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I Feel Fear When My Pet is Ill. Is It His Time? (Seiki’s Story)

Please support us in creating Seiki’s Recovery.  Read the story below.  Then if you are willing donate money to support his health.  Even $1 is helpful! Click here to donate.

I wake up in the morning to get ready to hike with my dog, my daughter and my wonderful friend.  I am also excited for dog training.  Salt Lake City has many dog hiking options! My friend helps me get everything ready so that I can easily get out the door before my daughter’s nap time! We are all so excited.  Seiki is pacing.  He cannot wait!  When we hit the trail at Neff’s canyon Seiki jumps and I hear him whine.  I check him over.  He looks fine and encourages me to let him run.  So I let him go 🙂  His behavior is very normal and he seems so happy.

Because I see my dog as my son, and I am the owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC Dog Training, Salt Lake City, I take the health of my dog seriously.  He is a part of our family.  I take him into the vet to find out why he whined and to see if joints are bothering him.  Since he is older, I also do a CBC (complete blood count).  Turns out his ionized calcium is super high.  Our vet at Healing Hearts, believes that it is probably a result of his parathyroid malfunctioning or cancer. Fear rises in my body!  The vet takes more blood to run more tests. I have to wait 7 to 10 business days for these blood results to be completed by the laboratory.

We wait.  I watch my dog slowly decline in health. He stops eating unless I have canned food in his healthy dry kibble.  He is drinking up a storm and then as days go by he changes to hardly drinking at all.  He begins to have trouble walking. He is dragging his back legs.  His nerves are degenerating due to the high calcium. As a result, he is loosing feeling and control in his back right leg and a little in his left back leg too.  I begin to have to carry him up and down the stairs to potty outside.  I watch as he no longer listens or performs any obedience commands. Is his time nearing?  What will happen next?

I dive into the abyss.  I am not able to see the future and I have no idea what it might hold for Seiki and I.  At first, I felt much fear and was loosing sleep.  What if his time has come?  Is rainbow bridge around the corner? It can’t be time yet!  I am not ready!  I begin to feel guilty about the past two years.  After I got pregnant, the amount of hikes I took Seiki on significantly decreased.  Have I failed as a doggie parent?  I didn’t do a good enough job.  I want to fix the past and spend more time with him now.  Iris is getting older, we can hike more easily now!  So I am asking Seiki to stay a bit longer.

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My best friend and of course Salt Lake City dog training’s best friend, Seiki!

Then it dawns on me that all I have control over is the “now”.  All the tests in the world, fear and waiting are all future oriented.  What if I just let go and look at what I have in front of me?  I breath and connect with spirit.  I lay down with Seiki as I am giving him his IV.  I reminisce our wonderful times together.  As a Salt Lake City dog trainer, Seiki and I have many training memories.  The camping and hiking was amazing.  Of course with my spiritual connection, there were the times we spent meditating every day!  What a joy he has been.  I open up and cry. I tell him how much he means to me. I let go.

We move to my bed to meditate together.  Before I meditate, I share with him my deep subconscious fears of failing and not being good enough to him.  I complete this feeling inside me. I let it unravel to treasure the moment of the “now”.  As I am meditating, I fall asleep.  When I awake Seiki is still by my side. I tell him how much I love him.  I decided he will sleep with me on my bed during the nights .

It is the now that I have to treasure with him.  Yes he is sick and yes he might pass soon.  I can’t control that. I can control the time I still have with him. The “now”.  So to the “now” it is!

This morning I took Seiki into the vet again.  The test results are here and they are negative!  There are no problems with his parathyroid and no cancer!  Yahoo!!!!  Today he will get an ultrasound and we will run some tests to determine if he has Addison’s disease.  Lastly, he may receive some X-rays.  Our vet at Healing Hearts, believes if we can lower his calcium he may walk again!  It would be wonderful to be able to take him to work again to support our Salt Lake City dog training clients!  Of course hiking is even more fun and bonding in my mind!

Please take sometime in your day to stop and pray for Seiki.  Send him love and healing light.  May he truly feel the angels around him!  He is so loved!

Then if you are willing clicker here to donate some money to support Seiki’s health Even $1 is helpful! 

Your turn, please post your answer in a comment below!

What fears have you felt with your dog in regards to behavior issues, health issues, etc.?  How can you get back into the now and stop thinking about the past and the future?

Namaste!

Johanna Teresi, Professional Trainer and Owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC Dog Training, Salt Lake City

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Four Legged Scholars LLC Ohio, Dog Training
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Stacie Mills Laurence
Stacie Mills Laurence
2022-07-03T23:02:03+0000
Literally magical to train with them! Our Mattis and Echo are now thriving and we have learned so many skills. What... were BIG concerns are now no longer a challenge. This method works!!!!read more
Gary Teresi
Gary Teresi
2022-06-12T14:36:07+0000
I attended 4LS “How to be consistent to create loose leash walking” on June 9 with hopes of learning the skills needed... to stop my 8 year old 95 pound black lab from his constant pulling. In just a few days, his pulling has drastically decreased! This zoom presentation was extremely well organized and comprehensive. Johanna skillfully navigated the zoom meeting that included teaching slides, photos, videos and participant interaction, questions and sharing of experiences. With each aspect of the training, Johanna explained and demonstrated the steps to success, not only what works, but also why it works. This was a very positive and fun experience that I would highly recommend.read more
Cindy Reichelderfer Cale
Cindy Reichelderfer Cale
2022-05-20T17:39:12+0000
I would highly recommend Four Legged Scholars training. Johanna Teresi was amazing and very patient with us. We have... not had a pet in our house for over 25 years. Hazel is a high energy terrier pup. We had issues with her jumping on ppl, barking a lot, distracted easily, crate training. These are the highlighted ones that we needed help with. After each session we had homework. We had our training online which worked out very well. Hazel was not distracted but this type of training and Johanna could walk us through each training with Hazel being non the wiser. With the homework came a training plan and videos and the instructions so if I forgot the process I could go back to the videos she took with us in it and review. This help many times and I have and will continue to refer to them. I am so glad we searched out and found Johanna as I am not sure where we would be today. Our training will always be on going but I know I have the lessons and Johanna to fall back on for refresher. Thank you again Johanna I loved the experience.read more
Sarah Sorensen
Sarah Sorensen
2021-12-05T00:24:33+0000
Johanna is absolutely amazing! I worked with her some years ago and the training has paid off time and time again. My... dog and I had been thru an abusive relationship and my dog no longer trusted people. She was aggressive and terrified and I wanted to help her. Johanna taught me how to recognize my dogs body language and how to react to what she is doing. I learned to realize when my dog was becoming overwhelmed so I could intervene and prevent something from happening. My dog hasn’t needed a muzzle for almost 4 years now. I live in high rise condo in the middle of Atlanta. She lets strangers love on her in the elevators and at the dog walk. Tail is always wagging! She has come such a long way from then and I am so grateful for Four Legged Scholars!! She also helped train my parents dogs even longer ago! Absolutely amazing! ♥️read more
Robyn Dawn Jones
Robyn Dawn Jones
2021-09-30T16:23:45+0000
Johanna is amazing trainer! You won’t regret using Four Legged Scholars!
Krista Schindler Nordholt
Krista Schindler Nordholt
2021-02-09T23:47:50+0000
What a pleasure it was working with Joanna in live personalized online one on one training sessions. I have trained... dogs in puppy training classes at our local pet stores. This method of instruction was so much more personalized to our dog. We were struggling with our standard schnauzers barking during busy times in our household and having difficulties during hikes. Joanna watched videos of Damian during hikes and gave us ideas for training his difficult behaviors. After Joanna watched Damian barking during hectic times in our home she set up a training strategy. It truly took one week to reverse this negative behavior. We learned so much during our sessions. We would record his progress and then Joanna would build off Damian’s success. I would highly recommend this form of training.read more
Paul S. Chase
Paul S. Chase
2020-02-26T15:00:35+0000
If you are looking for a trainer who will be your partner and educate you on the process and methodology/science of... your training as well as accountability on your part, Four Legged Scholars is the right place.read more
Angela Ferry Sewell
Angela Ferry Sewell
2020-02-22T23:32:45+0000
Working with Johanna was a great experience! She is so knowledgable and kind. Her approach is comprehensive and... positive and I am much more confident in regards to managing and improving my dog's behavior now that I have been through her course.read more
Charlie Wagner
Charlie Wagner
2019-12-11T03:32:57+0000
I would like to thank Johanna of Four Legged Scholars for a job well done. She is very good at explaining the steps... that are needed to get the job done. I would highly recommend her. Charlie..Mantuaread more
Linda Schulz Schupp
Linda Schulz Schupp
2019-09-05T21:53:39+0000
I would like to recommend Johanna at Four Legged Schlors!! We have a six year old German Shepherd that had never been... leash trained and had lots of anxiety. Johanna worked and encouraged us with good training tips that worked amazing for our dog. She is such a different dog at the end of eight weeks we could never have imagined.read more
Jodi Mann
Jodi Mann
2019-05-24T15:37:03+0000
We contacted Four Legged Scholars to help us with our two energetic year old German Shepherds. Joanna worked with us on... walking on leashes, how to settle when people came over to visit and to come on command. We saw a difference in their behaviors fairly quickly and look forward to their continued improvement as we continue to use the skills she taught us to help them reach their potential.read more
Alyssa Leigh Giles
Alyssa Leigh Giles
2019-05-22T18:10:07+0000
Not only does Johanna know her dog stuff (she really does!), but she knows her people stuff, too! Johanna is a... compassionate person who will treat both you and your dog with respect and empathy. She will ease your worries and help you feel confident. You will not only see great results, but you will feel good about your training and relationship with your dog!read more
Jennifer Kristoff Miller
Jennifer Kristoff Miller
2019-03-08T20:55:13+0000
I contacted Johanna at Four Legged Scholars because our puppy was biting a lot more than any of us expected and I was... concerned. Johanna came and quickly reassured us that this was normal behavior and then proceded to come up with a plan that worked for our family to train our puppy. We immediately felt relieved. She gave us many tools and support. We have a well behaved puppy and people are very impressed at her behavior already. We are very grateful for Johannas professional guidance!read more
Anne Rubin
Anne Rubin
2018-10-15T00:25:27+0000
I would like to thank Johanna and The Four Legged Scholar dog training program. Through a positive outlook and... positive dog training, my little four month old Teddy is turning into a joy to be with. Johanna is a gifted trainer. She has a deep understanding of dogs and their view of the world, which helps us humans understand a lot about their behavior. Johanna understands the complexities of training and helps the trainer to maintain a calmness that transfers to the dog. When the dog misbehaves, Johanna teaches to redirect your own thinking and take action that promote the behavior you want to see in your dog. Johanna is there for you every step of the way. She is interested in your dog and eager to hear of your successes. She helps you re-frame “failure” as a learning experience so that you can continue to be positive and have only positive experiences with your dog. Teddy and I are both much happier now that The Four legged Scholar program has been in our life. Thanks, Johanna.read more
Stacey Schmidt Brazie
Stacey Schmidt Brazie
2018-07-26T00:27:19+0000
SO grateful to have found Johanna! We were having trouble with our 1 year old lab Laney. She was afraid of people,... jumped on us, walked horribly on a leash, ran to the door when someone was there and barked at everyone that walked by. We were given the tools to help us change Laney’s behavior. Johanna was wonderful and easy to work with. She is very knowledgeable and able to help us understand what she was doing and why. Highly recommend!!!read more
Dave McCoy
Dave McCoy
2018-06-21T03:00:04+0000
Four Legged Scholars provided our family with the expertise and guidance needed to train our new puppy Drew. Trainer... Johanna Teresi was the perfect person to help us! Johanna's calm demeanor, excellent knowledge, and organized approach allayed any fears that we had about training Drew. He responded well to her weekly visits. We learned wonderful techniques and Johanna clearly explained the best ways to employ these training tactics. My family wholeheartedly recommends Four Legged Scholars, and Johanna Teresi, as fantastic and caring solutions when one considers the best method to train your dog. Dave McCoy Ravenna, Ohioread more
Amanda Lynn
Amanda Lynn
2018-03-11T12:27:13+0000
We are so grateful for Johanna! She helped us out tremendously with training our hyper active husky puppy, Shadow. Her... tips and training methods were just what we needed. Not only are her training methods something to use in the moment but something we will continue to in our everyday life. Our puppy's behavior has improved so much already, we know we made the right choice by going with Johanna as our trainer!💛read more
Megan Sarber Fogel
Megan Sarber Fogel
2018-01-18T01:14:51+0000
Johanna was wonderful with our new puppy, Frankie. After one day of crate training with her, he mastered it and gives... us no problem when it's time for him to go in! I would highly recommend her:)read more
Cosme Garrett Duran
Cosme Garrett Duran
2017-08-01T20:59:52+0000
Colleen O'Donnell Studzinski
Colleen O'Donnell Studzinski
2017-04-28T21:12:07+0000
As first time dog owners my husband and I needed some help training over energetic puppy! After a couple weeks, our... friends and my husband and I noticed a huge change for the better in our puppy! The training classes helped and changed our busy lives for the best!!!!read more
Trina Bodily
Trina Bodily
2016-10-07T21:06:16+0000
Ohio is so lucky to have you. Four Legged Scholars training is amazing. I've trained 2 Border Collies with Johanna and... we learned so much and still use the techniques we learned in class all the time. You are so missed in Salt Lake City!read more
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Rachel Giddings
Rachel Giddings
02:57 12 Dec 22
My dog was abused in his previous home and has always been afraid of strangers. I wanted to train him and help him to be more confident, but I didn't know how to do that if he was afraid of his trainer.Doing online training with Joanna was perfect for both of us! Joanna helped me learn how to read my dog and understand his triggers. We then worked together on BAT training, which taught him self-soothing behaviors and showed him how to confidently and safely handle difficult situations. I never thought I would have fun doing homework with my dog, but he and I benefited from it tremendously. Working with Joanna via Zoom was perfect for my dog and me.
Shawn McMillen
Shawn McMillen
02:09 24 Oct 22
My 2 year old doodle was struggling with people walking by the house, barking incessantly, tugging on walks, improving recall when off leash and , for me, how to be a better more engaging human for my buddy. The personalized, online sessions exceeded all my expectations. The review of video homework sessions was awesome. We saw improvement in each of the priority areas and I developed real, tangible, lasting skills/tools to be a better pet person. Thanks Johanna!
Courtney Daniels
Courtney Daniels
19:59 12 Sep 22
12 years ago I got a puppy and quickly realized I was in over my head. I wanted to have a good, well trained dog, but I was overwhelmed by methods and my puppies behavior.I joined the four legged scholars puppy training with my little 4 month old puppy Bowie, and saw immediate understanding with the clicker work. It gave us this incredibly ability to communicate and she excelled.We went on to take several courses that established general obedience, helped me turn a STRONG leash puller into a loose leash master (I took that course twice because it was a huge issue for us and I NEEDED help and reassurance from Johanna that I could do it) as well as skill class, that helped solidify a beautiful relationship between us. Learning clicker shaping allowed me to confidently teach complex and unique commands on my own as well, like waving hello and closing kitchen cabinets.My Bowie has climbed to the top of mountains for me staying right by my side never pulling on her leash. I've targeted her off trails to protect her from startling a mama moose and her baby. She's loved on my kids without jumping on them and knocking them over. She's allowed the neighbor girl who has always had a fear of dogs to walk her without pulling at whatever pace she was comfortable with. She shows off with all her fun little tricks Johanna gave me the tools to train my dog into an amazing companion.I feel so lucky to have found your training program and to have the relationship I do with my Bowie girl. These courses have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of families and their pups, thank you for that gift.
Megan Pond-Maxwell
Megan Pond-Maxwell
16:02 18 May 22
I am so grateful to have found Johanna. She was with us every step of the way as we tackled separation anxiety training and reactivity training with Daisy, my Mini Australian Shepherd. As a first time dog owner, I felt at a loss about how to manage my very vocal, scared, stressed, yet loveable dog. She had all of the typical puppy behavior, such as jumping, nipping/biting, leash pulling, as well as barking. On top of that, she was also not able to be alone without feeling terrified, as well as vocally and behaviorally reactive to other dogs, adults, and kids. I felt completely overwhelmed and Johanna created programs that felt manageable and doable. Each training session, I felt understood and empowered working with Johanna. Over the course of our programs, I felt that we accomplished the steps of the training process, strengthened the dog-human relationship, and increased my own awareness of my dog's emotional cues so that I could better work with her. My dog can now be on her own feeling relaxed and playful, her problematic puppy behaviors have significantly improved, she can walk on her leash loosely, listen to commands, and she can better tolerate other adults, dogs, and children as compared to where we first started. Our online experience was very positive. I look forward to continually implementing the tools and skills we have learned along the way to move forward in a positive direction that strengthens our human-animal bond and reduces distressing behaviors and emotional stress and overwhelm. Thank you Four Legged Scholars! I highly, highly recommend working with Johanna.
Emily Harward
Emily Harward
03:36 24 Apr 22
Our rescue dog is sweet and playful with us, but her behavior around other dogs and people could be unpredictable. She would act aggressively around adults (lunging and barking), and would sometimes be aggressive toward other dogs. We chose to do online training with Johanna. I was skeptical that online training would work, but it ended up being very effective. Johanna taught me the skills I needed to train my dog, and provided resources that I could use throughout the week as I worked on the assigned tasks. I was also able to send her videos of me working with my dog, so she could provide feedback and help me improve. Johanna personalized the program and made changes as needed to ensure that I could meet my goals. Since working with Four Legged Scholars, neighbors have commented on how much better behaved my dog is, and I don't have to worry about her lunging and barking at people or other dogs when we are out for a walk anymore. We still have a lot of work to do with our dog, and I feel like doing the personalized online sessions with Johanna has given me the knowledge, and resources to continue training my dog.
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4 Comments

  1. Claudia

    I just read your e mail. My heart goes out to you and Seiki, I know how much he means to you, he has been your companion for a long time and has brought you so much joy. It is nerve recking when our 4 legged companions get ill.
    Our adopted son Mr. Churchill was diagnosed with kidney cancer in June 6th of this year. I was crushed he has been with us for 1 year only. My heart sank and had so many questions.. What to do next… How much time does he have left, is it painful, etc. I realized that he had no idea, even though he is sick, he is Happy in the now!!!! We treasure him every day as if it was his last. Amazingly he is still with us, losing a lot of weight, but his apetite is great. I feed him small amounts of food every 4 hours. When we take him to memory grove his walks are short, but he is enjoying other doggies stoping to say hello, the water, flowers, smells, he is not ready to leave us. I meditate and always ask to stay present to his needs in spirit… To help me know when the moment comes to say good bye. It will not be easy, however each day I walk in gratitude with him for sharing his beautiful strong will to live and his example to us, for being here and in the now…
    This experience has also taught me to grieve in the process and to accept that nothing is permanent. It gives me joy that he finally found a forever home and he is so loved by Henry our Sharpei and us his parents.

    • fourleggedscholars

      What a joy it is hear from you!! I love so very much!!!! I feel blessed to still be in contact with you! You have warmed my heart in so many ways and I a forever connected with you and your family! Send Henry so much love from us!
      I appreciate your compassion and ability to relate to our situation. Your authenticity is a joy!
      My heart aches for you as well. I am so sorry to hear about Churchill. How difficult after just one year! I am so sorry. However, you know as well as I do with pain come gifts. Thank you for meditating with him and for your presence. Animals are the best teachers!
      I love all so very much and I really appreciate you reaching out during this difficult time.
      Please call me anytime if you need any emotional support as well! XXXXXOOO Johanna, Seiki and Iris!

  2. ling wong

    Thanks for sharing your story, interaction with our pets can definitely become an opportunity for reflection and personal growth opportunity. I hope Seiki gets better soon!

    • fourleggedscholars

      Thank you for considerate reply 🙂 Unfortunately Seiki is terminally ill so his health will slowly decline again. He has stage 4 Lymphoma. I will write more today so you can read it get updated on the new story 🙂 Namaste!