
06/10/2025
I attended the first fearful & feral dog immersive program in the United States which was hosted by Kelly Engel () & Julie Hart (). I learned how dogs who have lived without humans deem one safe, trustworthy, & valuable to their survival (& by the way it is not by bribing them with food).
I spent last week handling Reba who is a feral dog from New Mexico. I am so thankful for Reba for being a patient teacher, being willing to try, & showing me what’s possible. The first two days I was questioning myself & to be completely honest feeling a little discouraged. That changed on the third day when I was crying happy tears because Reba showed me she trusted me & opened up to me.
I want to thank Kelly & Julie for their valuable knowledge & for making this opportunity possible. Thank you to Trish () who handled Flapjack, Kris () who handled Midnight, & Megan () who handled Lulu. Everyone’s experiences with the dogs they were handling & their perspectives were valuable. A safe space was cultivated not only for us to learn about the dogs but also for the dogs to learn to trust & that was powerful.