My Aussie, Jake, was once taken by surprise as we passed a shop door in downtown Sausalito, California. There was a small weathered pig statue in the entryway, pointed toward the incoming customers, and looking at us as we walked up the sidewalk. We were about 15 feet away when Jake made eye contact with the pig…who just stared…

Jake’s hackles went up, he started barking non-stop and backing up, making it very hard for me to hold the leash as I was doubled over with laughter. Jake was always a pretty serious guy, so he did NOT appreciate being laughed at and my cavalier attitude toward this imminent danger.

The pig stared, mute and unmoved by the outburst of barking and laughter.

I finally caught my breath and managed to suggest to him we should walk up to this impolite pig and say hi. He got a little closer, then stretched every muscle of his body forward, becoming about 3 times his normal length and made the merest brush of nose-to-nose contact with the pig.

The pig stared unblinking.

Now, backing up only half the distance, erupted another flurry of barks, with a different tenor this time…

Hey! I’m talking to you!
I’m a stock dog, and you’re stock! Don’t you get it?
Hey, listen to me!! Do…something!

The pig continued to stare.

Finally, cautious but determined, Jake approached again, not about to be out-stared by a mere pig. Sniff, another sniff at the ears…yet another sniff at the feet, then the body…

“Geez, Mom, I don’t know what your problem is. This is OBVIOUSLY not a real pig! Why are you just standing there? What’s so funny? C’mon, let’s go!”

Can you relate? I remembered this story when chatting with my guests last night at Crystalwood Lodge, and we were swapping tales of the idiosyncrasies of their dogs, the funny odd things that set them off, their quirks and phobias.

One guest had made a man’s head in an art class in college, and had it in her closet for many years, until one night when her dog discovered it. The poor guy has had to live in a box ever since.

Another guest related how one of their dogs was set off by this turtle planter with a large eye on top of the refrigerator at a vacation property they frequented. Whenever they would stay there, one of their dogs would be fixated on the turtle eye. When it was on the floor, A-OK. When on top of the fridge…it became an alien. Down — no problem. Up — evil incarnate.

Of course, since our dogs mirror us, that speaks volumes about how we humans act when we fixate on things. But mostly, it makes us laugh.

Betcha that pig is still staring, waiting for the next unsuspecting dog to walk by.

Has the pig ambushed you? How does your dog (or other animal — we don’t want to be speciest here!) make you laugh?

How many of you have been in life-threatening situations…and the foremost thing on your mind is wanting to play?

Let’s talk quality of life — what could be more important than the ability to enjoy playing, having fun in the moment? Seriously. If you were facing the end of your life, what would be the one thing you would want another shot at? A bit more of? What would make your heart sing? What do you think you’re going to miss the most?

This week I had the good fortune to be able to visit with a couple of my Iditarod dogs who are in a terrific retirement home and getting all the care, love, exercise and attention they could possibly want. It is a match made in heaven.

Gerry in lead

Gerry in particular was a superstar on my Iditarod team — a true born leader, who relished the opportunity to take charge like no one I’ve ever seen. He was the first lead dog I trained myself, and we have been through it all together, and then some. When you’ve spent that many thousands of hours and miles together you get really close — he can literally read my mind.

But certainly NOT in a co-dependent sort of way. If I didn’t step up and lead in the way he wanted, he was more than willing to do so. He has been responsible for most of my mushing “adventures”, and is as strong willed as the day is long.

It was discovered a couple of months ago that Gerry has massive inoperable liver cancer. He’s been using that strong will to survive, to come back from the brink time and again, and continue to fight it. With all the support possible from his adoptive family, he is determined to give it everything he’s got.

Not too shabby for a 10 year old guy that is hypothyroid and subject to bloat.

While we humans are all worried about the “big picture”, Gerry continues to be fully present, and relishes in being able to do what he can NOW. Thus when I came over for the visit, and brought some of my girls along, he did what any handsome leader would want to do.

Playtime for Gerry & Coast

He enjoyed the attention. He marked like crazy. He flirted and played.

Those of you who have observed your dogs know what I’m talking about…their amazing ability to live in the moment, to focus on what is right in front of them, and to have personal integrity where their thoughts, feelings and deeds all align (for sled dogs, we call that being an “honest dog”).

Their abilities go way beyond just wanting to play every moment they’re not eating or sleeping. What they share with us and teach us how to do is to overcome ANY challenges in our lives by applying some simple steps.

Direct. Powerful. Transformative.

Can this work for you? You bet…if you’re open to it. You don’t even have to believe, you just need to try. Your animals and Gerry will show you how.

Have your animals shown you how to live? Please share your own thoughts and observations on the power of living in the present moment? Have they helped you learn how to do that?

Here on the West Coast of the US, we are finally getting the summer heat the rest of the country has suffered with for months. For us, heat + dry = wild fires. Our forests and grasslands are tinder boxes right now, and our heartfelt best wishes go out to those affected by the devastating fires in central Texas and elsewhere.

The reality is, any natural disaster is devastating. Whether winds and flooding from hurricanes, destruction wrought by localized tornadoes, earthquakes, wild fires or other events over which we have no control, the best chances for survival for ourselves and our pets is…planning and preparation.

Traveling with the dogs takes lots of prep

Preparing for disasters takes on an added dimension when pets are in the picture. Whether it is a kennel of sled dogs or the family cat or parakeet, extra steps for transport, food, lodging and stress management have to be taken.

There’s many resources out on the net to guide you in those efforts, but here’s a great place to start: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/animals.shtm

Just as important as the physical preparation (lists, supplies, safe transport, etc.) is your mental preparation. Are you ready for the unexpected events that pop up in your life? We all have to deal with them, it is merely a question of when, how, and how well. Will your next “gotcha” be a source of pride for a job well done, or a cause for wishing for a do-over?

One of the greatest gifts the dogs teach us is how to take things as they come. Just as the beings they are, they don’t overthink nor rationalize, make excuses or spend hours feeling guilty for not doing what they knew they should have.

As their people, we owe it to our animals to plan and prepare to take care of them, no matter what — that’s the deal we struck when we accepted the awesome responsibility of bringing them into our lives. But when something does happen, we must accept and deal with it with the perseverance, self-assurance and focus that they exhibit and rely on.

That’s what presence is…being fully in the moment, dealing with whatever life throws at you with joy and equanimity. Yes, it is hard to be joyful in the face of a hurricane or wildfire…or divorce or chronic illness or job loss or any personal travail. Yet, look at life from your animal’s perspective. Crimp, for example, shows myself and everyone he comes in contact with how to be happy in the face of deformity, injury, and low expectations — after all he’s been through, he’s still the happiest dog in the kennel.

We all have so many things to be grateful for…life, food, the ability to communicate, move, love. These are often experiences we take for granted, until they are taken from us.

Our animals know we can do it, they’ve shown us how…we need to be the people they know we can be. For them — and for ourselves.

Preparation + Presence = Life!

Have you been impacted by disasters this year, natural or manmade? What have you done to help your animal(s) through the tough times? More importantly, how have they helped you? Let us know and share your ideas to help others!

I tweaked my back really good a couple of weeks ago, moving something out of the back of my truck…it continues to remind me every day that was a dumb thing to do. Some days have been pretty good…other days, not so much. Yesterday was a bad day, and I kept thinking about all the things I thought I couldn’t do because of the pain.

Then I remembered about the practice involved with “dogs stall, people quit.” That saying is shorthand for how when the sled dogs hesitate, when they stall, when they question if they can do something…their musher often allows them to quit. This reinforces the doubt, the hesitation, and cements in their mind that in fact they can’t do whatever it was they were attempting.

Of course, since the dogs are a perfect non-judgmental mirror of what is happening within their person, their hesitation merely reflects our own self-doubt. How many times have you heard that little voice in your head telling you about things you “can’t” do? How many times have you rationalized NOT doing something by saying to yourself it was too hard? too painful? not the right time? you needed to do something else first? you need to feel better? And how often have you let that self-doubt win, cementing in your own mind what you “can’t do”?

We all do it. As humans, we’re all experts at rationalizing what we want to do vs. what we need to do. We practice and make excuses every day, from why you should get another Starbucks latte to what else you should be doing instead of exercising to making excuses to avoid uncomfortable personal situations.

Really though, these challenges are exactly what we need to turn self-doubt into self-confidence. By acknowledging the situation (in this case, I couldn’t take a step with my right leg or bend without excruciating pain) and then moving on in some way (I started gathering laundry that really needed to be done) I found that I could slowly get things done.

The key was moving ahead anyway…being compassionate with myself that things weren’t right, certainly not how I wanted to feel, but being grateful to get done what I could. So by the end of the day I’d done all my dogs chores, 2 loads of laundry, taken out the garbage, chatted with my guests staying at Crystalwood Lodge, finished a document, done a draft of an audio recording, cooked a big batch of breakfast food for the next week, stretched, trimmed a dog’s toenails, and read some of my current book.

Did I get everything done I’d planned? No, not even close. But I’m glad I got done what I did, and went to bed early pretty satisfied with the day, considering how it started out. That’s having compassion for yourself.

We are giving a short free webinar on Thursday, August 18, about how to break through the myths about “how things have to be” when dealing with chronic pain and chronic health conditions. This one hour powerful online training will discuss a holistic framework for integrating and supporting all your efforts to transcend your chronic pain — not just cope, but move beyond the pain to a complete and fulfilling life. You can register here for the webinar, and even if you find you can’t make it on Thursday, we’ll notify you of the next free webinar opportunity.

In our book, Be the Lead Dog, we use the story of “Dogs Stall, People Quit” to demonstrate Perseverance, but I found out it works great to turn self-doubt into Self-Assurance. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Barb & John at Papawai Overlook Maui Hawaii

Aloha, Barb here, on vacation in Hawaii. Yep, Hawaii, YAHOO!

One of the most common myths about a dog sled team is there is only one lead dog. All lead dogs need a rest now & again. Actually, in our sled dog teams Liz & I train all of our dogs to be lead dogs. Some are really good at it, among the really great lead dogs some are best in one environment or another & occasionally we have a dog who is awesome in all areas. No matter how many lead dogs we have we are sure to rotate dogs around so that every lead dog gets a break.

I’m often asked how I can get so much done & be so productive particularly in this day and age of so much to do & so much information happening so quickly. I am lucky that I’ve learned so much from my dogs which is the basis of the book Liz & I wrote, Be the Lead Dog, 7-Life Changing Lessons Taught by Sled Dogs.

One of the biggest things these transformative lessons helped me with has been my wonderful health both emotional & physical health. You might remember, I suffered a traumatic brain injury at my first sled dog race ever & the dogs literally saved my life. To get the full video on how the dogs helped me return to life click here.

When I hit my head I thought I had to do everything & I had to push through all of my challenges with my physical strength & in doing so I would crash & burn winding up not getting much done in the end.  I learned that sometimes taking a break is the best thing I can do to be able to do more overall.

So I’m enjoying Hawaii as a time to relax & take some time for myself so I can lead my best life & hope you take some time to take care of yourself too!  Aloha, Barb

Relaxing at Twin Falls Maui Hawaii

On this, the first Memorial Day without my Dad, I have been reflecting on the profound gratitude I feel toward all veterans and service members, for protecting those freedoms we hold so dear, and allowing the dogs and I the opportunity to discover, explore and share the sled dog lessons with the world at large.

Thank you veterans, each and every one.

Iditarod 2008 Pre-Race Banquet Banner & Flags

My Dad wore his heart on his sleeve, unabashedly patriotic, and proud to have been able to do his part. He was in the Merchant Marine during WWII, not his first choice of service, but service he did with pride and accomplishment nonetheless. He wanted to be an aviator, or in the Navy, but wasn’t qualified for either because of his color-blindness. When he died last summer I was going  through some of his books and I came across an inscription he’d written inside the front cover of “The Cruel Sea”. He was mortified that he was rejected for service, and just couldn’t go home and face his Dad, who’d served on the battleship New York in the battle of Jutland in WWI. The agony he was feeling came across the years and leapt off that page. How could he be an American if he couldn’t serve?

In a way, I understood where he was coming from. I graduated from high school in 1976, the first year that women were allowed into the service academies. I wanted to go to Annapolis in the worst way, and my senator wanted to give me an appointment. But I too was medically disqualified…for hay fever (we never even got to the cancer, only having one kidney, scoliosis, etc.) Hay fever of all things! So I set aside those dreams and my life has followed a very different path. Yet I too have maintained that patriotism and desire to serve in whatever way possible.

And gratitude. Through your service and sacrifice, service members and veterans through the generations have enabled all of us to have a life as Americans which is unique in the world. We can fashion a life and follow a calling of our own choosing. We all owe it to you, as well as ourselves, to honor your sacrifice by participating in the world as informed citizens, and living fully engaged lives within whatever path we are on. Just like you, we have many circumstances in our lives outside our control. And just like you, we can “pay it forward” to show others how to fulfill their purpose and contribute to being the change we seek.

Liz Drawing Starting Position at Pre-Race Banquet for Iditarod 2008

When I was at the pre-Iditarod race banquet in 2008, each musher in turn came up on stage, drew their starting position out of a mukluk, then went to the microphone to thank their sponsors and say a few words in anticipation of the quest before each of us. It was a long drawn-out affair and I was close to the end.

I drew #75, then thanked my supporters and sponsors…and our service members and veterans. I thanked them for their service which allowed me to live in a country where I could pursue this crazy dream of being a long-distance musher and training my own team to run the Iditarod as a rookie to celebrate my 50th birthday. It takes a huge “village” to get an Iditarod team to the finish line, or to support and enable any dream, goal or life purpose, and service members are part of that extended village. Our veterans past, present and future enable all our dreams.

Liz Thanks Veterans and Service Members at Iditarod Draw Banquet

As I left the stage, a locally stationed service member grabbed my hand, gave me a pin and thanked me for my words. I was the first person all evening who had made the connection and expressed their gratitude — I was stunned. We were in the midst of 2 wars, and yet able to hold a sporting event like the Iditarod and go on with our “normal” lives…how could that be without our service members? Their sacrifices are a key part of the continuum of the present moment which the dogs have taught me, and certainly they embody the perseverance, trust, focus, drive and all the other lessons from the dogs, which they apply as daily leadership and courage to secure our freedoms.

I salute your service through helping to better others’ lives by sharing the profound lessons from the sled dogs. If the dogs and I can ever help any of you, in any way, please do let us know — we would be happy and truly honored to do so.

From one crazy long-distance musher turned teacher, and her dog team…thank you.

Happy Trails! — Liz

Liz Parrish, Iditarod’s Littlest Musher, co-founder of Life…Through Dogs
Life…Through Dogs shows people how to live to their full potential through sharing the transformational lessons from the sled dogs.

Learn how to live your best life and overcome your life’s challenges:
http://BeTheLeadDog.com

I wake up stiff & tired…and the instant I move the sled dogs who are last night’s group that are visiting my house from the dog yard immediately hop up, stretch, shake, and are ready to head outside.

“Ok, ok…just wait…hold your horses…hang on…let me get up…just wait, I’m coming…”

Thus starts another day in paradise here in Southern Oregon — and another day of pain with my scoliosis, fibromyalgia and side-effects of the blood clotting disorders I have. It is what it is, and I’ve taken to heart the philosophy that “pain is constant, suffering is optional.” I choose not to suffer with the pain — and the dogs have shown me the way to do that.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day was May 12, 2011…yet for those of us living with fibromyalgia and chronic pain it is something we are most certainly aware of every single day.  As I have been reflecting upon what that means to me, I wanted to share what a terrific life I have, that having fibro doesn’t condemn you to a life of pain flares, fibro fog and not being able to do the things you love in life, and how the lessons I’ve learned from my sled dogs help me each and every day to not only cope, but transcend my pain and enjoy a fulfilling life.

And I’m super excited because we’ve been able to package those lessons to be able to share them with other folks. But more on that in a moment.

Barb Schaefer and Weaver

For those readers who are new to Life…Through Dogs, and to our Be the Lead Dog approach to life, a bit of background. Both my business partner Barb Schaefer (aka “The Sled Dog Lady”) and myself (Liz Parrish, “Iditarod’s Littlest Musher”) have struggled with pain and chronic health challenges. Barb hit her head during her first sled dog race, suffered a death experience and traumatic brain injury, and spent the next several years learning to allow the dogs to help her heal and how to get her life back.  She put all of those lessons to good use when her husband was diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer and she gave her all to successfully helping him recover despite an initial grim prognosis.

My life has also been shaped by cancer — I am a childhood cancer survivor since age 4 1/2 (Wilm’s tumor) as well as dealt with spinal meningitis as a child. The severe scoliosis and kyphosis I have is a result of the radiation treatments for the cancer. As an adult I continue to deal with daily back pain and arthritis, as well as the genetic blood clotting disorders, and have been coping with fibromyalgia and osteoporosis for many years. Some days are certainly tougher than others. But the dogs have shown me that I am tougher than my conditions, and have enabled me to overcome these monumental health challenges to live fully, dream big, and accomplish whatever goals I set for myself. Thus I decided I wanted to run the Iditarod Sled Dog Race® with a team I’d trained myself, to celebrate my 50th birthday…and I spent a decade doing just that.

Liz and Team After Finishing Iditarod 2008

How did the dogs help Barb recover from her traumatic brain injury and enable me to complete the Iditarod as a 50 year old rookie, especially moving beyond the fibro and chronic pain?  The short answer is that they showed us and taught us the right skills and mindset to transcend our conditions, and in fact utilize those conditions as a source of strength, not as a reason for “can’t.”

The dogs are amazing transparent, non-judgmental mirrors for any one engaged with them…showing each person how their emotions, thoughts, words and actions produce the outcomes they are experiencing at that moment in their lives. That’s why the dogs are such incredible teachers, because just by being themselves and providing immediate feedback they show us the way to engage with our own lives for personal fulfillment, accomplishment and joy.

In our bestselling book Be the Lead Dog, 7 Life-Changing Lessons Taught by Sled Dogs, we started the process of sharing the sled dog gifts with the world, with many examples showing how each lesson can manifest itself independently. Readers responded, gave us their feedback about how they too had experienced transformations based on the lessons, and how they wanted to engage further, especially with the application of the lessons to health and life challenges. We are so grateful to be able to share the sled dog lessons with others, and to have you tell us about how they have impacted your life in such dramatic and positive ways.

Because of all the great suggestions and feedback, we are now developing an entire product line we’re calling “Live Your Best Life”, to give you lots of different ways to engage with the Lessons from the sled dogs. Click here to get more information on how to utilize the sled dog lessons for your own transformations. We are truly grateful the dogs have shown us the way we can help others like ourselves dealing with chronic health and life challenges.

Which brings me full circle to the start of this post. This ability to help others transcend fibro and chronic pain and fulfill their dreams — THAT is what Fibromyalgia Awareness Day has meant to me this year. I wish the same for everyone else…just like the dogs, when we are each a part of something bigger — a team, an objective, a dream — it brings out the best in us and pushes us to tap into our inner strength and become the person and the leader we are capable of becoming.

Here’s to Living YOUR Best Life…For Life!

Barb showing the joy sled dogs provide as teachers

National Teacher Day 2011 – Thank a teacher today!  Who are among your favorite teachers in life?

Liz & I will both say our sled dogs have been the most amazing teachers guiding us & reminding us each & every day. We are both perpetual students & have been blessed with many wonderful mentors & teachers.

Jamie Nelson, one of Barb & Liz’s human teachers, getting a ride with Barb’s sled dog team on wheels

Two teachers that have touched both of us are Ann Stead & Jamie Nelson. Liz & I met at Ann & Jamie’s Mushing Boot Camp. Being the perpetual student I attended their camp 11 times! I attended their camp with my motley team of dogs & was propelled into the world of dog sled racing. Thank you Ann & Jamie. 

Ann Stead, one of Barb & Liz’s human teachers

Thank you also to all the dogs that have touched my life, each one of them has a special way of reminding me of the 7-Life Changing Lessons Taught by Sled Dogs, some a little more than others. Probably the biggest lesson they taught me was patience & solidified my perserverance particularly when I was suffering chronic pain due to my traumatic brain injury.

A note to all our blog subscribers and fans: This is a bit of a different post than usual. We have an upcoming event and want to make sure YOU and all animal owners you know are able to attend! We are pleased and excited to announce we have a very special FREE conference call coming up next week and we’d like you to join us!

Do you want to know the truest, most overlooked and important way of expressing love for your dog?

Do you want to know the #1 thing you need to do right now to protect your dog’s future and limit pain and heartache for yourself?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then we have put together a must-hear teleseminar for you and your dog.

Here’s why…

We all love our dogs and wish they could stay around forever. Since both Liz and Barb have a number of dogs in our small sled dog team kennels, we have been through the continual cycle of growing and exploration-based puppyhood, active adulthood, maturity and graceful seniorhood…and finally, the inevitable passage over the Rainbow Bridge. As you may remember from our tributes to our dogs on our blog (see Liz’s tribute to Brick, or Barb’s remembrance of Mardjie), just like you, we cherish every minute we are blessed with our dogs. We steel ourselves for their inevitable passing, and do our utmost to keep all the dogs safe and healthy, and try to avoid losing them too soon.

So what does this have to do with you?

None of us wants to think about it, but deep down we know our relationships with our dogs are heartbreaks in the making. We’re so set on avoiding this truth that we overlook the opportunity to set things up in advance in order to make the eventual transition as easy for both of us as possible. And this is important, because pet loss grief is one of the most debilitating, unacknowledged and underestimated forms of grief around.

Most of us wouldn’t even know who to ask if we did want to do something to lessen its impact. Fortunately, through a connection of ours, we have been able to make contact with someone who has not only walked the path of losing her cherished animal companions, but who is also one of the premier authorities on preparing for it and lessening the blow when it does occur.

And we want you to meet her.

You see…this person is Jill Hendrickson. And not only is she a healer and animal lover, she’s written a comprehensive guide on dealing with pet loss that lays out the steps you need to take now and in the future to prepare yourself and your dog for when such a situation does arise.

Because we’re such avid dog lovers and want to do right by our four-legged pals, we have arranged to spend some 1-on-1 time this next week with Jill on the phone and we wanted to give you the opportunity to listen in.

In fact, once you grab your spot on this call, you will discover:

– Three myths you’ve been led to believe about losing a pet and the truth you need to know

– How to empower yourself to deal with pet loss trauma before it happens so you’re not caught off guard

– The single reason people feel they have failed their animal and how to avoid unbearable guilt and regret

– What to expect from the mourning process and how to facilitate your healing

And finally…

– You’ll discover how to transform your grief into one of the greatest gifts you could ever receive from your pet.

The call is going to happen in just a few days, so mark your calendars, rejoice in your dog(s) presence and involvement in your life, and be sure to be there next week.

For all of the details about the call, please register here.

Oh…we almost forgot, the chance to listen in on the call is complimentary (F’ree!) as a gift from us, but you are going to want to make sure that you are on the line early because we expect that our limited number of lines will fill up quickly.

Happy Trails! — Liz and Barb

P.S. Don’t say that you are too busy to be on the call. Just imagine the peace of mind that could be yours if you learned just one secret from Jill that could decrease your future heartache, as well as fully rejoicing in every moment with your dog, knowing you’ve prepared for any transition, be it sudden and unexpected or gradual and planned. So, do not miss out on what could literally be a life changing, relationship-enhancing opportunity for both you and your dog. Be sure to mark your calendars and be there!

p.s.s. If you know someone else who could use this information, please feel free to pass it along. Jill will be covering important steps EVERY dog owner should know. Grab your own spot, and then please forward to all of your dog’s best friends’ moms, dads and guardians! Cat, horse, bird, ferret, pot-bellied pig, etc. owners welcome too…we are definitely not specieiest around here…and all the same secrets and tips apply to your important relationships with all your animals!

Mardjie a real sweetie

Northomes Mardjie November 23, 1996 – February 2, 2011

Mardjie was an easy going dog who loved being a sled dog. She wasn’t the fastest but she was really good with new people & new dogs so she really helped show lots of folks & dogs “the ropes”.

Mardjie’s just the kind of dog we would use to demonstrate Urban Mushing because she was a good puller & an easy going dog.

Jan, a long time Siberian person, came to me with an atypical request a few years ago…Did I have an older dog that she could adopt & spoil for the rest of it’s days? I didn’t really feel as if I had a dog I could part with & Jan came over for a visit so she could get her Siberian Husky fix.

When Jan came over to meet the dogs Mardjie would not leave her side so we all figured Mardjie was telling us what she wanted.

Mardjie & Jan became attached at the hip they were both lucky to have each other.