Have you ever had THAT dog? The one who changes everything?
After more than a year away, Cara is back behind the microphone for a very personal episode about the dogs who shape us, the ones we lose, and the challenge of learning to appreciate the dogs who come after them.
For Cara, that dog was Debbie. She was the Boxer who opened doors Cara didn't even know existed: agility, dog training, teaching, competition, and a deeper understanding of the human-dog relationship. Debbie helped shape the trainer and handler Cara is today. But losing her left a hole that Cara has spent years trying to fill, sometimes by searching for pieces of Debbie in every dog who followed.
In this episode, Cara gets personal about grief, childhood experiences, her evolution from a crossover trainer to positive reinforcement, and the sometimes uncomfortable realization that comparing our current dogs to a once-in-a-lifetime partner can rob us of the joy right in front of us.
She also gets candid about the competitive side of agility and the pressure we sometimes put on our dogs (and ourselves). What happens when a missed obstacle, a wrong course, or a disappointing run brings out frustration instead of fun? And are we remembering that this is supposed to be a game we play with our best friends?
Whether you're running your first novice dog, chasing national-level goals, mourning a dog you've lost, or wondering if you'll ever have that connection again, this episode is a reminder that you're not alone.
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