Lately I find myself sitting with a feeling of absolute disbelief with a side of despair. I haven’t posted much about what’s going on in the world because I feel like I don’t always understand what’s happening, but I do regularly repost videos and posts on insta from sources I trust. These are folks who have done their research, and I appreciate their work so much. Having an explanation can give a place to work from – a way to identify where we might have agency. And a sense of agency is important.

I was recently teased by some neighbors for walking Maite (the Rottweiler) with my treat pouch front and center. There were some mildly macho statements that their dogs “better just listen” and “behave.” There are plenty of reasons for this thought process/understanding about dogs which I won’t get into here. Suffice it to say, they kind of think I’m weak because they see me “rewarding/bribing” Maite.

I’ve been doing trauma-informed work for nearly two decades. Asking “what has happened to you” (instead of “what’s wrong with you?”) is something like second nature to me. I have annoyed partners, friends and family members for years by coming up with alternate reasons for why people around them have behaved the way they have.