Spicy Dog Mama

Send a text In this heartfelt episode I chat with Kristen Griffin, an End-of-Life Stage Pet Doula and author of the touching children's book Magnum's Final Goodbye. Kristen shares her journey from veterinary medicine to becoming a compassionate guide for families facing the difficult decision to say goodbye to their beloved pets. Drawing from her own experience losing her soul dog Magnum, she explains what it means to support pet parents through the final stages, creating meaningful goodbyes and honouring the pet's dignity in their last moments. As a doula, Kristen helps ease the emotional weight, offering gentle, personalized care during one of life's toughest transitions. A big focus of the conversation is helping children process pet loss. Kristen's interactive book Magnum's Final Goodbye (available via her Etsy shop and magnumsfinalgoodbye.com) provides parents with tools and words when they're struggling to explain death, grief, and the Rainbow Bridge to young kids. Through storytelling, activities, and open dialogue, it normalizes these hard conversations and helps families heal together. Whether you're currently navigating pet loss, supporting a loved one, or simply want to understand the profound bond we share with our animals, this episode offers empathy, practical insights, and a reminder that every goodbye can be filled with love. Follow Kristen on Instagram at @magnumsbridge for more on her doula services, book updates, and pet loss support. 🌈🐾 @SpicyDogMama Follows Cass' spicy girl, Lady Rey @MyLittlePibble If you are missing that supportive person in your life, reach out! I would love to help encourage you and be someone that you can go to to feel less alone. Email reesecanineco@gmail.com Facebook Group Support the show Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Send us a text One of the greatest blessings in my life is the people that have been a part of my journey since bringing Reese into my life in 2018. We have made so many friends through training, Instagram or friends that have adapted from other areas of our lives. Having people in your life who support you and encourage you changes the game and I would not be where I am at today if it weren't for each and every one of them. Community is everything and feeling alone with your dog, your situation, reactivity and training can be so hard. Feeling like people are judging you because of your dog or the way you try to work with them is so isolating. That is why we started the FB Page Balancing Reactivity Canadian Dogs so that people had a safe place to share their wins, struggles, vent or ask for advice. I won't lie... it's a little dead there but life is crazy. We use the page to also plan pack walks with those in our area and it has helped develop even more relationships even just online! If you are missing that supportive person in your life, reach out! I would love to help encourage you and be someone that you can go to to feel less alone. Find me on Instagram Rey @mylittlepibble Email reesecanineco@gmail.com Facebook Group Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Send us a text Asking the big questions this week on the Spicy Dog Mama Podcast. Should you really get a dog? A friend of mine has the dilemma of her husband really wanting a dog, and she's stuck between wanting him to have that and knowing she will have to do most of the work as a stay at home month with 3 kids. When she told me she didn't know if she even wanted one, it made me want to scream "don't do it!" As a dog lover, I will always think of what is best for the dog and they deserve to be loved and wanted, not tolerated. Now hear me out, if they got a dog, she would love it so much. She would be an amazing dog owner. But it would be so much on her already quite full plate. It made me want to discuss the ins and outs of dog ownership and whether or not it's the right decision for everyone out there. There are so many considerations when you think about getting a dog from breeds to finances. So on this episode, I'm playing devil's advocate and telling you why you should NOT get a dog. Honourable Mentions (Not paid advertisements) Venture Nines discount code REY15 Plant of Life discount code PIBBLE15 Trainer: Evan Dogget Follow us on Instagram! Rey / The Spicy Dog Mama Podcast Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Send us a text Back after a long time away (again). I'm here to share deeper into how the transition into motherhood has affected my relationship with Rey & our life together. "You're never going to love your dog the same when the baby is born" is what you always here. But that can't be true, can it? From 2019-2023 Rey was my entire world, buying her sweaters, adventuring together, putting her first always. She's my entire world, my baby. But then I had a baby. I didn't want those words to be true, I needed to make sure that I still gave Rey the love, attention, and fulfillment that she deserved! Whether you are going through the same thing, don't ever plan on having kids, or are going through another life change, take a listen. Even just to have some grace for the dog moms in your life balancing motherhood as well. We are no longer active on our instagram @spicydogmama - everything will flow through Reys account @mylittlepibble If you have a story that you want to share, reach out to reesecanineco@gmail.com I would love to hear from you ! Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Send us a text Happy Spicy Dog Mama Monday (A mini series) Start your week off with a reminder that you are awesome. "Two steps forward and one step back is still one step forward" - Rosa Diaz, Brooklyn 99 Reactivity is hard. You are allowed to be frustrated, tired, discouraged. But keep showing up for you & your dog. Want to join the conversation? Send me a message reesecanineco@gmail.com Follow me on instagram Follow Reys journey! Check out my book Rescuing Reese a story about a fearful Pitbull finding his forever home. He taught me so much and I'm forever grateful for this dog. Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Send us a text Ah it's been a while hasn't it. That seems to be how I do things lately. Please join me in an unedited update on my life. (Okay I edited a LITTLE- but I just don't have time for that anymore!) Life is wild... in a good way. And I want to share what's been going on, if you care! Remember... this is a judgement free zone Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show Support the show I am not a dog trainer. I'm an uneducated, untrained and unqualified dog mama over here learnig from my own mistakes, the amazing people around me and the dogs in front of me. I'm sharing my own experiences and my own opinions. Always consult (and research) a professional trainer to help you with your dog. With love, Cass & Rey

Happy National Kids and Pets Day! A not at all made up, totally familiar, and obviously nation-wide celebrated as the day to appreciate the relationship between children and their companions... Did you sense the sarcasm? I hope I'm not the only one who just found out about this day, but it's a good excuse for an episode! I'm going to chat about my experiences with kids and dogs and what I'm doing right now to raise one little boy to be so well versed in dog behavior and the most respectful to all animals. Not all dogs like kids, not all kids like dogs, and there is nothing wrong with that. Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

As a spicy dog mama to my beloved bully, Rey, I am all too familiar with breed discrimination and am a huge advocate for "Don't Bully My Breed". For this episode I reached out to dog mom, Sarah (better known on instagram as @MolsonandMyatheMaltese) to discuss the "bullying" or struggles that she goes through as the owner of small dogs who also get too much hate, and what it has been like dealing with reactivity. Her less than 5lb hiking buddies are not toys, nor does their reactivity does make them "little demons". Give them a follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/molsonandmyathemaltese Happy New Year!! www.reesecanineco.com - Order Rescuing Reese! The story of a fearful pitbull finding his forever home despite his distrust and behaviour towards humans. www.instragram.com/SpicyDogMama www.instragram.com/MyLittlePibble - follow Rey's adventures and fashion! Questions? Want to be a guest on the show? Reach out! reesecanineco@gmail.com Support the show

And we're back again! With an honest update of the last few months and what I haven't shared on social media. As our reactivity journey continues with its ups and downs, we cannot help but compare ourselves, our training, our progress and fall backs, with what we see on the dogstagram. We had come so far and then things changed so drastically; we aren't where we used to be while others continue to succeed. And it's hard. Oh and I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Instagram: @spicydogmama / @mylittlepibble Rescuing Reese - tales of a rescue available at www.reesecanineco.com Honourable mentions: Canine Steele - custom biothane muzzles made in Canada @canine.steele Doggett Style Dog Training - Nova Scotia, Canada @doggett.style Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

Another unedited update on our lives and the big changes that we've gone through in the last three months. After a year in our apartment Rey was regressing and her reactivity/anxiety was getting really bad. After a few months we were able to find a house to move into with my partner Devan in January 2023. We have discovered new challenges living in our home and we have been navigating these together. Trying to help Rey with all of these changes has been a journey in itself, dealing with additional stresses, exhaustion and other health changes, and I'm constantly learning and growing with her. In the midst of all of these big changes we have yet another surprise for Rey Rey and it will bring new challenges that we are very excited about and I'm also very excited to share this with everyone. reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

Your dog wants you to take care of yourself. If you are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated... then your dog is probably feeling it too. You are doing so much, working so hard, putting your all into your dog. That is AMAZING! But you can get burnt out, and you need to make sure that you are also taking the time to take care of YOU. This episode happened by accident when I was talking to Cait (@FreddyandtheStorm) about her relationships & breakups involving dogs, as part of the dogs and dating series. But when things took a turn we ran for it at full speed because this is such an important conversation and one that I very much so needed to hear. You need to take care of yourself in order to truly take care of your dog. You matter. THANK YOU for an amazing 2022 journey. Two short seasons came out since July (17 episodes in total) and it was an absolute blast. Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

We don't talk enough about the grief that comes with a break up. We also don't truly know the pain of losing a dog until it happens to you. What about losing a dog during a break up...? That is a pain only a few understand. But then there is the other side of it. You keep the dog but they lose a very special person in their life. Perhaps your dog lost a furry sibling. On Part Five of the dogs & dating series we take a turn and talk about something not everyone can relate to but that hits home for a lot of people. Breaking up With Dogs. Sydney is dog mom extraordinaire to THREE dogs. All with reactivity struggles to some degree and she is absolutely nailing it. Her day to day is not perfect but she does so well taking care of her dogs. She has also gone through.... a lot. Sydney shares her (two) experiences of break ups that involve dogs. Losing a dog... her dog going through heart break and overcoming those obstacles. This is the final instalment of the dogs & dating series. Part one: The Dog Father (the dog dad perspective) Part two: Dogless & Dating (the female perspective) Part three: Dating Dog Moms Part four: How to Date a Dog Mom Next week: Taking a break for your mental health. Its dark out by 4pm. You're exhausted. Your dogs reactivity has taken a turn. You are at your wits end. Take. A. Break. You still matter. Your mental health matters. I get to have a wonderful unplanned conversation with dog mom Cait about taking a break for your mental health. Which I think is very timely over the holidays when everyone is uber stressed and stretched thin. This will be the final episode of Season Two because truth be told. I need a break as well. Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

The fourth part of the dogs and dating series; the dog mom perspective. A collection of experiences, thoughts, opinions and expectations when it comes to dating and owning dogs. Though dog moms & dog dads value, care and love our dogs all the same - there are still some differences when it comes to what we want & need in a relationship! I got to have two interviews, one with Charleigh and one with Ashleigh, both dog moms to non-reactive dogs, though have experiences with reactivity (friend's or previously owned dogs) and I also had experiences sent into me by a few of my followers on Instagram as well as a good friend of mine. Part One: The Dog Dad Perspective Part Two: The Dog-less Female Perspective Part Three: The Dog-less Male Perspective Part Five: Next week we end off the series with Breaking Up With Dogs. Sharing my own and a friend's experience going through a breakup and both losing a dog and dealing with our dogs heartbreak of losing one of their people. Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

Tyler, 'the mostly harmless accounant', share's his experience in the dating world as a single guy in this thirties who does not own a dog. We got to talk about some of his thoughts, opinions and feelings on dating dog moms. He has many stories to share, and unfortunately not all could make the cut, but the parts that made it in could potentially be very valuable to us dog moms especially those who are single and dating. (Or at least some food for thought). Part One : The Dog Father - single dog dads and their thoughts on dating Part Two: Dogless and Dating - single woman's experience dating dog dads Part Three: Dating Dog Moms UP NEXT Part Four: The Mind of the Dog Mama Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss any episodes! Be sure to like, rate & review. Join the conversation! Send me a message :) reesecanineco@gmail.com www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble RESCUING REESE - the story of how a fearful pitbull finds his forever home www.reesecanineco.com Support the show

Part two of the Dogs & Dating series I get to talk with my sister Courtney, dog auntie extraordinaire. She is a single woman who does not own a dog and shares her stories, opinions and expectations when it comes to dating men with dogs. She has experience with my three dogs and how very different they were, and has been a huge part of their lives - she also understands so much about dog behaviour and reactivity because of it! As dog owners there could be some things we can learn from a single & dogless person about what it's like from her perspective dating people with dogs. She doesn't speak for all women in her position (of course), but it is still interesting to hear about what she has gone through and what her thoughts are. Stay tuned for further perspectives: Dogless & Dating (the Male Perspective) The Dog Mom Perspective Breaking Up With Dogs Successful Dogs & Dating Stories. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @spicydogmama and my girl Rey @mylittlepibble You can also check out my blog spicydogmama.com Support the show

This week was supposed to be part two of the Dogs & Dating Series. But I took a step back because I am lacking the energy and mental capacity to work on that series right now. So instead I thought I would be vulnerable, transparent and honest in an unedited update of the unfortunate events in my life that have brought me to this moment. Owning a reactive dog is hard and it's also a roller coaster. There are highs and lows, and sometimes you ride that high for so long that you forget what being in the low parts feel like. Well let me remind you, it is not easy. Rey and I are trying our best right now but things are not going great and I want to share that openly so that others who are struggling know that they aren't alone. We are in this together and we will get through it together. If you need a safe space to rant, I'm your girl. Reach out any time to share what you're going through. I don't have to offer any advice or suggestions. I can just listen. Because that is sometimes all that we need. www.instagram.com/spicydogmama spicydogmama@gmail.com There is no blog post for this episode but feel free to check out prior posts at spicydogmama.com Coming soon: Part Two: Dogs & Dating - All the Single Dog-less Ladies A single woman who has not or ever owned her own dog, and what it's like dating.... dog dads. Support the show

Part One of the Dogs & Dating series we get to hear from four different dog dads. Hayden, Eddie, Tyson and Jeff are all single dog dads who share their perspective on what dating is like while owning a dog. What their priorities, expectation, and deal breakers are. You may remember Eddie from Season One, he is a dog trainer at Classic Canine K9 and also a dog handler at a structured doggy daycare. He was on Episode Nine 'Handling Reactivity' where we heard more about his story. Owning dogs is not always a 'walk in the park' and neither is dating. So I wanted to chat with as many people as possible to hear their stories and thoughts on dogs AND dating. In this series we first have the dog dad perspective. Coming up we will also get the dog mom perspective, the perspective of trying to date a dog dad, trying to date a dog dad, breaking up when dogs are involved, and successful relationships with dogs. If you want to share a story, your thoughts, opinions, etc. Send me a message! You can find me on instagram www.instagram.com/spicydogmama Send me an email spicydogmama@gmail.com Or reach out on my blog www.spicydogmama.com - Here you can also read more about my journey, and I share each episode in an easy to ready blog format (with photos). Support the show

Julia joins us to talk about her one year old Belgian Malinois/Border Collie mix, Kilo. She shares her training journey- getting a mix of two incredibly high energy, high drive working breeds. Breaking stereotypes about the breeds and training in a way that matched her values and works for her dog! He's not a reactive boy. But with experience with reactive dogs and from hearing about others to the dog community. It has affected the way that they train and live their everyday life (in a good way). He is one handsome and wonderful boy, and his account has been growing steadily in popularity. But things aren't always as glamorous as they look. Instagram: www.instagram.com/malinois_kilo www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble Read it on the blog! www.reesesnpieces.com Email me: spicydogmama@gmail.com Join our community on Facebook! Balancing Reactivity Canadian Dogs https://www.facebook.com/groups/1107741093406927 A safe, supportive, and encouraging environment to share our stories, our wins and ask questions. Support the show

Dog handler/trainer Eddie from Classic K9 Academy based in Toronto shares his experiences with his first dog, having absolutely zero dog experience and from there what he's learned and how he got to where he is today. Finding a professional trainer is such an important step in your journey with your reactive dog. Do your research into trainers that will suit you and your dog and align with what you want to achieve and also what you believe in. Any experience/training processes or methods mentioned in this podcast is not to be used for your dog without the guidance of a professional trainer. What works for some dogs doesn't work for other dogs so please be careful and ensure the safety and wellbeing of your dog. If you want to read the podcast, check out the blog! www.reesesnpieces.com Follow us! www.instagram.com/classick9academy https://www.classick9academy.com/ https://www.theoriginaldoghouse.com/ www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble Support the show

Being face with the same scenarios repeatedly (off leash dogs in on-leash areas, "don't worry he's friendly", and the dirty looks or snide remarks when you ask them to leash their dogs), leave us frustrated and angry. Over time we grow increasingly tired of the same barriers and obstacles that we face while trying to help our dogs with their reactivity, we may find ourselves growing quite reactive ourselves... Or maybe it's just me. The question is, am I more reactive than my dog? There have been situations that Rey has actually been impressively calm and handled it beautifully meanwhile I'm in full rage mode and it takes me a few moments, hours, a rant and glass of wine later for my hackles to come down. When you are frustrated, fearful or just anxious, it's okay to have a reaction (just likes it okay if our dogs react - we just have to help them). So I also had to work on my own reactivity in order to better help my dog! To be calm in situations where she needed me to guide her. I'm sure many can relate to the many scenarios I describe in this episodes as these encounters are FAR too common. Instagram: www.instagram.com/spicydogmama www.instagram.com/mylittlepibble Email: spicydogmama@gmail.com Blog: www.reesesnpieces.com/blog Support the show