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Christie, Otis, & Sully

@otis_unleashed

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Dog trainer & behavior nerd.
Rebuilding in public — dogs, life, and money on my own terms.
Come for Otis & Sully. Stay for the honest parts.

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[ad] We’ve done a lot of letting go lately, so it was such a treat to walk through the Regency Furniture showroom to imagine a future home filled with comfortable spots for us to make new memories.

The timing is good too! Regency’s annual liquidation is this weekend at their showroom in Brandywine, MD, and it’s a big one. 50-80% off everything in the showroom, leather reclining sofas as low as $299, queen mattresses starting at $99. If you shop this weekend, delivery is free and same-day, which honestly might be the part I’m most jealous of right now.

Saturday (9/26) is the main event. There’s a football toss where you can win two season tickets to every Commanders home game this year, a $50,000 prize wall for anyone who makes a purchase, and — this is a fun one — if Washington Commanders announcer Bram Weinstein correctly predicts Sunday’s final score against the Seahawks, everyone who bought on Saturday gets their purchase fully refunded. The Command Center Podcast is also taping live at 2pm, with Commanders alumni Logan Paulsen, Santana Moss, and Fred Smoot stopping by, plus linebacker Leo Chanel.

Regency’s also donating over 100 new mattresses to local firehouses and military bases this weekend, which felt worth mentioning on its own.

If you’re local, it’s happening now through the weekend at Regency Furniture in Brandywine, MD. Otis has already picked out his favorite nap spot (well, tbh, he picked out about 18 different couches). by @otis_unleashed

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22 days ago

Things kind of fell apart this year. And wow did it get a bit uncomfortable. And yet, I am okay. This may seem so obvious to you from the outside, but being in a threat state does some funny things to the way I think.

I have have felt a lot of fear, overwhelm, and urgency-to-fix. And sometimes I still do. What the flippers did to our house is just crappy. There’s no way around that. And the sense of groundlessness it created has made other things feel a little harder to navigate (in a surprise to probably nobody, having your home to return to and regroup in is helpful).

And also, this past year has brought into focus how unbelievably lucky I am. I am so lucky to have people and dogs in my life who I still get to love in their physical form. I am so lucky to have people who have been willing to both laugh and cry with me. I am so lucky to have a body that allows me to experience the fullness of this life. I get today. I get to see what comes next. It would be so easy to write a story about how unlucky this was, but I don’t want that to be the story.

I said goodbye to my house with so much love and gratitude (we sold it as land a month ago). I walked to every plant and thanked them. I closed my eyes and envisioned a healthy future for all who inhabit that land in the future.

I don’t share this in a woe-is-me way. I am so blessed. I share this to remind myself that I don’t have to feel shame and guilt over how hard parts of this year have been. That part can be true without negating all of the good that is here too.

I feel like I owe so many of you such a big thank you. I will keep thinking about how to do that, but please know I think about it often and I promise I pay so much of your kindness forward.

I don’t know what comes next, but I am learning to loosen my grip on life and remain very open to magic. by @otis_unleashed

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24 days ago

Sometimes the answer is so simple. Have some fun. This night fed my soul, and it’s hard to describe how badly I needed it.

My body has been living in so much fear for so long. My brain has been certain solving problems is the answer: Sometimes I think that really joy and community are the antidotes.

Thanks to everyone who came.

PS for the universe: this is what lights me up. I’d love to find a way to do this and earn a living from it. I crave connection. Thank you, more please. ❤️

#sunsetpicnic #reallifeconnections #dogpicnic by @otis_unleashed

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2 months ago

Happy 10th birthday to my soulmate ❤️🎉. You are the keeper of so many of my memories and the holder of so many of my dreams. You are woven into the very fabric of who I am. I am so grateful for the past decade and hopeful for many more years.

Thank you to so many of you for loving my boy.

Watching a dog age is hard but I wouldn’t trade it because it means I still have more tomorrows.

#dogbirthday #seniordog #seniordogs by @otis_unleashed

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2 months ago

Somebody has gotta make sure I rest correctly.

#snoopy #dogmomlife #doghumor by @otis_unleashed

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3 months ago

Dogs are the real Party Animals.

And if you’ve ever lived with an adolescent dog, you likely feel this in your bones.

For some reason, teenage Otis was convinced he was gonna love beer. Or wine. Or whiskey. Never went after people’s water 😂. I remember stopping to talk to people in DC on sidewalk tables or picnics and having to tell them to guard their booze.

#funnydog #partyanimals #beertime by @otis_unleashed

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3 months ago

They say it takes a village. A key part of mine has 4 legs.

An extra pair of hands is nice? But turns out paws are helpful too.

My dog figured out how to fetch diapers before I figured out how to sleep again.

Okay I’ll stop 😂.

He’s the cutest mother’s helper around.

#dogmom #newmother #diaperchange by @otis_unleashed

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3 months ago

Rumor has it Sully’s recently been arrested during a protest outside of DailyTail’s offices.

——🫠🫠——
Yall, I was scrolling through my phone when I found this old video Otis in glasses and a vest (why? no idea) and was cackling bc he looks like such a tech bro. Like not even a classic tech nerd. Specifically a tech bro. And so I entertained myself by satirizing what some of the human tech sounds like to me.

I am not anti-tech. But I am often very glad that my dogs are so rooted in the natural, physical world. If I ever start floating away, they always bring me back.

FWIW, I could have carried this joke on so much longer. I was so sad when i realized how short the clip was. I had so much character development left 😂😂😂 by @otis_unleashed

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3 months ago

Noticing the good doesn’t mean dismissing the hard. It’s not gaslighting. It’s just being honest and shifting your awareness. I have to work at this.

I’m not some parenting guru or life expert. But I am a behavior nerd and I know so much of our thinking (which is a behavior) is learned. One of my hopes for my son is that he grows up and can find the magic in everyday life. So we practice this.

And FWIW, the days we play this game are my favorite days. We say they’re gonna be good and they end up being GREAT bc we spent all day looking for proof of that. Works for us adults too 😂.

My morning good: a lap full of love out in the fresh air. If that’s not magic …!

📤 Share this with someone who might appreciate playing this game :).

(Kids are soooooo good at it! Things my son thinks are good things: beetles, ants, ducks, popsicles, hugs, time at the pool, a stick that turns into an airplane in his head). by @otis_unleashed

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3 months ago

I realize it’s not practical, but my dog knows how to get me from “I’m deeply not okay” to “I’m okay” — reliably and with ease. Seems like a good being to list on those forms. by @otis_unleashed

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4 months ago

Are you decisive? Under what conditions? Have you always been? What’s your process? If you consider yourself more indecisive, how does that impact you? Talk to meeeeeeeee please. (Isn’t it so cool that we can change?! Not at all saying you have to but I wanna change how o make decisions bc my current method is exhausting 😅) by @otis_unleashed

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4 months ago

Take that, perfectionism! Yall, I don’t know what’s going on but despite having literally 1 million things I could talk about, I’m struggling to share stuff bc I’m slipping into wanting it to be “just so.” Yesterday, I was sitting at this desk by the window working instead of playing with everyone I love and my son saw me in the window and lit up. Like LIT up. And it snapped me out of whatever funk I was in. This app isn’t supposed to be about being perfect and polished (like life!!). I don’t have to have profound things or wildly educational stuff to say everytime I share. I don’t even have to be the most entertaining thing. I just can show up. Real. I think these apps have a lot of pitfalls but when they work well, it’s bc they foster connection. So if you’re reading this, hi! How are ya? What are you looking forward to this week? by @otis_unleashed

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4 months ago