About

About me, my dogs, and why we blog ...

This blog is a place for people to catch up with Zainey ("Z") and to learn about the adventures and challenges in loving a fearful and reactive dog. Through reading this blog, people who've never lived with a dog with these types of challenges will hopefully get a better understanding of what it all means, and those with similar pooches will see that it isn't the end of the world ...we too can have a happy and full life with our chosen dogs.

As of May, 2013, this blog is also about Z's 'little brother', Bolt!

Bolt is an adventurous and spunky little guy who's added a new layer of fun and learning to our life. He came to us from the East Bay SPCA where he was a staff favorite for the month he stayed there waiting for his forever home (found it!). Before that, he was at the Hayward Animal Shelter and before that - who knows. He was about 4 months old when he went into the system and about 6 months old when he got out, so we've taken on the job of catching him up on some crucial socialization and training.

Bolt

Zainey - the love of my life, was born on July 9, 2008. Her mama was a working border collie and her father (per the gold standard in DNA testing) was an American bulldog. She is smart as a whip, expressive, fast as lightning, cunning, owner-centric, and very energetic (border collie). She is tenacious, protective, and stronger than an ox (American bulldog). She is an ever-alert, often anxious and reactive dog that has come a long way with positive reinforcement, low level exposure/training, and some much needed medication. She was a rising star in agility before I had to make the very painful decision in 2012 to quit competing when her ability to cope with strangers overwhelmed the fun we had in the sport.

Me and Z

My name is Jennifer and I'm all about the dogs; training, managing issues, and having fun! I have dabbled in gardening, but lately my veggie beds look more like burial plots. I'm primarily a vegetarian with the occasional fish slipping by (pescatarian). As someone who knows too much about the suffering of factory farmed animals, I'd like to practice veganism, but I'm not quite disciplined enough, so I just do my best by cutting way back on dairy and only consuming eggs from known sources. The dogs and I currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area and as much as I love my home state, I think I'm about due for a change!

I makes faces

For more info about ME (I'm super exciting), see my "Other (non-dog)" page!