@Jamie Charlett 🥳 Feel free to introduce yourself here Jamie. He will also come to the workshop in Sydney all the way from Adelaide. 🤩 I’m pretty much toast after the workshop and the following day, but if any of you want to message him with ideas what a dog lover can do in Sydney on Sunday, please do. Welcome to our cosy dog lover corner Jamie ☺️.

I'm starting to think @Birdy O'Sheedy has somehow gained access to my brain. 🤣 Multitasking? Attention switching? A brain with approximately 47 tabs open, 12 playing music and absolutely no idea where the music is coming from? YEP. THAT'S ME. 🤣 But here's the funny thing... When it comes to dogs, I can do this SO easily! I can sit with Kaida, watch her, interact with her and just enjoy being in the moment. Ask me to apply that same level of attention to anything else in life, and suddenly my brain has wandered off on an unscheduled adventure. 🤣 Apparently, the dog isn't the one who needs the most training around here. Day 6 conclusion: Kaida is progressing beautifully. Her human remains a work in progress. 🤣🧡

I've been so under the pump one way or another these last few days that I've been thinking about Day 13 for at least four days but only just getting to posting about it. In some ways I found this one a bit challenging because I already get a kick out of 'the ordinary things', taking a lot of delight in the happens-every-day, regular stuff - the way Koko sleeps, the way the light catches on her long, elegant nose, her amazing hare feet, her powerful muscles, the feel of her coat, the friendliness of her disposition, etc. In the end, when thinking about what I might now find ordinary that I once thought was extraordinary, I thought about how accustomed I've become to seeing my dogs moving at speed - considerable speed - compared to when I first saw them unleash their sighthound glory. I still remember the wonder and excitement I felt the first time I saw Slipstream, at six and a half months of age, really put his foot on the accelerator for the first time. It was awe-inspiring! So light on the ground and so exceptionally athletic and fast. It was my initiation into his (and my) need for speed, something we both revelled in for the remainder of his life. And now, even though Koko is 14.5yo, she still loves galloping, and even though she is far from her former self (and she was not a fast greyhound to begin with (fast for a dog, yes, but not for a greyhound)), I still marvel at her. I have a video from six years ago, posted below, of Koko having a gallop in a big paddock at the place I used to live. I took her out for a run to show her to some friends, and you can hear their wonder and amazement in the background. I love watching it (even though listening to yourself on video is so painful, LOL!) because of the awe I hear in their voices.

Earlier this week I was led to PAWS in the sun with my Chloe dog. I didn’t quite roll around in the scratchy grass with her, although that would have definitely made me more dog 😂 It was nice not to rush this time outside, and appreciate my girl while feeling the warm sun with her 🩷

I’m taking my time moving through the 28 Day Challenge, because I have a habit of rushing through so many things in life. One thing I’m really loving is that I’m starting to develop these little rituals around just being present with Kaida ♥️ One of them is that we share my lunch together. I used to manage lunchtime a lot more by having her in her crate because, let’s be honest, impulse control wasn’t exactly her strong point 😂 Add in level 100 parkour, ridiculous bouncing abilities and me always being in a rush, and the crate was just easier. But since really slowing down and being more present with her, we’ve started sharing my lunch together instead. No phone. No TV. No rushing onto the next thing. Just the two of us sharing my lunch, listening to some tunes and hanging out together. And it keeps getting better and better. It’s such a simple little thing, but honestly I’m loving every minute of it ♥️ I think that’s becoming one of my favourite parts of this challenge — not rushing to complete 28 days, but noticing the little things that are changing along the way. Photo is relevant- just cause lol