Pass the Whipped Cream, Please

Mary-Ann Sontag April 18, 2026

Something that I could not do safely in Montana that I do here in Boise is walk early in the morning while it is still dark. It is the perfect time to walk, especially for Pozy, and we are usually out the door well before 6 a.m.

I walk the dogs separately, and so it is light by the time I get to Starry. There is more activity when it is light, and that is good for a puppy.

Pozy is not a fan of traveling, as I have mentioned before.

She absolutely refuses to get in the super fancy extra safe crates I have, and because of recent veterinary appointments, she has started to sometimes refuse to get in van — period.

I don’t like to force dogs — and I also don’t like bribing them. Instead, I like to shape and reinforce desired behavior. Because I need Pozy to get in the van and go places sometimes, her travel training is necessarily ongoing.

We practice getting in and out of the van — not with bribes but with a great treat when she decides to get in and then a great treat for waiting to get out, and then repeat and repeat without going anywhere.

I also build up happiness in van rides by driving the one-half mile down the street for this…

And then we drive straight home while she happily licks away at her Pup Cup in the back of the van.

I love the way every dog challenges me to think kindly and creatively about what they need to have a meaningful life. Doing Life with Dogs well, which is all about understanding and respecting the needs of the dog in front of us, makes it really hard to be self-centered or selfish — and that is yet another way dogs help create better humans ❤️

‘““ (that is a secret coded message from Starry 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Happy Saturday to you 💖

It's a Sparkle Sign

Mary-Ann Sontag April 14, 2026

The original 💖

The great-grandpuppy, Starry G ⭐️

❤️

Show Wrap-up (Updated)

Mary-Ann Sontag April 13, 2026

This is how you ruin your future show dog.

The full video shows a fearful puppy literally go airborne to avoid being handled by the judge. What happened next? The terrified puppy was forced to endure an abbreviated exam — and then brought back the next day to have her developing brain get flooded with even more stress hormones.

Duh.

You cannot force terror away — in humans or dogs.

I was also reminded by the weekend that a professional handler’s real job is not showing dogs — it is sales. They sell themselves to owners.

To be clear — most professional handlers are not rotten eggs. Not at all. And we all have off days or make mistakes that create learning opportunities. One bad behavior or experience does not make someone a rotten egg. But a consistent pattern of rotten egg behavior should be noted — and I do, which is likely no surprise 🤷🏼‍♀️

I watched a consistent, long-time rotten egg — one I saw scolded by a judge for his rough treatment of dogs — sell his services to someone who did not want to hear my red flag warning ⚠️ 🚩 Owner-handlers who do not understand their own super power and advantage are especially easy prey for the predatory practices of the rotten eggs.

The Berner Peeps also got scolded repeatedly by a handler who was — unfortunately for him — grooming white poodles directly across from us — on dirt. Sometimes the blow dryers kicked up a cloud of dust and his resulting glares reminded me of Sister Marie when I was in sixth grade and talked too much in class 😂

I love dog shows for so many reasons — including because they consistently challenge and shape my moral compass, remind me how not to behave in Life with Dogs (and just plain Life), and let me have big fun with my dogs and my friends.

Capella also LOVES dog shows.

She had a great weekend. She was Best of Breed one of the days, Select another, Best of Breed Owner-handled two days, and got an Owner-handled Group Two yesterday. Best of all, she had so much fun. Capella loves everything about dogs shows — the people, the grooming, hanging out on the table, the treats, etc.

The only thing about shows that Capella doesn’t love is photos 🤷🏼‍♀️🤨