🌼 Taking Cues from Animals for Self Care
Welcome to this Start Fresh mini from the Om WOW Podcast! Let’s reset our mindset and start the week with clarity and intention.
Listen to the short episode:
Episode #22: Show Notes
Today I am sharing a nugget from one of my favorite episodes. I'm speaking with Therapy dog trainer, Dr. Genie Joseph from episode 11.
Her organization, the Human Animal Connection, brings therapy dogs to people in high stress service roles.
Oscar's Story: A Wounded Healer
I asked Genie to talk about the amazing dog, Oscar, who became a life-saving therapy partner for soldiers with PTSD.
Genie explained that she was doing a program working in an army hospital and working with soldiers with PTSD who were hospitalized. It was a wonderful program where they used improv comedy, laughter therapy, and expressive arts. It was called ACT Resilient and was very effective.
But when she brought in the therapy dog, she realized the dog could do In 10 minutes would take 10 weeks for the program to achieve otherwise!
Genie was working with a dog who had literally been a prisoner of war. He had escaped a very bad situation. This was when Genie was living in Hawaii, where dogs were forced to become pig hunters. The people starved the dogs to make the most more aggressive.
Oscar was a pitbull mix with scars all over his body and missing teeth, which the soldiers really identified with. He was a docile dog and would go around, say “hello” to everyone sitting in a circle. He knew who was afraid and he would leave them alone. When Oscar found someone who was suicidal, he would do what's called an “alert.” He’d sit in front of them and just gaze at them until they melted. It was absolutely beautiful. He was a hundred percent accurate. Because of HIPPA and privacy rules, Genie didn't know people's stories— but Oscar could sense them innately.
Oscar always knew who was the one who needed help right then and there. He had the ability to get soldiers who wouldn't talk and weren't engaged to get down on their bellies and connect with him. Being a witness to this made Genie realize that working with animals for healing was her life’s purpose. She then started her journey of the human animal connection, with Oscar as the first therapy dog.
How Dogs Sense Our Emotions
I was curious how the dog was able to detect that someone was so depressed and distraught, and Genie laughed that that’s the age old question. In her opinion, dogs use all of their senses to process what they see, hear and feel. But she believes that they also feel energy, moods, and emotions, are entrained to our energy, and are fantastic “people readers.”
Genie talked about how pets who live with us, in particular, become trained to attend to human emotions, and may be thinking things like:
Oh, my person's upset right now.
Oh, my person's never gonna go for a walk if she doesn't get up from her computer.
The 20% Who Have the Gift
I asked if all dogs have this ability, and how we would even recognize it. Based on Genie’s experience, she estimates that about 20% of dogs have this ability at the level of therapy dog work. Not every dog is going to be this kind of people reader or able to read strangers’ emotions.
Genie volunteered thousands of hours in a shelter, and she’d notice some dogs had the disposition and raw skills to become great therapy dogs. She’d try to find homes for the dogs and train them to become therapy animals.
She explained that dogs have the ability to sense energy. They sense and feel if we're calm or not, if we distrust, etc. And this becomes a very good barometer for us. 'cause sometimes we don't always recognize what we're feeling.
We're often so busy trying to get something done or get through whatever we have to get through and we're not tuned in and paying attention to our moods and emotions. Animals who have these sensing abilities can sometimes just look at you and try to convey what you need.
Genie talked about how her dogs act if she’s a little late, rushing around getting ready. She said they'll look at her like, “Slow down. What's one minute difference gonna make?” Animals prefer the energy when we are peaceful. They don't like it when we are stressed, rushed, or emotionally unbalanced. It doesn't feel good to them. They might sit next to us and just look at us, trying to give us a subtle cue to calm down.
If you pay attention, you can learn to recognize what your dogs are reflecting back to you, and then they become your partners in helping you observe and regulate your emotions.
Learning to Listen to Their Signals
I asked Genie what her three dogs would do if they were sitting next to her, staring at her, but she ignored them. She explained that they’d move on to another tool in their toolbox to try to get her attention. The dogs can accelerate or decelerate, and both are important cues.
If we get in the habit of ignoring those subtle cues, the dogs will either stop giving them, like “oh, she's not getting it. I'm not, I'm not gonna waste my time communicating.” Or they might accelerate, which could men moving closer to you, getting vocal, blocking your path, or staring at you to try to get eye contact. Dogs are used to being responded to, and will develop a variety or an escalation to get your attention.
But, if dogs see that their person is just oblivious, they'll stop communicating the same way we would if we keep calling someone and leaving messages, but they never call back. We give up at a certain point, right? This person does wanna talk to me, so I'm not gonna keep calling. Genie explained that it’s exactly the same with animals.
If we're interested in having a partnership and true connection with our animals, not just a “pet ship,” then we need to be attending to their signals and responding in a way that's appropriate.
Your Challenge This Week
Friends, my challenge for you this week is to pause and notice your own feelings when you're in a rush, rush, rush mode and just take two minutes to be still and take a few deep breaths.Then notice if you feel calmer,
If you're lucky enough to have a dog in your home, pay extra attention this week and see if your furry companion is giving you any cues to slow down, calm down, or take a break.
Have a fabulous week, my friends!
If this mini gave you a mindset boost, pass it on! Comment below & let me know— your energy makes a difference.
Meet Our Guest: Dr. Genie Joseph
Dr. Genie Joseph is a therapy dog trainer, author, and Executive Director of The Human-Animal Connection— a nonprofit dedicated to reducing stress and building empathy through the healing power of animals. Her organization brings therapy dogs to those in high-stress service roles and helps people connect more deeply with animals and themselves. Genie’s Canines Teach Compassion program teaches social and emotional skills to high schoolers through animal interaction. She has worked with over 4,000 Service Members and their families, earning her the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Obama.
Connect with Genie here:
Website | YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
The Human-Animal Connection Podcast
Genie’s books we mentioned:
Wholesome Canine Cuisine Homemade Healthy Dog Food and Treats by Genie Joseph PhD
The Human Animal Connection by Genie Joseph PhD
Meet Our Host: Jennifer Robin O’Keefe
Jennifer Robin serves as a relatable, down-to-earth, REAL Wellness & Success Coach. She’s not a fancy, perfect makeup, airbrushed kind of woman. She’s been told many times, in a variety of environments, that she’s easy to talk to, and makes others feel welcome and comfortable. Her mission in life is both simple and profound: to make others feel worthy.
Professionally, Jennifer holds several wellness certifications including Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) Tapping, Reiki, and more. She continuously expands her knowledge in the fields of Qi Gong, Xien Gong, Vibration/Energy Wellness and Natural Health. She also studied extensively with Jack Canfield, and serves as a Certified Canfield Trainer, authorized to teach "The Success Principles."
She’s an active reader and researcher who loves to learn, and one of her biggest joys is teaching and sharing what she’s discovered with others.
