Lives Touched By Pets - Lisa Desatnik Joe Strecker Productions

Separation anxiety is a very real phobia for many companion dogs. Being alone is
downright terrifying for them. And that makes living with these dogs so very stressful for
pet parents.

This is the first of a 2-part series discussing Separation Anxiety and its treatment.
My guest is my own coach, teacher, and mentor when it comes to helping others find hope
with separation anxiety.

Dr. Moira Hechenleitner graduated from Mayor University College of Veterinary Medicine
in 2007, in Santiago, Chile. She is a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT), with a
postgraduate in Animal-Assisted Therapy.

Dr. Hechenleitner is a founding board member of the Chilean Association of Professional
Dog Trainers (APDT Chile) and has spent the last 15 years offering consultation services
for pet guardians and teaching courses to dog professionals. She is a speaker on the
topic of Separation Anxiety, giving seminars internationally in English and Spanish.

She currently resides in Noank, Connecticut and helps dogs and their families from all over
the world overcome separation anxiety. Learn more about her educational programs and
support for professionals and pet parents at www.separationanxietydog.com.

Among what you will learn from listening:

What is separation anxiety?
How does separation anxiety differ from confinement distress?
Are there causes of separation anxiety?
When you bring home a puppy or rescue dog, how can you acclimate to alone time?
Is there hope?

Come back to the second of this 2-part series with Dr. Hechenleitner as we talk about the
treatment of separation anxiety.

Thanks for listening!

As a reminder, learn more about Dr. Hechenleitner and her support for dog owners and
dog professionals at www.separationanxietydog.com.

Learn more about me and my dog training at www.SoMuchPETential.com.

EPISODE 3 SHOW NOTES

Episode 3:  Helping Parents Support Their Children Through Pet Loss  

This is my Part Two episode with Tammy Wynn, founder and CEO of Cincinnati based pet hospice, Angel’s Paws. In Part Two, we talked about supporting your pet, yourself and others through pet loss, on the journey to and past the Rainbow Bridge. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to listen to that episode (Episode 2).  

In this episode, our focus is on pet loss through the perspective of parents who share a life with human and non-human kids. Tammy and Joel Altman co-authored a beautiful book Gaining Wings, that helps families with kids deal with the grief of losing a pet over the Rainbow Bridge.

In the book, pages are compassionately mixed with explaining love and loss through a story for kids, and well thought out tips for parents. In a very gentle way, this book normalizes loss and grief, and reminds families to cherish the experiences and love shared. There are suggestions for creating a bucket list of activities to maximize families’ remaining time with their pet, and preplanning ways to celebrate their pet so as not to forget. 

Some of the points that will be covered in this discussion include:

Why you should put on your own oxygen mask as a first step
An explanation of a child’s perspective on pet loss
How to talk to your child about pet loss
How you can involve your child in the process of saying good-bye

For more information about Angel’s Paws, please visit www.AngelsPaws.com
To purchase the book, Gaining Wings, please visit www.GainingWings.com
For information on your host, Lisa Desatnik, please visit www.SoMuchPETential.com.

Episode 2: When Your Pet Crosses The Rainbow Bridge

In this first of a two-part episode, Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, talks with Tammy Wynn, founder and CEO of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Angel’s Paws. You will gain a deeper understanding of supporting your pet, yourself, and others as your journey toward and past the Rainbow Bridge.

Angel’s Paws is the first complete end of life service offering in home pet hospice, including in home euthanasia, private cremation, free pet loss support groups and one to one grief counseling. The organization has compassionately helped over 30,000 pet parents through this process.

Tammy is a licensed therapist with over 30 years of experience. During the six years of preparation to open Angel’s Paws, she took a job as a hospice social worker to fully understand hospice and its operation in order to bring it to the animal world AND THEN studied to become a registered vet tech (RVT), the nursing equivalent in veterinary medicine, to truly bring the full spectrum of pet hospice to a reality.

Among the topics that will be covered:

The stages of grief
The Rainbow Scale and how it can help you to know when it is time to let go
The importance of self-care
Supporting a friend who is going through this process with their pet
Why celebration is helpful to your grieving process

In the second episode of this series, Lisa will talk with Tammy about how children grieve pet loss, and how to help them.

Learn more about Angel’s Paws here: https://www.angelspaws.com/

I have always had a heart for nonhuman animals. It was about 24 years ago when I began studying behavior because of a problem that I had with my own pet. I was really fortunate at the time to have found Dr. Susan Friedmann, who then had a listserv for parent owners around the world, teaching people how to solve issues using ABA or Applied behavior Analysis with their own pets. I'll tell you what, it opened my heart. It opened a floodgate of curiosity, and I have not stopped learning ever since then. I first began writing about behavior, and I kept studying and studying and gradually, with more knowledge, I started earning certifications. I then went full-time into training, and now I do a lot of both consultations and training for manners and helping puppies to succeed, and also working with families that have some pretty difficult and challenging behavior issues with their pets. It's really rewarding.