Welcome Women Who Own Dogs..& the men who love them

Blogging is new to me. I thought it was going to be easy - it's not. The reason I am having such difficulties is simple - I have a lot of information to share with women who own dogs, but I keep being pulled in different directions. Clients, friends and colleagues have offered their opinions, but the best one came from my friend Marg. She told me to just be myself. Sound advice. To that she also asked that I not lecture, pontificate or forget to interject my innate, dry sense of humor. Bless you marg:)

The humor part is going to be difficult sometimes, because some of the subject matter I will be presenting comes from my book, The Savvy Dog Owner: Thought Provoking & Practical Dog Ownership Guidelines is anything but funny. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for women.  Who couldn't admire a group responsible for the invention of windshield wipers, fire-escapes and quite possibly the creators of the first human-canine bond?

But women are continuing to be negated and disenfranchised by society - the society of men. This I can no longer tolerate.

• If you are a women who owns a dog, then you are more than likely providing 75% or more toward the care of the family pet.
• If you enroll with your dog in a group training session at the local big box pet supply store, you may also be subjected to training practices and tenets that were designed by men for men - more than 60 years ago! (Now comes the funny part: "Be pet smart - train your dog in the real world, not a pet food supply warehouse.") 
• The words Alpha dog, Leader of the Pack, Dominance, and Submission, are ludicrous; especially when trying to discern or explain canine behavior. (Dogs are not wolves they are scavengers. Scavengers do not need an Alpha dog or Pack to lead them to a village dump site or abandoned kill.) More importantly, these words have no meaning in a woman's lexicon for creating, maintaining and nurturing a relationship.

I'm off to a good start....stay with me...comments gladly accepted. Please be advised: All negative comments should be addressed to Mr. Jesse James Bernard, my 13 year-old English Shepherd.

Next Post: A Dog in Wolf's Clothing: How women are being mislead