Arnold - Love Is All You Need: the Art and Science of Non-Training Your Dog

A nimals have always been a part of my lifewe have had many different kinds and sizes of cats, hamsters, horses, rats, fishbut my heart has always been with dogs. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I joined the 4-H club and was on my way to my destiny. Could there be any better job in the world, my twelve-year-old self thought, than playing with animals all day? Seeing Rex Harrison talking to the animals in the movie Doctor Dolittle furthered my fantasy. I thought, I have that power. I speak their language.I can ask them whats wrong, theyll tell me. I will be a great vet!

However, as middle school became high school and science class turned into advanced biology, I saw my beautiful career as a vet come screeching to a halt. There was more practical science required than I ever realized, and I found happiness in a different career, which has luckily provided me time with lots of incredible animals over the yearshorses, reptiles, monkeys, cats, and dogs. And dogs still are the winner with me. Especially my lab Louie, who was a wedding gift from my husband.

Several years ago, my husband was working on a documentary about Canine Assistants, a nonprofit based outside of Atlanta, not far from where I grew up, that raises and provides service dogsfree of chargefor people with disabilities. He met Jennifer Arnold, the founder of the organization, and got to spend time with some of the dogs, from tiny little pups to two-year-old service-dogs-in-training ready to graduate into their working lives. He knew I would be completely enchanted by the rolling green hills and red barns of this picture-perfect Georgia farm and the photogenic goldens and labs and doodle mixes romping for the camera. Of course, the centerpiece for this incredible place is the incredible Jennifer and her way with these special dogs.

Not long ago, we went back to Georgia, and one day we took a drive there as a family to visit and spent hours with the dogs. A sunny day with three kids and a seemingly endless parade of puppieswhat could be better!

Jennifer is a real Doctor Dolittle. She has an uncanny ability to see the world through a dogs eyesto experience sights, smells, sounds, and signals just as a dog does, and she allows those insights to direct her work. She, unlike me, is at home with the science, and it reinforces her brilliant intuition and understanding of what goes on in the hearts and minds of dogs. Her approach is remarkable, and her story of how dogs have truly been the compass of her life is a lovely one for all animal lovers. But maybe to all of us dog lovers, it means even more.