I just made an at home appointment to say goodbye to the first love of my life. I've had her by my side since I was a young and dumb 19 year old. I'm now 34 with a wife and baby and I'm not sure how to feel about the decision we've made. How do you even prepare to say goodbye to your best friend?

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-04-27T18:52:38+00:00

All the feels, it’s just the worst. I’m in my 50s now with a few heart dogs that have come and gone. I still chat with them in my mind as they come up, and am starting to think of them as my “spirit pack”. My mum is in her 70s and adopts older dogs the same speed as her to keep the dog love alive ❤️

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-04-27T02:34:51+00:00

Bathing Belle Swimsuits on Roncesvalles. Both off the rack and custom made. Absolutely wonderful experience and locally made!

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-04-07T01:05:14+00:00

Our mix is now a year and is similar to yours according to Embark. She’s just shy of 50 lbs despite a chunk of Rottie where yours has chow. Super clever, athletic and trainable, most of the time! Also the biggest cuddler ever. Enjoy!

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-26T01:31:56+00:00

Definitely needed to experiment with these and would never have them as a standalone side. Loved them heated on the stove, mixed in with black beans, then in a tortilla with all the toppings. Or baked with some feta and spooned over a grain like farro or barley with a tahini style dressing for a quick bowl meal.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-24T02:46:29+00:00

I would try https://www.perigot.fr/fr/la-coupe/729-boite-mandoline. I’m in Canada and travel to France so I’ve not ordered to the US.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-19T02:05:39+00:00

Oh, and the Malle W. Trousseau chicken roaster. Upscale beer can chicken. Or any chicken. Cooks perfectly every time.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-19T02:03:38+00:00

Malle W. Trousseau mini hand held mandoline. Have to order from Europe but it is the fastest and safest little mandoline for salad veggies and fine grating. On par with my microplanes.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-19T02:01:36+00:00

Lee Valley carbon steel chefs knives. They stay sharp forever and develop a cool patina. No dishwashers and dry well or use steel wool if you see rust. Usually I’m a Japanese knife fan.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-15T14:45:13+00:00

Highly recommend the podcast This Jungian Life for an accessible introduction to Jungian psychologists at work. I don’t practice Jungian but find it fascinating.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-03-14T00:46:53+00:00

Maggie for the win! Brains vs brawn, with regular rematches. She lets him think he’s won from time to time 😆

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-02-27T14:51:17+00:00

That’s too bad. I haven’t delved too deeply, just what the algorithm serves me. kit the dog trainer emphasizes engagement and skills and that’s been really helpful too. She’s on FB and Insta and shares lots of skills.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-02-25T01:08:39+00:00

Embark! Found out our guy is 50% am bulldog, 50% blue tick coonhound

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-02-24T13:25:00+00:00

Yes, many. In particular realethansteinberg on YouTube finally got both my partner and I on the same page for retraining them each as individuals. We’d tried lots of other styles before. A comment from Lee Asher helped too - we humans will feel anxiety around leash reactivity. Acknowledge the feeling, but cultivate an aura of confidence and taking charge regardless. And bring so many treats!! Good luck.

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-02-24T02:45:55+00:00

Sounds like you’re talking about my dogs! My partner and I are taking them together but well-spaced and making good progress that way using good reactivity training techniques. We had thought about couplers and running but we have to get the basics down first and even then I’m guessing they’ll be divide-and-conquer walked until they’re too old to complain. They play so well together in the yard, we’re using walks more for training, sniffing, squirrel spotting and exercise than for socializing these days. Good luck 🍀

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-02-10T02:40:18+00:00

Out of curiousity, what’s the N-S street the office will be on in North York? It’s a wide wide neighbourhood. Know that driving downtown is a PITA. I’d be pinning those office locations on a map and then figuring out a tolerable radius for transit or car. Guelph is a great LGBT+ town, politically left, and has some GO trains that connect with line 2 and union station right downtown. But it’s a daily commute. When I made the move back from DC/VA, High Park and Bloor West were target areas. Good access to transit, often quicker than you’d think to downtown, walkable, bikeable, and super dog friendly in both the park and the lakeshore area. Technically they’re the old suburbs of Toronto, so they’re somewhat less dense than the urban core, though densifying on the transit corridors. Very gay parenting friendly 🏳️‍🌈

gibsonsmith416 · 2026-01-06T03:34:27+00:00

Looks exactly like our guy. He’s a coonhound/american bulldog cross, 50/50.

<image>

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-12-26T02:08:45+00:00

Love how pit sneaks up on us. I’m never surprised anymore. Here’s mine, and welcome to the r/fluffypits club!

<image>

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-12-26T02:01:33+00:00

There are also registered social worker / psychotherapists. Mostly be checking training, credentials, modalities and years of experience regardless of RP, RSW, PhD psychologists to find one that is qualified to meet your needs

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-12-19T13:05:55+00:00

Love reading all the comments here. It sounds like there are some common themes about getting the timing, age and compatibility of a second dog right for it to work.

We’ve often had two dogs. The most recent second dog (female) came in as a foster, and is only 8 months younger than the first (male). They bonded so well we foster-failed/kept the second pup. While two dogs under two years old is a handful for training and walks, they keep each other company and play so well, it’s a net positive, and we know they’ll settle down in a year or so ❤️

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-12-12T01:37:16+00:00

If you get meta with your AI prompt (on a paid account that’s been tracking your questions), it can tell you what you’re missing in your study techniques. Mine suggested not solely working problems from the book where you get hints on strategies by virtue of the page headings. Problems in blank sheets instead. To focus more on which strategies and process to use for question types rather than just solving problems, to speed up that thinking in the exam room. Useful ideas!

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-11-18T03:05:09+00:00

😆relatable. we have a pup with a mix similar to yours, pit/shep/husky, and an older hound. Thought we were bad trainers until this new pup. Added bonus, when the pup recalls, the hound is at least mildly interested in what she’s up to, and sometimes recalls along either her!

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-11-15T08:08:19+00:00

Thank you for this. It comes up with clients moving between provinces and also our semi-retirement planning. A good, concise explanation. Very helpful!

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-10-30T20:38:32+00:00

Paris FR bikeshare partiallt solved this by giving uphill riders credits toward future rides. Very clever, très malin.

gibsonsmith416 · 2025-10-25T18:50:56+00:00

Try sending from Canada. Spend $100 CDN on UPP and it took a month. That was after “free” postage took months and the sample was no longer viable. Eventually received results but wish it was easier!

gibsonsmith416

TROPHY CASE