Come On, Let's Train

08/11/2026

Germany officially bans cosmetic ear cr*pping and tail d*cking to protect animals from harm. 🇩🇪🐕

Germany prohibited cosmetic ear cr*pping and tail d*cking over twenty years ago under the national Animal Welfare Act, allowing exceptions only for genuine medical necessities. Despite the long-standing restrictions, animal welfare organizations observe that some breeders still practice d*cking tourism by traveling abroad to perform these painful cosmetic operations before returning with the puppies.



References:
German Animal Welfare Federation: Banning Cosmetic Ear Cr*pping and Tail D*cking for Dogs
Modern Molosser: The Legal Framework and Impact of the Animal Welfare Act in Germany
Pet Welfare Coalition: Understanding D*cking Tourism and Its Impact on Animal Rights

07/22/2026

Summer is one of the best times to get outside with our pets, but it also brings unique risks that every pet owner should know ☀️🌊🐾🏕️

Whether you're hiking, camping, at the lake, or relaxing in the backyard, a few simple precautions can help keep your pets safe all season long.

Here are a few summer reminders:

♦️Walk during the early morning or evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Before heading out, try the 7-second test. If you can't comfortably hold the back of your hand on the pavement for 7 seconds, it's too hot for your pet's paws.

♦️NEVER leave your pet in a parked vehicle. Even with the windows cracked, temperatures inside can become life threatening within minutes.

♦️Practice water safety. Not every pet is a strong swimmer. Consider using a life jacket when boating, rinse your pet after swimming, and discourage them from drinking lake or pool water.

🚨Know the signs of heatstroke, including excessive panting, bright red gums, vomiting, weakness, confusion, or collapse. If you notice these signs, seek veterinary care immediately.

A little extra thought and care can go a long way in keeping our pets safe and ready for every summer adventure 🩵

07/03/2026

Sooo true! LOL!

06/29/2026

Tsunami (inset pic) has saved 17 lives ❤️

06/03/2026

There Are Good People… we should all aspire!

I gave away my last umbrella on a rainy Tuesday.

Seven years later, I saw it again.

Not the umbrella.

The kindness.

My name is Diane. I’m 61 years old, and for most of my life I worked the early shift at a small bakery in Ohio.

Nothing glamorous.

Just fresh bread, coffee, pastries, and a lot of familiar faces.

Every morning before sunrise, the same people came through our doors. Construction workers grabbing coffee. Nurses finishing night shifts. Parents rushing to work after school drop-offs.

And every now and then, someone would come in carrying more weight than they could hide.

One November morning, the rain was relentless.

The kind that soaks through jackets and turns sidewalks into rivers.

Just before closing, a young woman stepped inside.

She looked about twenty.

Her hair was dripping wet. Her backpack was torn at one strap. She stood near the entrance for a moment, trying to warm her hands.

When she finally approached the counter, she asked the price of a cup of coffee.

Then she quietly counted the coins in her pocket.

She was short.

Not by much.

But enough.

“It’s okay,” she said quickly, embarrassed. “I didn’t realize.”

She turned toward the door.

Something about the way she lowered her eyes stopped me.

Not because she wanted charity.

Because she clearly didn’t.

I poured a coffee.

Added a blueberry muffin that would’ve been thrown away at closing.

Then I handed both to her.

“Looks like today’s your lucky day,” I said. “We made one extra.”

She immediately tried to refuse.

I smiled.

“Trust me. If you don’t take it, I’ll have to eat another muffin myself.”

That finally made her laugh.

A real laugh.

The kind that sounds like relief.

While she ate, I noticed she kept glancing through the window at the rain.

When she finished, I reached beneath the counter and pulled out an umbrella.

Nothing special.

Just an old blue umbrella I’d kept for years.

“Take this too.”

Her eyes widened.

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“What if you need it?”

I looked outside.

“I’ll survive.”

She held that umbrella like it was something valuable.

Before leaving, she stopped at the door.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

Then she disappeared into the rain.

Life moved on.

Thousands of customers came and went.

Years passed.

The bakery changed owners.

I retired.

And honestly, I forgot all about that rainy Tuesday.

Until last spring.

I was volunteering at a community center when a woman walked onto the stage to speak at a scholarship event.

Professional suit.

Confident smile.

Maybe late twenties now.

She talked about being the first person in her family to graduate college.

About working hard.

About the strangers who helped her when she needed it most.

Then she told a story.

A story about a rainy morning.

A coffee.

A muffin.

And an old blue umbrella.

My heart nearly stopped.

After the event ended, she walked directly toward me.

“You probably don’t remember me,” she said.

But I did.

The smile was the same.

The eyes were the same.

She told me she had been on her way to a job interview that morning years ago.

She got the job.

Later she earned a degree.

Today she ran a nonprofit helping young adults find housing, education, and work opportunities.

Then she said something I’ll never forget.

“It wasn’t the coffee,” she said.

“It wasn’t even the umbrella.”

“What was it then?” I asked.

She smiled.

“For five minutes, someone treated me like I mattered.”

We both cried.

Then she told me that every year her organization helps dozens of young people get back on their feet.

Not because she can solve every problem.

But because someone once showed her that small acts of kindness can become turning points.

And that’s the thing about kindness.

Most of the time, you never see where it goes.

You don’t know which conversation changes a life.

You don’t know which encouragement arrives at exactly the right moment.

You don’t know which door stays open because you chose not to walk past someone.

But sometimes, years later, life lets you see the ripple.

And you realize that what felt small to you…

felt enormous to someone else.

❤️ Never underestimate a simple act of kindness.

You may forget it.

But the person who needed it never will.

05/29/2026

What is working with animals like? It's like this... forever and ever.
And I LOVE IT!
Anna Blake - Maybe my favorite, of ALL the things you've written!
THANK YOU!

My instructor gave hand signals to her advanced dog who was so quiet that it looked like he was taking the sheep for a walk.

05/14/2026

LOL… Soooo true!

12/29/2025

Some great tips on dealing with tension between dogs in the household… Get on it early, be patient… and be consistent. Plan ahead, and set your dogs up for success!

A challenge of having two or more dogs in the same house is the possibility of your dogs fighting and having to defuse that situation.

12/07/2025

Be more like Kent… There Are Good People…
And damn, I Believe in Dogs!
Grab a tissue…

I nearly let a teenager freeze on Thanksgiving Eve because of my "No Loitering" policy. Then I watched her starving Pitbull refuse to eat, and it completely broke me.
I own a 24-hour laundromat in Chicago. If you know the winters here, you know they don’t forgive. But in my line of business, you can’t afford to be forgiving either. If you let one person sleep on the folding tables, you’ll have a dozen by morning. So, I have rules. Iron-clad rules. Buy a wash cycle, or get out.
Last Wednesday was Thanksgiving Eve. The wind was howling off the lake, bringing snow that fell sideways. I was in the back office, angry that I was stuck mopping floors instead of eating turkey, when the door chimed.
A girl walked in. She couldn't have been more than seventeen. She was wearing a hoodie that was too thin and canvas sneakers soaked through with slush.
But it was what was beside her that made me reach for my baseball bat.
A massive, gray Pitbull mix. The kind of dog people cross the street to avoid. He had a blocky head, a scar running down his left flank, and muscles that twitched with every shiver.
"No dogs," I yelled over the hum of the dryers. "Read the sign."
The girl flinched. "Please, sir. Just ten minutes. The shelter is full. We just need to feel my toes again."
I looked at the dog. He wasn't growling. He was leaning against the girl's leg so hard he was almost knocking her over, trying to share warmth.
"Fifteen minutes," I grumbled, pointing to the vending machines in the corner. "If that beast barks once, I’m calling the cops."
They retreated to the corner, away from the few paying customers. I watched them on the security monitor, waiting for a reason to kick them out.
The girl dug into her pockets. She pulled out a handful of change—mostly pennies and a few nickels. She counted them three times. She was clearly short for anything substantial, but she scraped together enough for a pack of those cheap, orange peanut butter crackers.
She sat on the floor, opened the pack, and I saw something that made my chest tighten.
She didn't eat.
She broke a cracker in half and held it out to the dog. "Eat, Tank," she whispered. I could hear her through the audio feed.
The dog, Tank, sniffed the cracker. He was clearly starving; his ribs were visible beneath that short coat. But he didn't take it. instead, he nudged her hand with his wet nose, pushing the cracker back toward her mouth.
"I'm not hungry, buddy," she lied. Her stomach growled loud enough for the mic to pick up. "You take it."
She tried to force it into his mouth. The dog gently took it, held it in his teeth for a second, then dropped it on her lap. He whined softly and rested his heavy head on her knee, looking up at her with eyes that weren't vicious or scary. They were terrified. Not for himself, but for her.
He was refusing to eat until she did.
Here I was, judging them. I saw a "delinquent" and a "dangerous animal." But in that corner, I was witnessing more loyalty than I’d seen in most human marriages. That dog was her guardian, and she was his whole world.
Suddenly, a guy who had been dozing by the dryers—a regular who sometimes snuck in a bottle of whiskey—stumbled over.
"Hey sweetheart," he slurred, looming over the girl. "You got a dollar for the bus?"
He reached out to grab her shoulder.
Tank didn't bark. He didn't attack. He simply stood up. One second he was a shivering pile of fur, the next he was a granite wall between the girl and the drunk. He let out a low, rumbling growl—a warning that vibrated the floorboards. He stood his ground, ready to take a kick to protect his girl.
The girl threw her arms around the dog's neck, shielding him with her own frail body. "Don't hurt him!" she cried.
That was it. My rule book went out the window.
I grabbed the bat—not for the dog, but for the drunk. "Get out, Mike," I barked. "Now."
Mike scrambled out into the snow.
I locked the front door and flipped the sign to CLOSED. Then, I walked over to the corner. The girl pulled Tank closer, bracing for eviction.
"I'm sorry, sir," she stammered. "He didn't bite, I promise—"
"Quiet," I said. I walked back to my office and grabbed the Tupperware container my wife had packed for my dinner. Thick slices of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
I walked back and set it on the floor, right between the girl and the dog.
"The dryer in this corner is broken," I lied. "It gets too hot. I need someone to sit here and make sure it doesn't catch fire tonight. Can you handle that?"
She looked at the food, then at me, tears streaming through the grime on her face. "Sir?"
"I can't eat all this," I said gruffly. "And if you're working security for me tonight, you need energy. Both of you."
That night, I watched a "dangerous" Pitbull gently take turkey from a fork, but only after he watched his girl swallow her first bite.
We live in a world that loves to judge books by their covers. We see a hoodie and think "trouble." We see a Pitbull and think "monster." But that night, on the dirty floor of a laundromat, I learned that family isn't about blood, and character isn't about appearance.
Family is the one who freezes so you can be warm. Character is the one who starves so you can eat.
Sometimes, the best of us have the emptiest pockets, and the biggest hearts beat inside the chests of the creatures we fear the most.
Open your eyes. Open your doors. You never know when an angel might walk in looking like a runaway and a fighter.

"Feel the power of loyalty and love. Share this story and remind someone today how deep the bond between humans and animals can truly be:

Credit: Kent Williams
https://ifeg.info/2025/12/05/the-heartwarming-loyalty-of-a-girl-and-her-pitbull-a-thanksgiving-eve-story/

12/01/2025

Be more like Linda… There are Good People…