02/24/2023
This is Violet, our Belgian Malinois. A year ago, I was ready to return her to the rescue we adopted her from and be rid of her forever.
We had been told she got along with other dogs, people, and children just fine.
But when she came home with us, we found she had extreme people and dog reactivity (she’d try to bite and go berserk if any dog or person approached us). After 2 months, I had reached my limit.
Tears running down my face, I was unable to focus on anything except how much I hated my dog (and feeling even worse for thinking it…)
So much for "man's best friend."
I texted the foster that day and said: "I don't know if we can keep her anymore." I was going to drive her back that weekend and return her.
But when we adopted her, I had promised to give it a full 3 months to ensure I had given her a fair chance, and, well, it’d only been 2 months.
So, we invested in dog training. >$2k worth. An unexpected expense we hadn't budgeted for.
But I had made that promise. If I didn’t try, was I being fair? She started once-weekly training at a center specializing in dog behavioral issues.
She began making progress! But after 3-4 months, she still could not be considered even remotely safe in public.
Desperate and frustrated, we sought out more intensive training. We enrolled her in a 6-week board and train – several thousands more of (unbudgeted) $$$.
Here’s the thing: she came back a brand new dog. Unrecognizable. We could not be more shocked at how her behavior had transformed.
Now, she can go to the park! Take treats from strangers! Visit people’s homes! Tolerate (and enjoy) visitors!
She would not be here with us today if we hadn’t invested thousands of dollars to ensure the safety of her, ourselves, and those around us.
The point? Invest in yourself. Invest in your business. Even if it’s uncomfortable or scary. Have you truly realized your full potential if you haven’t maximized the time and resources available to you?
Would you be able to live with the regret of giving up early, knowing that you could’ve put in just a BIT more time and money to yield the returns you know you are worth and deserve?
