Betty and I often have disagreements about how and when we should play. Yesterday after day 2 and setting my intention to be more present, slow down and be curious, I approached our play from a different perspective. Betty wants to shred her fluffy toy, I want tug, usually the shredding irritates me greatly and neither of us really enjoy the game. Yesterday, I gave her my whole attention and took the extra time to see play from her eyes, we tugged, she won, I let her shred it and I ran away, she actually followed me and stayed more connected and invested in the game than she usually does. Later that night I went out to inspect the yard with her for possums, cats and mice and noticed how the wind was making some very interested sounds. I noticed that she really thinks of this as her job and she takes it very seriously. After we shared the moment she came back inside more content than usual. It felt nice to do it together rather than me wait at the back door for her to finish running around like a nutcase 🤪

Thank you everyone for having me on my first community call. It was such a nice way to connect before going to my non dog job. My zoom froze and locked me out right at the end so I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. I feel very grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. I can’t wait to see where the next 28 days takes me. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week! 💛

After the Community Call this morning I got straight into Day 1 and 2 of the 28 day challenge. And then headed out to do the rounds of the property with Koko, and finish a weeding task. I was keeping in mind, as per the Day 2 prompts, of what my senses were taking in, and was pleased when I noticed this wee flower as I passed it by. And then, because I stopped to admire it, I then noticed the mushrooms just nearby. So that felt like a nice little noticing chain reaction. 🙂🪻🍄‍🟫 Koko was enjoying the sun, making her own ground-level investigations and having a run around, and now she is contentedly snoozling, having had some TLC from me.

I’ve just watched day one and wanted to share what has brought me here so I can keep track of my journey. I share stuff about Betty occasionally on social media but often think “who really cares?!”. Birdy said this community cares so here we go! 😂 I have just started my own business and am currently working two jobs. I want to make a big life change but in order to do this the transition period has left me feeling so burnt out with no time for myself. I am a real doer, I like to keep busy and I enjoy growth, progression and a challenge. I don’t sit down often and I have found it increasingly difficult to be present as my to-do list grows. I feel as though I have reached a point now where, when I do have spare time, I feel lost and there are almost too many things I want to do so, I try to half do everything. I’ve always enjoyed mediation and I love practicing yoga but often it feels like another thing on my to-do list. I love the idea of doing a dog check and being more dog! Over the course of this journey I want to grow my ability to be fully present with my dog and my family and then grow this into other areas of my life. Yesterday after a busy weekend I took Betty for a walk and when we reached the park, she laid down in the sand and wouldn’t move. I asked her if she wanted to do some training and she said no. It was the excuse I needed to sit and just be. This morning I stopped to admire the flowering cherry blossom tree 🌸

So I went for a wander in the national park and dogs aren’t allowed so it was just me. Just stunning scenery. But I really missed my buddy Pax to share it with. Do you have moments where you were like, daym, I wish my dog was here right now to experience it with me? 🥹