Over the last 4.5 years, I would estimate that I have worked with over 3000 dogs. That is also roughly how long I have been clean and sober from alcohol and abusing Valium. This time has been the most fruitful of my 49 years on the planet. When I say fruitful, I don’t mean what I have accomplished, but how much I have been blessed by being put in a position to help and love people.
For those of you who are not familiar with my story, 5 years ago I knew no more about working with dogs than I did about being a brain surgeon. Here is a message I sent to the Dogfather Bob Fink on 16SEP16.
“Hey Brother, get my boy (Odin) in three weeks and cannot wait to start training with him. Should I start him with a choker or regular collar? I would love to meet with you one day for lunch and pick your brain.”
Nobody lies about their inexperience. I was shocked early on, shocked as I am now as people are that I take a dog I have never met, that has pulled on the lead for years, and within minutes I have them walking on a loose leash without saying a word. More importantly, I can then hand them back over to their owner and they can do the same thing. There is no other explanation than the fact that the Lord gave me the spiritual gift of working with dogs to heal and love people.
For a long time I have been back and forth about writing this article. I mean what if people read this and they don’t believe in God and they don’t hire me to work with their dogs? How will I support my family? The problem is that I cannot take it anymore and I am convicted to tell you some of the many confirmations I have seen in such a short time.
First of all, I am a broken man, a sinner. A once decorated police officer, I was forced into retirement early due to PTSD. I used isolation, booze, and pills to survive. I left my wife Lisa a single parent to Elizabeth, Frank, and Emilie. Frank with serious medical issues, and Emilie with severe intellectual disabilities. Without boring you with the details, I will connect the dots until now.
Elizabeth left York College after studying nursing for two years and enlisted in the Navy. She knew her leaving would be hard on me and bought me Odin. I knew that Dogfather Bob trained service dogs through my involvement with the Red Lion American Legion Riders. The first weekend I had Odin I went to Shades Fest in Red Lion and ran into Aaron Smith, the Associate Pastor of Freedom Biker Church York. He invited me to come check it out. Within weeks, Pastor Jm Quoss asked me to head up the security team. Before long, I was attending Celebrate Recovery for PTSD. I stopped drinking and taking pills on June 18 2017. On August 27 2017, my entire family was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. On September 04 2017, we started Cover Six Canines. Now I train dogs full time, my son Frank is my apprentice, and my wife Lisa is the office manager. Now I am a leader in Celebrate Recovery after completing my first step study, and currently running my first one. I am the York POC for Broken Chains, an organization for bikers in Celebrate Recovery. My relationship with Lisa and the kids is fully restored. I now have the type of Brothers I longed for in the police department. Most importantly, I have freedom in Christ. None of this is my doing. You have to admit that is a lot in less than 4.5 years.
It is all very clear to me why this all happened. From the time I was a little kid, I knew that I was going to be a cop and put everything into that. In 2007, when the rug was pulled out from under me, I was shattered. I had worshipped being a cop, not the Lord, not my family. Unfortunately, I continued to mourn the passing of my career for another 10 years until I got Odin.
The Lord used a dog when no human could reach me. He showed me the unconditional love that only comes from two places, dogs and Jesus Christ.
Every morning when I get up, I submit to the Lord and tell him that my wish is to serve him and not myself. I ask that he put me in the path of people who need to feel love, not be told about Jesus, but to feel him.
Of course, well up until now, not everyone who schedules an appointment knows about my mission. They call me because they are having an issue with their dog. This is causing them anxiety and stress on top of everything else the world has to throw at them. They are in a word…overwhelmed. I take this opportunity to share a message.
Upon my arrival, I ask them to take me to wherever it is that they relax when they get a chance. I encourage the entire family to sit down, relax. I tell them no talk, no touch, no eye contact with the dog. After a few minutes, the most hyper dogs relax. When they see their dog relax by not talking to them, they learn the power of just being still and quiet. I put a lead on the dog and walk out the door without saying a word. The dog follows. Over the next 15-20 minutes, we walk without saying a word and the dog relaxes. Then I turn it over to the owner. They relax even more. Once back home, we walk them on the short leash without any pulling. This is when lots of owners begin to weep. Not cry, weep. They are weeping because for the first time they see who their dog really is on the inside and realized they just needed love & leadership. Love is an action, not a feeling.
For as long as I can remember, I have been very intuitive. During appointments, people become very comfortable with me and tell me things that blow my mind. It still amazes me how many people we end up praying with.
Here are just a few recent examples-
We were called to train a dog. The lady knew I was in recovery and asked if I could talk to her boyfriend who had a drug problem. One of his major issues was his adult daughter who lived with him because he felt he was not there for her when she was younger. She was also there and had almost two years clean from Cocaine. Mom admitted that after losing her husband that past summer that she would just lock herself in her room and cry. Frank and I joined hands with the entire family and prayed. Afterwards the daughter came over and hugged Dad. A dog brought me there.
There was a lady who cancelled an appointment for the next day and I asked if she had time that day. She hesitated but said yes. I would learn that she was cancelling for the next day because they had moved up her date for a double mastectomy. We worked with the dog and then prayed. A dog brought me there.
We went to an appointment and found that the lady was very preoccupied and distraught. She was waiting for a call from her daughter about her young grandson who had cancer. They were amputating one of his legs, but he was still not expected to make it. We prayed and he is alive and active today getting used to his prosthetic. A dog brought me there.
We have dozens of stories just like this. We have been so blessed by the people we have met.
No matter how “bad” their dog is, EVERYONE says how sweet their dog is and how much they love them no matter what they have done. Does that sound familiar? Sounds like someone else I know that loves you no matter what you have done or what you do.
Because I believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, I don’t push mine on anyone. But, what you can’t stop me from doing is caring about you and your dog. I have never met anyone who did not liked being cared about.
At the very least, I do my best to destroy the maladaptive behaviors that your dog has that stress you out. The key is to remind people that it took their dog time to develop these issues and only consistent love and leadership will change them. Their dog is actually in recovery, and recovery cannot be done alone. For this to be effective, the owner must intentionally take time to to work on those behaviors with their dog. While doing so, they need to learn to breathe, relax, and not to speak a word unless it is a command or praise. With work, this time becomes a coping mechanism and teaches them to deal with the world in the same way.
Maybe there is a reason that Dog spelled backwards is God. Though they may try and it is the goal, I have never met a person who is capable of unconditional love, but I have never met a dog that isn’t, even if it is with one person, and that’s all that’s needed.