Wholistic Hounds

Tomorrow, we celebrate 4 years with Jade!! 🎉🐕🐾

Jade is the original Wholistic Hound! On July 4, 2022, we officially adopted Jade (previously known as Cuddles) in order to prevent her from being unfairly euthanized.

Although July 4th is celebrated as ‘Independence Day,’ when we first adopted her, it felt like we lost a lot of independence. Because Jade struggled with extreme separation anxiety, my entire life and job schedule changed to accommodate our new rescue pup. Jade couldn't even be alone for an hour without hurting herself or soiling herself, which is never something we were prepared for.

At the time, I was working full-time as an independent contractor for a private pet sitting company and part-time for Wholistic Hounds. With over 50 regular clients for pet sitting, I was extremely busy, often working 6 days a week and double time during holidays. But once we rescued Jade, that all changed. Since she couldn't be alone and I had no one to watch her during my working hours, I had to give up a lot of my pet sitting clients. I went down to part-time for pet sitting and began working full-time for Wholistic Hounds, often having to shift my schedule so my partner or my mom could watch Jade.

Even when I was away from Jade for a short period of time, she didn't cope well. Even to this day, she struggles to be away from me and is known to cry and whine while I'm away and my partner (who she adores) is watching her.

Along with separation anxiety, Jade is also ‘dog aggressive’ and cannot be around other dogs. Because she nearly killed a little dog before we rescued her, we needed to ensure her and other dogs’ safety whenever out in public.

As if that weren't enough, Jade also has an extremely high prey-drive (Hello Lab’Aire genes!) which initially made her care that much more difficult.

Fast forward 4 years later and Jade is thriving!! Even though my partner and I have had to adjust our entire lives to accommodate her traumas and sensitivities, we wouldn't trade it for the world! We haven't been on a date to a restaurant in years and we haven't been able to go into the store for more than a few minutes together anymore, but Jade helped us gain independence in ways we never knew were possible.

She helped us move out of a big crowded city and to a small mountain town in the beautiful state of Oregon. She helped us live our lives more according to how we're meant to. She allowed me to not work so much and focus on what truly mattered - Jade, Wholistic Hounds, my family and my mental health.

She helped us learn that we aren't city folk anymore, we prefer large spaces of forest, seclusion and privacy. She helped us realize our own anxieties, traumas and sensitivities. Jade ultimately taught us true forgiveness and the real meaning of unconditional love.

Jade was about 10 years old when we adopted her, so we not only celebrate 4 years with her, we also celebrate 14 years of her life on earth.

Jade is the miracle dog, the energy dog, my unofficial service dog, the original ‘Wholistic Hound’ and my best friend in the whole world. Happy Independence Day, Jade! Thank you for showing us the true meaning of freedom and independence. Here's to many more sacred moments with gentle Jade! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙🐶🐾🐕

I experienced a miracle!

On Tuesday, right after finishing up an End of Life Animal Communication session for a new client, I walked outside and saw a baby bird on the ground right outside my door.

I immediately knew the bird needed help. As I approached it, it didn’t fly off. Instead, it seemed incredibly weak and was gaping. As its beak opened and closed, I questioned if the bird was ill, injured or in need of rescue.

I began communicating and offering Reiki. Likely feeling what the animal was feeling, I began shaking. I got scared for the baby bird and immediately grabbed my phone to contact Think Wild, the wildlife rehabilitation organization that I am a part of. I thought the bird was in severe distress and needed to be transported for care.

I visually examined the bird for any signs of injuries, but saw none. The bird's legs and wings both looked fine. The bird continued breathing heavily and I was concerned he or she might not make it. Because I knew that if the bird did need care, timing was crucial, I decided I’d try to capture it for transport to Think Wild. As I did this, I communicated with the bird. I grabbed the gear I needed and approached the bird, right then it flew off to a nearby tree.

To hear the rest of the story and the miracle that unfolded, watch my newest YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/tV-IeHPvo1c?si=q31Y74N3dozTa52D

It's no coincidence that DOG spelled backwards is GOD.

God is a Dog.

god is a dog
not metaphorically
not in some poetic
kind of way
I mean literally
panting
drooling
wiggling
grace with paws

god doesn’t sit up
in some cosmic control tower
judging your calories
and catastrophes

nope

god is under the table
hoping you’ll drop
a potato chip

and when you do
she doesn’t say
“too bad that’s trans fat”

she says

“holy wow thank you
that was delicious
I love you
I love you
I LOVE YOU”

you stumble
in the door
after screwing up everything

again

and god bolts toward you
like you’re the best thing
that ever happened to Tuesday

she doesn’t care
that you yelled in traffic
or forgot to return the call

or ate the entire pint
of Ben & Jerry’s
with a spoon
that still had peanut butter on it

she just wants
to sit in your lap
and sniff your face

and listen
I don’t know about your theology

but mine’s built on
salty snacks
dark chocolate
and the unshakable truth
that mercy wears a collar
and chews socks

when you’re crying
in bed at 3 a.m.
when you feel like
a burnt piece of toast
that no one wanted anyway
god jumps up beside you
licks your tears
and falls asleep with her nose
in your armpit
not because you smell good
'cuz chances are you don’t

but because
that’s where you are
and god always
wants to be where you are

she’s not interested
in your five-year plan

she’s not keeping score
she doesn’t care if you meditate
or hydrate or
know the number
for your senator
she just wants to be with you

god is a dog

and love
real love
has fur on the furniture
and forgiveness in the eyes

that’s all the theology I need

************

Poem © Angi Sullins my book "The Fragile and the Fierce” SHIPPING FREE HERE: https://angisullins.com/shop-3-2/

Times are dicey out there, friends, and free speech has gotten quite expensive. Please stay in touch with me by joining my mailing list here https://angisullins.com/get-your-muse-letter-2/.

On my journey of healing, I've recognized the need to accept human beings in their wholeness - the cruelty, the messiness, and yes, even the endless contradictions of our species.

The truth is, our animal friends help us heal so much because they're present and aware. They model for us what human beings CAN be, what we naturally are. Peaceful. Loving. Harmonious.

Remember humans are animals too, and it's time we go easier on ourselves and accept both the positive and negative qualites of who we are.

This really hits home when you think about the pure, uncomplicated love we get from animals. It makes you wonder- do we end up loving animals more than some people because human relationships are just so loaded with conditions, expectations, and the potential for causing deep pain?

For so many of us, animals are a constant source of joy, love, and healing precisely because they don't carry that baggage. Pets are entirely incapable of letting you down with the kind of calculated cruelty that humans are capable of. When the world feels heavy and people are exhausting, pets play a massive role in our healing by just being there, offering a quiet, non-judgmental presence and pure love.

Have animals been a source of love and joy for you? What role have your own pets played in helping you heal?

Fresh-food diets always outperform ultra processed diets :)

🥦 More fresh vegetables. Less cancer.

In a peer-reviewed study published in JAVMA, researchers at Purdue University found that dogs🐶 eating vegetables several times per week had dramatically lower rates of bladder cancer. The more vegetables🥦🥕 dogs ate, the lower their risk appeared to be, even though the vast majority of dogs in the study were eating predominantly dry kibble. The study remains one of the most influential and widely discussed pieces of research examining diet and cancer risk in dogs.

One of the most surprising findings was that vitamin supplements did not show the same protective association as whole vegetables.

Why does that matter?

Because nutrition is more than nutrients.💊

Whole foods contain thousands of naturally occurring compounds that work together in ways we still don’t fully understand. Fiber nourishes beneficial gut bacteria. Polyphenols help regulate inflammation. Carotenoids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, and other phytochemicals support detoxification, cellular repair, immune function, and healthy aging.

Many of these compounds are absent from synthetic vitamin premixes because they aren’t classified as essential nutrients, even though they may play important roles in long-term health.

Meeting minimum nutrient requirements may prevent deficiency. But thriving may require much more than simply adding isolated synthetic nutrients to an ultra-processed diet.

Real food delivers far more than what’s listed on a nutrition label.