Big thanks to reader Chris who sent me a clip of this amazing 2 legged dog. Love how they used their own innovations, so smart and loving.

I am not a pet expert or dog trainer, but a dog lover and I received a note from a distressed reader about her Aussie mix who is starting to be a bit too possessive of the owner and starting to show signs of aggression. The owner wants to have a baby… I had a similar situation with a dog I owned and I was pregnant. Our problem was that he liked to run away (yes, we had a fence) and was not very obedient. He hadn’t shown any signs of aggressive or possessive behavior. I took him to obedience classes where the trainer, Michael Humphreys, said, ‘whoa he’s about a 7 on the Alpha scale…’ and that comment came from a professional dog trainer. Long traumatic story short- we were shocked when the dog bit my child on the hand over a pan of brownies, and we had to find the dog a more appropriate home. Although the decision was clear since I would never take an animal over my child, we all cried when his new family came to pick him up. Part of the reason we got a dog was to teach our children about caring and here I was sending the dog away. I felt like a failure as a parent to both my children and the dog. I totally sympathize with this dog owner. Of course you may want to get the dog checked out to see if there is a medical reason for the aggression and maybe talk to your vet and a professional trainer. So, should she get her dog professionally trained or should she find another home for her beloved dog? Do you have any advice for this dog owner?

I love that they have a pet therapy at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. The West Michigan Therapy Dog Inc., organization works with the hospital by providing dogs and volunteers to help bring a bit of happiness to the children during their hospital stay. If you are interested in volunteering or donating please go to their website, http://www.wmtd.org/

Went to the West Michigan Harvest Cluster dog show. Had a great time watching the different breeds and the people. In the clip above this Great Dane shows somes rough love to his handler. You can see they have a pretty strong bond and she was able to to control him after a bit. The dog was gorgeous, but animals are…um animals. The dog didn’t place in this ring, I wonder if the judges saw this…..

Micheal Humphreys is THE dog trainer of Cascade/Ada Michigan. He’s been training for over 40 years and has a magical way with canines. Watch him try to train Cocoa, the ordinance breaker of Cascade!!! In this short clip Mr. Humphreys is teaching Cocoa to sit in stay….just a few short classes until agility training…NOT. If you are interested in classes or training with Michael Humphreys please call Cascade Hospital for Animals at 616-949-0960 or visit their website www.chfa.net Please stay tuned for more helpful Vlogs from Michael Humphreys.