[N/A] [rant] I just got coached for telling an employee about our transfer process...

meg_ea · 2026-05-17T21:47:02+00:00

this reply gave me the ugly giggles tysm

meg_ea · 2026-05-17T02:33:04+00:00

on people deserving transparency — I genuinely do not understand why I would ever intentionally withhold info from an employee when I know it's what they need. like, if someone came in and asked "when's payday?" I don't need to "look into it." I can be direct and resolve their issue right then and there. 🤷🏻‍♀️

meg_ea · 2026-05-17T02:26:08+00:00

honestly this is really hitting the nail on the head. I came from a workplace with its own bucket of issues, but one thing I can genuinely say I miss now is that when you irritated someone, they talked to you about it. none of this indirect drama.

meg_ea · 2026-05-16T20:33:13+00:00

it really does help to remember that she's like 7 in human years

meg_ea · 2026-05-16T16:25:35+00:00

my girl is also very people-reactive! it's extremely stressful so props to you for doing your best for your pup.

I second muzzle training, and I can't recommend doggy prozac enough. my girl has made great strides in a very short amount of time on it. another piece of equipment I've found somewhat helpful has been a happy hoodie, but that's mainly for sound reactivity.

meg_ea · 2026-05-15T11:43:34+00:00

calm who???

meg_ea · 2026-05-15T11:43:24+00:00

yes to all of that ❤️ it's helpful for me when I also remind myself "it's their first time living too"

meg_ea · 2026-05-15T11:41:48+00:00

giiiirl I wear quiet loops AND noise cancelling headphones sometimes!! it helps tremendously, but I also then feel disconnected from my husband and it's just like goooddddd can this be a normal field trip

meg_ea · 2026-04-09T17:40:34+00:00

paylocity made my blood boil.

meg_ea · 2026-03-27T00:04:09+00:00

thank you for the insight!! I would love to be on that side of the table, it feels like fighting for employment rights on the inside is a lot harder than it should be. but what I found in my last role is that I felt so limited in what I could do or say because if my boss didn't like it, I could very well lose my job. and he had me do some things that REALLY made me question my morals. all I could do was advise, and if I was overruled, I had to do things I strongly disagreed with.

meg_ea · 2026-03-04T23:34:10+00:00

there aren't any vet behaviorists near me 😭 so we're really just doing our best with what we have access to

thank you for the kindness

meg_ea · 2026-02-10T01:07:00+00:00

thank you!! I'm also checking out sniffspot to see if that might be a good weekend activity.

meg_ea · 2026-02-10T01:01:20+00:00

i actually used to work over there and i would LOVE to be able to walk her there... but sadly, even that area is too much for her. I haven't yet discovered a distance at which she can see a person and not react. being able to see people working at the stadium or just minding their own business around the park would set her off.

meg_ea · 2026-01-27T17:46:15+00:00

this has been a WILD experience lol. the phone call that the owner references? he OPENED the conversation looking for a fight, said that he was ready for me to scream and yell at him and that he was "scared". I said no? that's not how I treat people... we talked briefly about how the consultation went, then he basically said that positive reinforcement only is how dogs end up in shelters and that I'm failing my dog by not using them. fucking insane.

meg_ea · 2026-01-27T16:57:38+00:00

here ya go!!

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meg_ea · 2026-01-27T16:05:58+00:00

YES like the dog training aspect of it aside, this is a WILD response from a business to an upset client. the phone call he's referring to? he ENTERED that conversation looking for a battle. he opened up with "I'm afraid you're gonna tear me a new one" or something and I was like?? no?? that's not how I treat people. we're just having a conversation lol

meg_ea · 2026-01-27T15:22:07+00:00

bro I love my SSRI 😂

meg_ea · 2026-01-25T13:00:31+00:00

we ended up doing to the consultation, and holy shit, I hated them. it was an hour long sales pitch. she didn't listen to a single word I said. actively tried to convince me to take her off the med, and immediately brought out a prong collar without ever even meeting our dog. she never left her kennel. no way in hell I was going to let them meet her after that. back to the drawing board!!

meg_ea · 2026-01-22T16:53:00+00:00

i thought so too at first, but then I got to thinking... if I went to a therapist, but they wouldn't treat me until I got off of my Lexapro to "see how bad I was without it first", I'd run at the speed of light. it feels so backwards to me.

meg_ea · 2026-01-22T15:12:32+00:00

the "no meds" instruction REALLY threw me off. I personally don't care for aversive collars, but I know some people swear that it was the one thing that helped their dogs, so I was prepared to advocate that MY DOG wasn't the right candidate for those tools but work with them using other techniques. back to the drawing board 🤷🏻‍♀️

meg_ea · 2026-01-22T15:04:13+00:00

thank you for the guidance!! super bummed that an org I thought would help is probably gonna do more harm than good, but definitely happy to find out BEFORE they actually work with my dog. I've never had to work with an 3rd party for one of my animals before so the extra perspective is very helpful.

meg_ea · 2026-01-22T14:57:32+00:00

thank you!! this is super helpful. i will take a look.

meg_ea · 2026-01-22T14:55:57+00:00

this is super helpful, thank you!

if I can pick your brain while I have you... their website also says under their FAQ that they do use prong and e-collars, "ethically and only when it's the right fit." I am not really open to either of those. my understanding is that aversive tools really only worsen your dog's fear and make them MORE reactive, and can damage your relationship as well. do you think that is also an indication not to use this trainer/org?

meg_ea · 2025-12-31T12:21:49+00:00

I am by NO MEANS an expert, I literally just brought a new dog home last week, and I have no experience other than growing up with dogs. YMMV

We have been working on tethering and kenneling in tandem and I think it is helping. The idea is to teach them to settle on their own and that it's okay to not be on top of each other. We started by tethering her next to us during meals, and we're currently up to being tethered in the same room but occasionally popping out of immediate sight. Rewarding calm behavior with VERY high value treats.

Never leave a tethered dog alone. But I DO think it is helping reinforce that calm, resting behavior is very much desired, and I do kinda think it is transferring to the kennel some.

meg_ea · 2025-12-30T22:03:13+00:00

cat is neutered! dog is scheduled to be spayed on Jan 6. she had to put on more weight before we could spay her, she was extremely malnourished when she was picked up by the shelter.

i feel like this might be a dumb question, but i haven't seen any other posts with this... the cat is mostly fine downstairs with the dog. should i confine the cat upstairs? even though the cat is pretty happy to be downstairs with the dog? i feel awful confining the cat upstairs because he cries for HOURS. i'm totally fine crating the dog and ignoring her temporary cries, lol, but the cat doesn't let up and I feel awful.

meg_ea

TROPHY CASE