Starry G for Gone Thinking

Mary-Ann Sontag April 20, 2026

Something to ponder…

The way we treat another person— or a dog — should never, ever depend on our mood or emotion.

Further, it should not matter what the other person — or dog — did or said.

How we behave — even when angry, scared, tired, crabby or provoked — is our responsibility. Nobody else can “make” us behave or interact in good or bad ways — that is all on us.

Dogs don’t tell — or judge — when we get it wrong. They just let us keep practicing as we work out how to be our own best version of a Good Human. I love that about dogs 💖

Have a wonderful, happy Monday ❤️

Pass the Whipped Cream, Please

Mary-Ann Sontag April 18, 2026

Starry on a walk.

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 💖