A Special Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving morning, and I sit with a steaming cup of coffee looking out the window at the blustery weather. I am filled with the warm mix of nostalgia and magic that comes with the start of every holiday season. More so this year, I think. This year I am overwhelmed by gratitude. I recognize that this sentiment probably strikes the reader as dubious, because so many things seem to be crumbling and sinking into disaster all around us. The trials and losses that we have faced this year are real. 

But… in this moment of stillness I am grateful.

I want to thank every single person who is reading this. Thank you for everything you have done this year to support the people around you, to take care of yourself, and to weather (and occasionally thrive) in the midst of this terribly long storm of trials and challenges. 

Thank you to my community of friends and neighbors. Thank you to those of you who have lined up outside, patiently waiting and diligently distancing yourself from others so that you can bring your puppy to puppy socials, because you care deeply about the well-being of the puppy in your arms. Thank you to clients who have adjusted their expectations for classes again and again. 

Virtual? “Absolutely.” 

Outdoors? “Wonderful!” 

Indoors with social distancing and a zillion tech gadgets for online streaming? “We’ll be there!”

All of you are a dream. Your dogs are lucky to have humans who are so incredibly dedicated to their upbringing, and I feel so very lucky to know each and every one of you. 

Thank you to my team. We gathered together everything that was salvageable during the storm. We worked and worked and worked some more. We got creative and innovative and we reached far past our usual limits. Somehow, through the tireless effort of this team, we have created services and education programs that are far superior to anything I had previously imagined. We faced these challenges together, and we got better at the things we do.

Thank you to my colleagues and competitors who banded together to find ways to help our clients effectively during a pandemic while we saw an unprecedented surge in pet adoptions. I forged new friendships with competitors during this crisis that will serve us and our community well for decades to come. An alliance is always stronger than a fierce competition, and dog trainers as a community are especially well-positioned to be able to come together in times of strife. We have really proven that this year. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Thank you to all of you!