About Me

My photo
My name is Lesli Hyland. In my fifty three years on this earth, my home and my heart have been graced with the company of twenty eight dogs. Many came to me as seniors. All of them taught me something and helped determine the course of my life. I became a dog trainer because of them. I met my friends because of them. My husband and I are are forever bonded by our mutual connection to them. Currently, as a Dog Walker I have access to other people's dogs and I am allowed to experience their unique personalities. The dogs make me a better person by forcing me to closely examine my motivation, my actions and my choices. Everything I do affects their behavior, safety and happiness. It is an awesome responsibility. The dogs keep me honest.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

A glimpse at the future



If there is a god...
Mamacita will be joining me on the agility field
 For many many years to come.  She and I are just hitting our stride, feeling like a formidable team. I adore this quirky little beast. She has come so far and She's only eight. 
Surely we have four years...five...more?
Hundreds of start lines to walk up to together.

Crazy Soli has mad skills on the agility field too, but she is a combustible combination of aggression and insecurity.  She a cheeky little dog in familiar territory,  but a worrier outside of her comfort zone.  Frankly she's a lot like Mamacita, but where as
Cita has learned to tune out the demons while competing,  Soli still loses her mojo at a trial.  Our team is a work in progress.  Ironically that is Mamacita's official, registered name:
                     "My Work in Progress". 
        With any luck history will repeat itself.

Some days when I see these two together I wonder if I am watching the past and the future battle for the present right in front of my eyes. 






Thursday, December 5, 2019

You are here

Recently on Facebook I saw a post with the following quote:

"Look around and appreciate what you have.  Everything will be different a year from now"

That has never been more true than it is right now in my life.  Over the past five or so years  I have watched my family go through drastic changes.  Holiday traditions I took for granted are simply gone now.  Sustaining relationships are no longer sources of comfort,  instead requiring my strength going forward.  My big brother is dead.

Yeah...I'm a little depressed.

And as I look around at my canine family the sad fact is that things definitely will be different a year from now.  Our "baby girl" is four.  Crazy Goose is five. Kenzie and Mamacita are eight.  Cubby and Lupie are
ten-ish.  Tawnie is twelve-ish.  Suzie and Ziggy are fourteen.  They are plagued by a myriad of health issues.  We will lose someone in 2020.  Perhaps more than one.

So today I would like to take a moment to appreciate each and every perfect little face.
You are here.  I love you.

Why is that so much easier with dogs than people?