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Ali Sutch, KPA-CTP CCUI DDP

@up_2_snuff

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Help your dog feel seen! 🍉🌈✊
🌞 Shelter behavior
🩻 Pain investigation
📍 Pomo land (Santa Rosa, CA)

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While I'm certainly not saying that living a beautiful life with your dog will save us — we need to wake up and see how punitive, controlling, violent systems are all around us, and all of them need to be broken.

Never trust a punk who walks their dog on a prong. Never trust a dog trainer who props up police dog training. In each precious moment we spend with these perfect creatures, let us ponder and practice restorative and transformational justice.

I'm only allotted 15 mins of IG a day now for my sanity so that's the end of my rant but please don't look away from the horrible things that are happening right now (everywhere). @dog_atheart posts really great things about how the dog professional industry continues to perpetuate harm and how we can strive to do better.

Fuck ICE, free Palestine, and let your relationship with your dog mirror the relationships you want to see in the world.

[Image descriptions in pinned comments] by @up_2_snuff

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9 months ago

Dynamic Dog assessments are an incredibly powerful tool to help you and your vet team understand how your dog's pain and behavior are intertwined.

I do love the technical aspects of the assessment, such as marking up photos and videos to check alignment, stride length, angulation, etc, but I think what makes a DD assessment special is the focus on activities of daily living.

There is no way to tell how much pain a dog is/isn't experiencing with a physical exam or the most expensive imaging scans imaginable.

The best way to learn more about your dog's experience is to watch their behavior.

What postural/gait abnormalities are we seeing AND how are they impacting your dog's ability to meet their needs?

This part is so important for...
...advocating for thorough diagnostics and treatments
...measuring pain trial and other intervention outcomes
...understanding how deep the tendrils of discomfort can extend
...ensuring we're ready to make every aspect of our dogs lives as comfortable as possible

If this sounds like something you're interested in, reach out! You can find more info, which can include a complimentary 15 minute phone call, in my 🔗 or comment [tell me more!] and I'll DM you.

[Video description in pinned comments] by @up_2_snuff

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a year ago

Free Palestine 🍉🇵🇸
If you're not on the right side of history, I am not interested in your business or opinions.

Image description: a black dog with big pointy ears and a white blaze down her face, wearing a blue harness, black collar, pink safety strap and leash. She is standing in front of a small body of water that has big chunks of cement and rocks lining the bank. There is a big chunk of cement in the shape of a half circle that is painted to look like a watermelon slice. by @up_2_snuff

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3 years ago

all my homies hate AI!!! I will immediately unfollow someone who uses genAI (large orgs included) and I'm down to publicly shame people who talk about "asking chat". do not willingly give up your ability to think, learn, and enrich yourself! NOTHING IS THAT HARD, AND YOUR TIME ISN'T THAT PRECIOUS. you will not get left behind, and if you do, I promise it's actually pretty nice down here (we can write emails with personality and we are okay with typos and not everything needs to be a bullet point list with an emoji and we're letting our dogs sniff)

[Image descriptions in pinned comments] by @up_2_snuff

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2 days ago

lots of people are curious about what the "product" looks like! so I asked Daisy if she'd share her Dynamic Dog report with you (she is very gracious).

I decided to blur a good portion of this because these reports are so individual and I don't want anyone to take things out of context or find new things to worry about.

I hope seeing the general layout of a completed report is helpful! I'm constantly adjusting the design and content. my goal is for it to find that sweet spot of Comprehensive and Accessible.

if you're curious to learn more, comment 'report' below and I'll DM you a link with more info, including a booking link for a free phone call.

Image descriptions in pinned comments by @up_2_snuff

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12 days ago

please meet 🥬 SWISS CHARLIE 🥬

(Charlie, Swissle, SC) has been staying with us for a while, and he's now officially available for adoption via @humanesocietysoco

here are a few things to know about him:
• 12yo but acts like a silly baby
• a few benign medical things (cataracts, lipomas)
• working on a weight loss plan, ideally ~10lbs
• has a brother named Broccoli Robert, also available!
• gets along beautifully with Minnow and Juice
• cats: working on it. a little too excited sometimes but doing well with a slow managed approach
• perfect house guest: potty trained, quiet, greets visitors with a wagging tail
• naps when left home alone (with my dogs)
• favorite nap spot: smushed into a pile of pillows
• favorite toy: squeaky tennis ball or whatever is lying around
• enjoys easy sniffy strolls, napping, snacks, car rides, dropping a toy at my feet and waiting patiently for me to notice

overall SC is a 10/10 little buddy. down for everything, optimistic, freaking adorable. easily the chillest foster we've had. his background is unknown before we pulled him from a different shelter but his future is bright 😎

[Image descriptions in pinned comments] taken in Santa Rosa, California by @up_2_snuff

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12 days ago

I'm a dog trainer but like not THAT kind of dog trainer, I'm more ✨whatever this is✨

🤸 providing dogs with safe opportunities to be dogs
🌻 recognizing how physical pain impacts behavior
🧀 never willing to sacrifice ethics for convenience

if that sounds like your vibe too I'm very glad to know you!

🫯 safe off-leash shenanigans time brought to you by @sniffspots 🤘 I have a discount code ali_5off if you haven't tried it yet!

[Video description: a few clips of my dogs running amuck in a big open space with a little lake. the dogs wear harnesses and drag long @hightailhikes leashes behind them. They swim in the water, run up to me for treats, and roll in god-knows-what. the text reads "less obedience. more whatever this is] by @up_2_snuff

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20 days ago

last week, I burned out all the way. I could barely talk without crying. "hold all my appointments" bad. "one stubbed toe and I'm done" bad. not really anything in particular but it's just...a lot, constantly.

then I took a week vacation! notifications turned off, not even a peek, No Contact! a full week! it was so nice!!!!

it feels like it's been said and said into the ground, but shelter work is hard. it exposes some of the harshest realities of our world. we collect the runoff of a hundred failed systems. it won't ever end. and yet, this is exactly where I want to be, hoping that the daily grind and the boulders rolled up the hill will eventually make it to the top or at least tag in some cool team members to take over for a bit.

here are some of the perfect, unforgettable, one-in-a-million faces that greeted me on my return. ❤️‍🩹 by @up_2_snuff

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a month ago

heaven forbid a woman have hobbies 🫧🫧🫧

minnow has been obsessed with bubble wrap for as long as I can remember... it seems to soothe her. like sometimes if she's restless in the evening she'll disappear and we'll find her in the other room diligently working on her bubbles (she always has a few pieces out)

juice tries to see what it's all about but he just ends up shredding it

shout out to the friends who have supplied us with a near constant flow of bubbles for the past ~6 years. shout out to dogs who are unabashedly themselves 💥 by @up_2_snuff

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a month ago

Does something look ....off? but you aren't sure what it is or how to describe it?

Trust your gut. we're typically pretty good at recognizing patterns and things that diverge from them.

Dogs aren't machines, but they do care about efficiency. if you're trying to move *forward*, but much of your body's energy is spent shifting weight side to side, or up and down, there will be a reason.

Is it cute when the booty has a little wiggly and bounce to it? I'm not immune! but my analysis glasses are basically fused to my head 🧐 (I'm not fun at parties)

if you're ready to go from "something's a little wonky with my dog's movement but what do I know" to *advocating for dog intensifies*, you know where to find me!

(please leave the harness alone; this was not a formal gait assessment, and the shelter works with what it has.)

[Video description in pinned comments] by @up_2_snuff

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a month ago

🎬 Coming soon to Netflix: The Search for Shrimp’s Perfect People 🦐

Visit Shrimp Magician at our Santa Rosa Campus for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this goofy, friendly, people-loving guy as he searches for his perfect forever family.

He may even convince you that you’re the perfect person! 🎥🐾

#AdoptLocal #NetflixDocumentary #SonomaCounty by @up_2_snuff

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a month ago

I've completed 53 Dynamic Dog assessments to date. It is such a gift to offer this service. For those who have struggled to get answers about their dog's behavior, health, and the overlap between, DD assessments can be life-changing.

I recently asked my previous clients to tell me about their experiences. The results are helping me tailor and streamline what I offer, and provide helpful info to anyone else who may be considering getting their own.

I know that having a behaviorally/medically complex dog can often make you feel like there are a million possible next steps that are just out of reach, or like you're never sure what's right. The truth is that there's never a "right" answer. Not pursuing gold standard care doesn't make you a bad guardian. I'm here to help you determine what makes the most sense for you and your dog.

Thank you so much to everyone who has come to me for an assessment and provided your invaluable feedback!! Cookies to all of your dogs 🍪

What other questions would you want to know about this process, from me or my previous clients? Ask away!

For more info on DD assessments, comment "info" and I'll drop a link in your DMs.

[Image descriptions in pinned comments] by @up_2_snuff

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a month ago