It’s February, and that means one thing, a celebration of love. Whether that means romantic love with your life partner, giving your children tokens of your appreciation, or, really taking a good look at the animals in life and realizing how much they mean to you.  And to show you all a little love, and how much I appreciate your continued support, we are maintaining last year's prices at Aspen Park Vet Hospital this year, to help our special clients more easily afford to continue to obtain excellent veterinary care for your pets. And for those animal loving members of the community who struggle to afford great veterinary care, we give away over $22,000 worth of services each year. Your donations and support of the ResqRanch, help us to achieve that.  Animals bring us so much joy, love, and unadulterated affection, and ask so little in return. We are lucky to have animal friends in our lives, and I am here to encourage you, to not take them for granted. 

It’s 2024, a New Year, and a great time to revisit your commitment to the care and training of your animal friends. Whether it’s your dog that just won’t come when they are called no matter what, your cat that pees in your plants, or your horse who you just can’t trust all the time, make this the year you commit to not just putting up with the bumps in the relationship you have with your animal friends. You can do better than just tolerate these incidents as momentarily inconvenient,  and take the time to love yourself, and your animals enough to realize there is no better time than now to create a perfectly flawless relationship with your animal friends.  Now isn’t that why we have animals in our lives in the first place!

So how can we get started? The logical first step is to find a positive reinforcement  trainer and/or training class. Positive reinforcement, or R+, is simply a training method where animals have a choice. R+ animal trainers, by the way, are some of the most underappreciated, and undervalued professionals in the world. I have immense respect for the work they do, and the profound  impact on people and animals' lives. This February, send some love and appreciation to your local animal trainers! And please, only spend your time and money with R+ trainers. 100 years of behavioral science tells us that when animals have a choice (no pinch/choke/shock/spur/whip/water bottle squirts/etc.) the training gives us the fastest, safest (think dangerous dogs and horses), most effective, most compassionate, longest lasting long term results. February is all about love, so kindness only please.

But what if you really love your animal like a member of the family? What if you not only want to solve behavior concerns, but you also want to make sure you are feeding your pet an ideal diet, choosing the right preventative care, and actively ensuring everything you do with your animals, every day, is leading them to their very best life? A life where they are not just cared for physically, but their emotional health is also taken into consideration. What if your love commitment to your animal (s) this year, goes beyond solving irritating behaviors, and extends to a deep commitment to doing everything in your power to ensure this animal meets, and hopefully exceeds, its expected lifespan because you love them so deeply?

If that is the case, then what you might need is me, the One and Only Life Coach for People with Pets. Life coaching is support and advice from a professional for people who want to improve the relationship, ie, deepen the bond between themselves and the animals in their lives.  Taking into consideration health, behavior, diet, environment,and stress, a Life Coach improves lives by helping identify areas of improvement,  solving problems, setting goals, and providing accountability for achieving those goals. Every person’s personal journey with their animal is unique. Having a personalized, fully ‘whole-istic' plan, taking into account all facets of your and the animal’s life, provides the easiest path to achieving that Movie Magic Bond we all crave, dream, and watch heartwarming movies about and wish we had. 

So this February,  hug your loved ones, hug your pets, hug your horse, and thank an animal trainer.  And if the idea of having a personalized plan to create a deeper bond between animals and the people who love them,  crafted by someone who is more than just a veterinarian, and more than just a trainer, then the One and Only Animal Life Coach, is for you! I can only work at this intimate level with a few clients at a time, so please don’t hesitate to inquire about coaching packages by calling us at Aspen Park Vet Hospital, or finding more details on our website www.DrQandU.org. Make this the year you renew your commitment to the health and well being of the beloved animals in your life. And I want to send you, the animal loving angels of the world, a little love, from me. Thank you, for loving, and taking good care of the animals and the little fish.  Your donations and support of the ResqRanch, mean so much to us and the community. 

Thank you, and God Bless!

DrQ and the Crew of Aspen Park Vet Hospital and the ResqRanch.