animal human bond

Animal Wisdom and Personal Growth. My Interview Airs Live Today!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Just a reminder that my interview airs live today for The Animal Wisdom World Summit. What a week it has been so far of many inspirational speakers, with more to come today and the rest of the week.

My interview will air live here at 2pm cst/1pm est/Noon pst.  It will be live for 24 hours in case you can’t catch it at this exact time. You can also still join the upcoming interviews that continue to the end of the week, for free, just by registering here.

My topic is all about how so many of my dogs have been pivotal in my personal growth – as you likely know being part of my community! 🙂 From transitional times in my life, each time, I’ve been transformed into a better version of myself because of them. 

I hope you can join me and all the other fantastic speakers to come!

XO,

Barbara

Gidget Follows Trend

Posted by Barbara Techel

Gidget Follows Trend

It’s been an exciting few weeks around the Techel (Teckel – German for dachshund) homestead of late with new living room furniture delivered two weeks ago, plus updating new decor and bringing some of the other decor to a consignment shop. From dark furniture for almost 25 years of maroon, dark greens and a splash of light blue, to Santa Rosa Linen, soft blues and greens, a bit of gray and a splash of purple, it almost feels like our house just may lift off its foundation and fly! It’s amazing how switching to these new shades has the space feeling more open and lighter in energy.

Today we are on our way shortly to order an Amish kitchen table John and I fell in love with over two months ago…yup, when looking for living room furniture. Isn’t that the way it always goes? We just couldn’t get that table out of our heads. We feel blessed to have been gifted some money to make this all possible.

So where does Gidget fit into all this? Well, I did share with her that she is blessed too in that she is the only doxie to get new furniture as she enjoys snuggling with me on the new sofa each night. But then there’s her new updated space she now has in the kitchen also.

For eight months she has been residing in what could be called a mansion, which was Kylie’s kennel. We felt it was of comfort to her when we had to say goodbye to Kylie last November. Talking around the chiminea last night, John said, “I think Gidget would be okay with a smaller kennel, don’t you think?” 

I wasn’t sure at first and wanted to honor what is right for her. But the more I thought about it, I said, “You know, she really is such a different, and calm dog now. Perhaps she would be okay.” 

Gidget really is a new dog the last few months as I think I’ve mentioned before here on my blog. It was a tough first half of the year as I went through some deep soul work, which Gidget was pivotal in guiding me through. And a quick update: I continue to write about this in a new book I’m working on.

So I thought it was worth a shot to see if she’d be okay with downsizing into a tiny home for her space in the kitchen. With one condition: If she didn’t like it and seemed upset by it, we’d put the other kennel back. It was agreed.

This morning she watched as I took the big kennel down. I talked to her the whole time sharing with her how exciting this was for her. I said, “You are such a big girl now, Gidget. I’m so proud of you. This new space will be just for you and will be so cozy.”

I took the foam bedding from the large kennel and cut it down to fit the smaller kennel, so she’d still have some familiar smells. I placed a rug under the kennel and her blanket inside and John took the door off the front so she would have easy access.

Within moments she hopped right in and snuggled under her blanket. Snug as a bug on the rug, in her new happy space. I thought of Mikey from the Cheerio’s commercial years ago, “He likes it! He likes it!”

So Gidget gets in the trend with downsizing and de-cluttering, inviting in lots of new energy we are all relishing in these days!

XO,

Barbara

Porch Dog. Official Elkhart Lake Greeter. Come Meet Him!

Posted by Barbara Techel
Porch Dog. Official Elkhart Lake Greeter. Come Meet Him!
Boone

If you come to Elkhart Lake, our little village of 950 residents, which swells to well over the thousands in the summer, especially on race weekends, you just might be lucky enough to meet this handsome fellow. His name is Boone.

As you meander down to the artisans and farmer’s market on a Saturday morning, strolling east or west on Rhine Street, across from the post office, is a big beautiful blue and white Victorian style home, with a large porch, where you just may spot the official greeter of our small town.

How could this not make your day walking by?! It sure did mine when I loaded Gidgie in her dog stroller and walked to the market this morning. My whole heart lit up with joy to see Boone hanging over the porch rail to catch the eye of someone walking by and do what he does best…make ’em smile and fill their hears with joy.

He happens to belong to my husband’s cousin, Connie, and her husband Pat. After their last dog passed away, Pat just didn’t know if he could do it again. The heartache of losing an animal sometimes too much to bear for some. But a trip to a nursery called, Honeymoon Acres, a few months later in a nearby town, and who would they meet as part of their helpful staff? An English Cream Golden retriever named Roy. They were smitten and..well, you know how this story ends.  🙂

Not only has Boone wound his way into Connie and Pat’s hearts, but he has the hearts of many that visit our small town. And many return, looking for Boone, hoping to catch him hanging out on the porch. As is the case often, as I experienced in my days with Frankie who was well known in town years ago, many would ask if I remembered them when they met Frankie that “one summer.” 

And I remember fondly, how I’d always smile politely, as Connie and Pat do now when people stop to see Boone and ask if they remember them from that last time they met Boone. Perhaps it’s not important to recall faces, but the connection and joy felt when other’s meet Boone, and the joy Connie and Pat get in sharing him with other’s. Now that, that is the language of animals…it’s what you feel with the heart.

And I can’t help but end this post today, thinking of the bumper sticker I used to have on my car, “Bark less, wag more.” 

Here’s to more wagging!

XO,

Barbara