Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome, Erin.

I'm very excited to have you here today.

Erin: Thank you so much for having me.

Anke: Well, as always, let's start
with sharing with people where on

this lovely earth you are and, you
know, what's your business with dogs?

Erin: Sure.

I am in Baltimore, Maryland,
which is on the East coast of

the U S, uh, about an hour from
Washington, DC, the nation's capital.

And, uh, I'm here because I am
so obsessed with dogs that it has

just taken over my whole life.

And I have two different
dog podcasts that I do.

I help run a nonprofit organization,
uh, and I also have some products

that I've been working on.

So I'm excited to, to dive
into these with you today.

Anke: Oh, lovely.

I can't wait.

I can't wait to unpack all of that.

So the totally obsessed with dogs.

Yep.

Get that.

So how, how did you get sucked into that?

Like what, like, did you grow up like
this or when did you have your first dog?

Or how, when did the obsession start?

Erin: Well, it's kind of a funny story.

I did not at all grow up with
any kind of pets or animals.

I was, I wouldn't go so far to say
scared of them, but I didn't have a

ton of great experiences with dogs.

And when I met my husband, from the
moment I met him, when we were dating,

he kept saying he wanted to get a dog
and, but he always kind of lived in these

apartments where you couldn't have dogs.

And so when we bought our first house,
uh, he's like, you know, okay, we're

getting a I, I think we lived here for
like, 10 days before we brought our dog

home and I was kind of reluctant about it.

I, you know, I was like, not sure
about this whole thing, but he

had a very specific vision that he
wanted a female Brindle Pitbull.

And that was our first dog, Lucy.

And she's actually the logo
of the Believe in Dog podcast.

And, uh, over the course of a
couple of years, it just all changed

my life, changed the direction
of what I did in my spare time.

And over the last 10 years, 20 years
now has just completely, uh, taken over.

Anke: I love that.

I love that.

It's funny.

It's actually, I mean, apart
from the husband's story, that's

very much like my, I, I didn't
grow up with, with a dog either.

So it was when I moved to Spain 20 years
ago that it was like, Ooh, finally I

live in a space and I can have, yeah.

So.

Well, having your first dog is kind of
one thing, you know, to turn it into

two podcasts and non profit, like that's
a whole different level of dedication.

So how did you, what sparked the
idea to take this further than, you

know, somebody just loving their dog?

Erin: So it's so interesting,
right, because I didn't, I so didn't

know anything about dogs that I
didn't know that there's people

who have a problem or a negative
stereotype around pit bull type dogs.

And it kind of speaks to my heart
because at my heart I'm like a don't

judge a book by its cover, you know,
kind of misunderstood kind of thing,

you know, uh, tattoos, piercing,
you know, like my husband's already

tattooed and, you know, but he's like
the softest, hardest guy, you know.

So.

That just very much speaks to me.

And so I kept, I couldn't,
like, I couldn't believe that

people didn't love these dogs.

And I kept thinking, well, if they
met Lucy, they would understand.

And I was looking for opportunities
to, you know, highlight how

awesome of a dog that she was.

And that was what got me
started in volunteering.

And there was a group of Uh, dog owners
in Baltimore who would do things like

pit bulls on parade where we dress
our dogs up in silly costumes and

walk them around, you know, the inner
harbor and introduce them to people.

And then through that, we kind of
took our organization in a different

direction where we started providing
free pop up veterinary care.

in under resourced
communities in Baltimore.

And a lot of those dogs that we're
reaching were pit bull type dogs.

So it was really important to us, but
we help, you know, any kind of dog.

Uh, and so that has just led me to
so many interesting people whose

lives have been changed by dogs.

And when I started realizing there
was all these cool stories, I'm like,

everybody should know about this.

And then that's kind of how it led into
starting the Believe in Dog podcast.

Anke: Oh, I love that.

I love that.

So tell people, that
podcast, what's it about?

Like, what's the format?

So who do you talk to and what do you
talk about apart from dogs, I guess?

Erin: So I love a long form
deep dive conversation.

I'm in the car a lot, so I like
having those hour long episodes.

And so sometimes I'm sharing new things
that I'm learning, and I'll bring

somebody on, you know, that might be
like a trainer or a veterinarian or

somebody who has something to share,
you know, tactical knowledge wise.

And then sometimes it's just people who
are doing really cool things in the world

with their dogs, whether it's writing a
book or starting a nonprofit organization

or something, and kind of really hearing
the story of how this dog developed

Dog came into their life and you know,
they started going off in a different

direction that they never envisioned.

And so I, I really liked having that
kind of mix of, you know, both learning

and like kind of heartfelt stories.

Anke: Yeah.

I love that.

I love that.

So, so if, if you had to sum up the
core, like call it the essence of

the message, like what's the, what's
the, what's the, you know, what's

the core you want to communicate?

Like, say the, like where I'm coming
from is like, for me, it's like,

you know, kindness first.

You know, because like, let's
just look at dogs differently.

Not, they're not a toy, they're not toys
for the kids, they're not the tool, you

know, like they have so much to teach
us, you know, and to kind of actually

almost discover our own kindness.

Through giving it to them and respecting
them for what they are, you know?

So that's kind of what I wanna, you
know, kind of communicate and amplify,

you know, basically bringing people on.

So if you were to summarize the
core message of, of your podcast or

your, your work, what would that be?

Erin: Well, I always say that dogs.

can show up in our lives as healers,
as teachers, and as inspirations.

And so I like to kind of share a
mix of those different kinds of

stories as well as sharing what that
has looked like in my life as well.

Anke: So do you want to give
a little glimpse of that?

One of those?

Erin: Sure, so I'm actually a five year
breast cancer survivor and having my

dogs in my life was just so incredibly
healing and important at that time.

It was such a surprise, you know, I
have always said as a joke, because

you have to laugh sometimes, right?

Like, we're a heart attack
family, not a cancer family.

Like, I didn't know how to approach this.

It was, it so caught me out of the
blue and was just such a shock.

And so, you know, Having my dog, I have
my best girl Penny at that time, and to

just be able to get in the car with her
and watch her stick her head out the

window while I'm cranking some 90s rock
and just driving around, you know, just

kind of helped me, you know, process my
emotions, help me stay in the moment.

Um, and when I was physically not
feeling well after chemo and things

like that, you know, she was right
there alongside of me for that also.

And, uh, I'm just so grateful,
you know, for both of my dogs.

Sometimes, they can just bring comfort
without even having to say anything.

Whereas people, I start feeling
pressure to be like, no, I'm okay.

Everything's fine.

You know?

And so they just kind of let you be.

Anke: Yeah.

That's, that's so true.

And they get you, right?

You can't trick a dog.

I always say like, you can trick a person.

You can't, you can't trick
a, you can't trick a dog.

Yeah.

So, and you, you, I mean, I can't help it.

I I'm curious in a, like, You just
mentioned before we started recording

that you're working on, on, um, you know,
on, on a way for people to even like,

track what's going on with the animals,
because I think the tracking piece,

especially like in the health context.

Like it's a, it's big, you know, so
tell me a little bit about that, we'll,

we'll dig into that in a, in a different
episode, but just touch on that.

Erin: Sure.

So I created something I
call the Dog Health Journal.

And right now it's a PDF download,
but I'm working on a new way to do it

that I think is going to be awesome.

Uh, and it was born out of my frustrations
and this whole saga with my girl Penny.

And.

She, you know, she had these allergies,
she had these red itchy feet, and my

vet would be like, okay, try green tea
soaks or Epsom foot soaks, and we're

going to try this herb and that herb.

And she would have all these sores, you
know, on her feet and be looking at, and

so I was trying to look for this way to,
you know, quantify what we were doing.

Like, I don't know, how do
I know if that's working?

I need to count up these sores and, you
know, and I was, I would play around

with like a template for something and.

So I finally just hired a graphic designer
to, like, create what I was looking for

to track, you know, things like their
food intake and what supplements they're

getting each day and how much exercise,
you know, they're getting and, uh, if I,

like, we had, um, a dog sitter, so if I
needed a way to, like, leave notes for the

dog sitter about, like, how to do this and
she could write something back to me, you

know, and it's kind of all in one place.

place.

And I was just, it was just
sort of born out of all this.

And when my vet saw it, she's like, Oh my
God, I wish all of my clients did this.

Like, you know, you need to make
this available for other people.

And even things like water and,
you know, the, the pee and poop,

you know, things like that.

Anke: Yeah, I love, I love that
because it is so true, right?

Because, because you make some
changes and then like, how do you

know whether that's worked, right?

Especially the stuff that isn't
just like today I eat this and

tomorrow I can see the results,
especially with the things that, that.

Right, when you're making those

Erin: diet changes, you know, it can
take a couple of weeks and, you know, and

then you're like, when did I start that?

I don't know.

Anke: I think, I think you, you
know, I think we almost need like

the human and the dog version of it.

Erin: Yeah.

It's on my list of, it's on my to do list.

Anke: Oh, so it's on
your project list, right?

Oh, that But it actually
helped, it actually

Erin: helped me save my dog Penny's
hearing, because she had an ear

infection, and we started using this
medication in her ears, it's a really

common ear medication, and like a
couple days later, I came home, and she

didn't get up to greet me at the door.

And then, you know, the mailman
came, and she would always bark

at him when the mailbox, you know,
clanged, and she just slept right

through it, and all of a sudden I
realized she wasn't hearing things.

And so when I was able to look at my
notes and see, oh, we just started

this ear medication 48 hours ago.

Could this be affecting her hearing?

And it turns out, yes, in a very small
percentage of dogs, there's an ototoxicity

reaction to common ear medications
that can make them lose their hearing.

And so because we caught it
so quickly, she did eventually

regain some of her hearing.

Anke: Wow.

That is incredible.

Like that's like that alone is already
like makes this more than worth it.

Right.

It's such a powerful story,
you know, because it's.

It's just something that's so easy to
overlook and, and when you, and I don't

know, like, I have no sense of time,
like, you know, it's like, I think, oh

yeah, we just started that yesterday
and it was like three months ago, kind

of thing, kind of thing to document.

It definitely, definitely makes,
makes all the sense in the world.

And humor.

You know, I just love all
the stuff you do with dogs.

Like, there's like, it seems like,
do you have time for anything else?

Because you have other Well,
I actually do have a full

Erin: time job.

Anke: Like, maybe like, that
would be an interesting topic.

Like, how to fit it all in.

It's always like, you know.

Take your passion and do something
with it, but like you're taking

this to a whole new level.

So, so you've got another podcast as well.

Erin: Yes, it's called
The Alternative Dog Moms.

I actually partner with a really kind of
famous dog blogger named Kimberly Gaudier.

And so we, like, really nerd out on the
health things and talking to, you know,

holistic and alternative practitioners
and learning about things like

homeopathy or, uh, traditional Chinese
veterinary medicine and things like that.

And we've gotten to talk to some
amazing people like, uh, Dr.

Ian Billinghurst and Dr.

Barbara Royal.

And it's just been so much fun.

And I, I really get into
the, the nerdy health stuff.

Anke: I love that.

I love that.

I must say, I must say, like this podcast
has been like this for me as well.

Like you get to talk to
all these amazing people.

It's like you learn so much.

You learn a lot in the process and
it's, it's incredibly inspiring to

see how many people actually do really
great work with, you know, with dogs.

So, um, yeah.

Apart from the, from the, from the
journal, like, do you have something

else on your massive bucket list?

Like, something that you're working
on or that you've got going on, or

on the, on the, on the, on the plan?

Erin: Oh my gosh, well, I have a
list of, posted here next to me of,

like, 10 different t shirt designs
that I have various work, you

know, working on in various stages.

And so that's one of my goals for the
summer is to get that t shirt store

launch, you know, t shirt stickers,
you know, all the things like that.

Uh, ones that I haven't seen
before that I'm excited about.

Anke: Ooh, like, look, see, I've got
like these old Fetch by Docs t shirts.

Like, I'm on the, on the mugs
and t shirt bandwagon as well.

So that's, so what, what is the day job

Erin: I actually work as a paralegal.

Anke: Okay, I was just thinking,
like, how do you have experience

with everything that's going on?

That's fascinating.

Did you see, like, a crossover,
something where the two worlds meet?

Erin: Well, it takes a lot of
organization skills, number one.

And number two, uh, you know,
seeing projects from, you

know, a thought until finished.

And the specific type of work
that I do, we actually do a lot

of medical journal research.

And so that's actually kind of
what introduced me to, you know,

how to do your own research.

And, you know, use things like PubMed
and, you know, work with, Um, you know, at

my day job, we work with a lot of expert
doctors and expert witnesses and stuff.

So I think, uh, some of it's
all kind of, you know, blended

together in the dog world also.

Anke: I love that.

I love that.

Like, I think that's where we do the magic
is when you bring two worlds together

in an unusual, unusual kind of way.

Yeah.

That's, that's great.

Fascinating, for sure, for sure.

So, where can people go and, you know,
find out about you and, you know,

because I think there's, there's so
many questions people could come to

you with, because you've been on this
massive journey and have spoken to so

many different people, because sometimes
it's not only just, you may have the

answer, you might know somebody who
is actually perfect for it, right?

Erin: I feel like my brain is a
clearinghouse for where to start solving

all different kinds of problems, you know.

But yeah, I'm most active on Instagram
as Erin the Dog Mom and then through

my website, the Believe in Dog
Podcast dot com, which links to

everything else that I'm doing as well.

Anke: I love that.

So we're obviously following the links.

below the video if you're
watching and in the show notes,

obviously, if you're listening.

So you can have a chance
to get in touch with Erin.

Well, thank you so much.

It's like, it feels like we
just scratched the surface.

So we definitely have to have you
back to talk about, I think I'm

kind of really curious to dig in
more into the alternative health

kind of, you know, what, what you've
learned and you know, and how you're

going with the, with the journal.

So when that's out, you know, I
think we're going to, we're back

and really diving into that topic.

So for now, thank you so much for
coming and sharing your passion.

And, um, can't wait to get you back again.

Erin: Thank you.

This was so much fun.

Appreciate your time.

Thanks so much for listening.

If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget
to subscribe, and leave a review so

other dog lovers can find the show.

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And if you know a pawsome human
you think I should interview,

I'd love an introduction.

Email me at Anke.

That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.