I wrote:

Ok Leah, when you first arrived here, you whined endlessly

I realize my posts about Leah and her dream have been pretty hostile. I don't
like being hostile, but really hate it when people want to perform surgery
without medical school, pull teeth before the first semester of dentistry
school, or offer board and train when they don't do anything with their own
dogs. It just doesn't sit well. I also don't understand being able to flip
from poor and disabled to solvent and athletic, but I sure could use to find
out how to do that!

Just curious Leah - do you read dog books? Not the new and popular dog
training (or is it feeding?) books, but dog books that have been around
forever. Breed books. Training books. Training books about topics you aren't
interested in. Theory books. Books about dealing with PEOPLE.

Do you go to dog shows? Hang out with people who are involved in different
things with dogs?

The world of dogs is very communal. Lot's of word of mouth, lot's of
networking. Unless you move into some of that arena, you're missing out on a
lot of learning. Maybe Madigan's class will be a turning point for you. I'm
sure we'll hear how brilliant she is every week, but please, tell us what YOU
learn!

I'm lucky enough to not be trying to support myself right now. I am trying to
figure out how to take 6 weeks off without my clients being affected too much.
My classes fill months in advance for the most part and I feel like all I do is
add classes to fill the needs. Private training demand is high. If I don't
take the 6 weeks off and have necessary surgery, I'll wind up incapacitated and
unable to run classes at all, so I HAVE to figure out when to do this.

Think about those possibilities before making a financial commitment to a
business you may not be up to the task of.



Janet Boss
Best Friends Dog Obedience
"Nice Manners for the Family Pet"
Voted "Best of Baltimore 2001" - Baltimore Magazine
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com