I'm wordy, and attention spans are short.

Scroll past the text for the resources.

​​Often, when a pet is struggling, so is their person.

You imagined pet ownership would be a magical experience, but it’s not going so well.

​​

New Pet is destroying your home, growling and lunging at other dogs, neighbors are complaining about the constant barking, & they are peeing everywhere BUT the litter box.

You’re overwhelmed. 

​You're mourning the vision of what you expected pet parenting to look like.

​​​​​

You find yourself regretful and panicked about the next decade-plus commitment you've made to spending with a pet you may not like right now.

​​

Yet, it feels taboo to talk about.
Because (insert sarcasm) what kind of person doesn’t like their pet?

​​​​​

But here's the thing: It was never meant to be love at first sight.

Sure, sometimes we get lucky, and that chemistry sparks right away.

​​​​But love can also be a slow build.​

​

Regardless of the species, relationships are complicated.
There may be tears. Regret. Shame.

Second-guessing decisions. Desperate please to rewind time.

​

You're not a terrible person if you're not madly in love with your pet.

​

This is actually an appropriate reaction to essentially eloping and moving in with someone you only met the night before.

​​

​​​​​​The truth is, complicated relationships are a “thing.”

And more common than you could ever imagine.

​​

So why AREN’T we talking about it?​​​​ We are.

It's just not as accessible as the good stuff.

​​​​

And when we don’t see ourselves represented, we stay silent.

​​We pretend everything is going great while drowning in shame.​
​​​

We might seek guidance on how to "fix" our pet's behavior. ​

​

And while training can be a game-changer, it’s not always enough.

We also need to acknowledge OUR pain and OUR emotional experience in relationships.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​

I’m passionate about having these conversations because I lived here.

I thought I would die here (ok, dramatic exaggeration, but it was a bad time in my life).

​

​So, how did I NOT know...

​​​​

That it would take time to get into a rhythm of figuring out how to do life together?

​That there would be baggage from both parties to sort through?​

Expectations to check. Patience to be had. Trust to be developed?​
​​​​

Because I never saw anything other than the idyllic pet/human bond.​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​

​

​If you’re feeling stuck, know that your people are out there.

There are places you will feel seen and understood. 

There are ways to start leaning into the relationship we're in and away from the fantasy.

To focus less on change and more on acceptance.

To understand that "Connection" doesn’t always look like what we expect.​

​

Still, that doesn't mean your story will always have a fairy-tale ending.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it's a mismatch.

I find the phrase "forever home" dangerous.

Not every situation is resolvable.

This is somewhere to start figuring that out.

​

​​