Love the One You're With with Erika Fields

Welcome to Beers and Biscuits, a Dogcast for the rest of us! In this episode, Erika Fields of @hounddog_mack shares her journey as a dog guardian and the lessons she has learned along the way. She discusses the disconnect between her expectations and the reality of dog ownership, emphasizing the importance of understanding a dog's individual needs. Erika also highlights the significance of asking the right questions before adopting a dog and shares her experience with Mack's medical issues and surgeries. She provides insights into the recovery process and offers advice for dog owners going through similar situations. In this conversation, Erika shares her experiences and insights as a dog guardian dealing with reactivity, anxiety, and medical issues with Mack. She highlights the need to balance personal experience with professional advice and the importance of finding a supportive community. Erika shares her perspective on being transparent and authentic on social media and offers advice for new dog parents. She also discusses the importance of seeking professional help and building a support team and encourages dog guardians to advocate for their dogs and trust their instincts. Episode Takeaways Understand and accept your dog's individual needs Ask important questions about a dog's behavior, exposure to different environments, and interactions with other pets before adopting Be proactive in addressing medical issues and seek professional advice when necessary Recovery from surgeries like TPLO can be manageable with proper care and support. Social media can provide a supportive community and valuable information for dog guardians, but it's important to be discerning and avoid comparison Ignore negative feedback and focus on the positive support from the community Seek professional help and build a support team to navigate the challenges of dog guardianship Advocate for your dog and trust your instincts Massachusetts native and first-time dog guardian, Erika Fields is a social media strategist by day and an advocate for force-free, positive reinforcement training by night. She found her passion for the dog rescue world and the power of positive reinforcement after she and her husband adopted their dog Mack back in 2018. Since the first day that 6-month-old Mack came bounding into their life like a little tornado, she has been thrown head-first into the world of dog reactivity, anxiety, and arthritis. Over the past 5 years, she's used the Instagram page she runs,  @hounddog_mack, to share their journey and show that all dogs, even those with big feelings and behavioral challenges, can live a fulfilling life without pain, suppression, or fear. In her free time, she's a volunteer dog adoption counselor/social media manager for Brown Dog Coalition, a local foster-based rescue that is dedicated to ensuring their adopters don't use any aversive tools or training techniques on their new family members.  We hope you enjoyed the conversation and please don’t forget to give your dog a biscuit from us. Until next time. Where you can find us:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @beers.biscuits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thetimelessdog⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@peterpiper_pickel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Ideas, Questions, Comments – Email us: ⁠⁠[email protected]