environment through the eyes of your dog, of reinforcing and teaching wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected from the unknown.

Our dogs need us to be focused, to pay attention, to be aware and attentive.

Our dogs depend on us to advocate for them.

10/03/2024

This is becoming a welfare issue!

Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.

Myth Bust:

PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!

* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

WHY?

The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!

The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!

* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.

* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.

Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.

PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!

Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.

Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:

* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.

* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.

* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.

* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.

* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.

* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!

* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.

Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.

A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!

Here’s why:

* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.

* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.

It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.

ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.

NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.