Victoria Gideon teaches people how to train their dogs to hunt culinary truffles, and she opens every class by telling students the truffle isn't the point. Listen in as she explains what is, and why the trust that matters most runs from your dog to you. Her road to this work took more turns than most, and she's found that every stop gave her something she still draws on as a trainer. If you've ever felt judged for doing things your own way, Victoria's thoughts on permission may land closer to home than you expect.

https://colleenpelar.com/173

Jamie Thompson, a social worker and owner of Grow and Connect Therapy, has spent her career supporting people, including that special group of people who love animals with complex behavioral or medical needs. Drawing on her own experience caring for a reactive dog through his final years, Jamie explores anticipatory grief, the guilt and shame that follow a pet's death, and Thich Nhat Hanh's five remembrances as a way of staying present with a beloved animal. She and Colleen also talk about why animal welfare workers deserve recognition as first responders, and how human welfare and animal welfare are impossible to separate.

https://colleenpelar.com/172-jamie-thompson-lcsw

Sami Griffin, owner of Wise Whiskers Training, specializes in fear, anxiety, and aggression cases in cats and dogs — often with clients who are queer and/or neurodivergent and haven't always felt supported by other trainers. In this conversation, Sami traces their path from veterinary technician and shelter foster coordinator to running their own practice, and talks about "loving curiosity" (a concept they borrowed from philosopher Maria Lugones), locus of control, and why they stopped trying to "fix" things and started just helping.

https://colleenpelar.com/171-sami-griffin-kpa-ctp-cbcc-ka