06/16/2025
Two weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to take a fearful and feral dog training workshop in the beautiful Santa Fe, NM area with and . It was a two day workshop that was held at Las Vegas Animal Care Services, a rural animal shelter in the area with lots of feral dogs, like much of the south. Four of us stayed after the workshop for a 4 day immersion program to take what we learned at the workshop and put it into practice by living with and rehabilitating a feral dog.
We learned so much and a different ways of approaching fearful/feral dogs that I’ve never seen in my decade-long animal welfare experience working with these dogs. It taught us what dogs REALLY find valuable with humans - and it’s not food. Safety, trust, etc.. things that food can’t buy from a dog.
I’ve never seen fearful or feral dogs bond in such a short amount of time. In just 4 days Lulu, the dog I was rehabilitating, went from alligator rolling and lunging on leash to confidently walking with me, seeking me out, hiding behind me for protection, etc.
It was truly a magical experience and I’m excited to share what I have learned with others! In the near future I will be offering training for fearful and feral dogs who come from the rural areas of the country and need help fitting into our busy “human world” in New England.
