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, Leanne.

I'm super excited to have you here for
the first time in my Zoom room under the

umbrella of dogs, so I'm delighted to have

Lian: you here.

Oh, my pleasure entirely.

Um, as soon as I heard what you're
doing with Soul Touched by Dogs, I

was just like, that's just wonderful.

What a lovely creation.

And then the opportunity to talk about
this, uh, again, I said to you earlier,

Soul are two of the things I probably
think about and talk about the most.

So to be able to talk about how
they interact with each other.

Perfect.

Anke: So you're in the right
plot and the right place then.

So let's just start out.

Why don't you give people
like a two minute birds eye

overview, like where you base.

You know, what's the day job?

Like, what's your connection with dogs?

Lian: So, um, I, I'm English, as you can
probably hear from my accent, and live

just outside London in Hertfordshire.

Um, and we are very fortunate because
we live in A very old country cottage

just surrounded by English countryside,
which of course is perfect when you

love dogs and, uh, being able to
sort of go out on like very muddy

walks, let the dogs run free is, uh,
yeah, for me like heaven on earth.

So it's, um, my journey with with dogs.

I was raised in a very, like,
animal loving household.

All kinds of animals, actually.

Like, my whole life we've had all
sorts of different kind of animals.

Um, but certainly over the years I've
realized, like, It's hard to say for

sure, but I think probably dogs are the
ones that kind of really have my heart.

And from a very early age, my parents
were, most of the time, very clear

that if we were to take on an animal,
it needed to be a rescue animal.

Um, there's so many animals out there
in the world that need help, need homes.

And so from a very young age, that
was kind of like normal to me.

And so That carried on as I've
got older and kind of old enough

to choose to have dogs of my own.

And in the last 10 years, um, since we've
lived here, we've had various rescue

dogs kind of We've taken on all different
ages, um, right from, all of them

rescued, but right, right from puppies.

The oldest we took on was an 11 year
old, our dear, now departed, Mabel.

And each one of them has just brought, you
know, so much joy, so many lessons, um.

Honestly, it's something I can't see.

We've got three at the moment and,
uh, I have to say to my husband,

I don't know if we're done yet.

He thinks we are, but, uh, we'll see.

But, oh, that's a kind of
snapshot of about me and dogs.

Anke: I love it.

I love it.

And it's very similar.

It's like very similar to mine.

Like, you know, that sort of upbringing
and I've always wanted a dog and,

and always felt that connection,
you know, really, really strongly.

Is there a particular lesson or
like something that you thought,

Oh, I never imagined or never
expected dogs to teach me that?

Lian: That's a great question.

The, I think because of the work I
do, which is a kind of That in itself

is a, it's a hard thing to summarize
but, you know, very much in the work

of individuation, really understanding
who we are at that deepest soul level.

So I've got a very kind of, you know,
shamanic spiritual lens on life,

which I really bring to everything.

And What I've really realised in
sharing our, you know, opening up

our home, our lives, our hearts to
these sort of series of dogs that each

bring their own, you know, blessings,
but sometimes bring challenges.

And it's been something that over
time I've realised the, the humility.

And generosity and patience that they
can teach us and require of us is so

helpful for us and our own growth.

It can be so easy, I think, particularly
in this crazy modern world where we're

so, we always want things to like fit neat
boxes and be so productive and like, you

know, this A needs to follow B, you know,
like this just keep going in this machine.

And Much of the work I do is inviting
people to find ways to, like,

reconnect to their wild selves through,
for example, nature reconnection.

And I think dogs are, like, a
perfect gateway back to that.

You know, they, they, you know,
technically are tame, and yet

are so much less tame than us.

You know, they really invite us
back into that wild aliveness.

They really bring us back into our
body, back into a sense of like, this

moment right now is what's happening.

You might have ideas, like it, it's funny
really because I've hosted a podcast for

Pretty much the whole 10 years I've had,
like, dogs in adult life, I've also hosted

a podcast, and I was joking to, uh, one of
my team earlier, like, it's crazy, really,

that I run a podcast, and most of the time
I'll have three dogs in this room with me.

I can quickly show you.

I can see one behind you.

There's one there,

Anke: one there, and another

Lian: one there.

And most of the time They're
like they are now, guys.

Like, they, they, they know when I'm
here, they meant to the rest of the

time, they used to eat all over me.

But here, they, they stay
quiet and, um, get on with it.

But of course, that's not always the case.

If they see someone outside,
if there's a squirrel, knock

at the door, they're in uproar.

And it's been such a great lesson for
me that, like, I can't control that.

You know, that, that isn't, there's
something out of my control and

there's things that I will do to,
you know, like maximize the time

that I can, you know, actually have
a conversation on the podcast, but

also just to recognize there's,
there's so much, again, the humility

of like, I'm not in charge of life.

I'm not in charge of any of this really.

And again, bringing us back to
that, like, life is just happening

in this moment, it's full of all
of this chaos, all of these, these

calls for us to, like, realise who
we are and how we're showing up.

Um, there's so much more I can
say, there's a particular story I'd

love to tell you about, um, that I
mentioned earlier, but I'll, I'll,

I'll pause there for a moment.

Anke: Yeah, no, I think, I think
you're spot on with that, you

know, that connection where,
yeah, no, a dog's just like, okay,

this, and this is what is, right.

And what I always find fascinating
when you see a dog with, you know,

on a, in a wheelchair kind of thing,
you know, when they kind of have,

don't have the use of their legs.

I don't care.

Like, let's play.

So they just don't have that.

They don't make up all these
stories around like, oh, what that

means and what it doesn't mean.

It's just like, you get on with what
you have and you make the most of

it and it doesn't stand in the way
of joy and movement and playfulness.

And I think there's so much we can learn.

So much we can learn.

Yeah, for sure.

Now tell me, tell me about Mabel.

Lian: Oh, our beautiful Mabel.

So, she, I, at the time we
had, uh, Laszlo over there who

was our first Rescue Vizsla.

And Weren't at all planning
to get a second dog at that

point, famous last words.

The rescue charity that we got him from,
I follow their Facebook page and of

course they're constantly sharing dogs
that they've got in that need homes.

And I saw Mabel, and she was there kind of
like, uh, like sugar face, all gone grey,

and just like looking into the camera
with these just like eyes that burned into

your soul, and I just knew immediately,
oh my goodness, she's meant to be with us.

And um, so I showed him my husband,
he's like, he hadn't like, why, why on

earth would we be taking on another dog,
let alone an 11 year old dog right now?

I don't know, but I know
she's meant to be with us.

And, so.

Cut a long story short, she, uh, we were
at the point where we were kind of like

really thinking, okay, we could offer a
home, but it brings a lot with it, not to

least the fact our children then, they're
now kind of a young teen, so this was,

um, maybe five years ago or so, so quite
a bit younger, and we really knew that

she wouldn't be with us for very long, you
know, a big dog, 11, they're not going to

last probably very long, and hadn't had a
great life, she'd been in a kill shelter,

she'd been used as a breeding bitch, so.

wasn't in the best of health, you
know, who knows how long we'd have her.

And so we're sort of in this like,
shall we get her, shall we not?

And I had a conversation with my son, and
he was probably about nine at the time.

And I was saying, you know, this
is what we're thinking about.

But you know, if we do get
her, we need to be prepared.

You know, we may not have her for
long, and then we'll lose her.

And my son said something like to this
day, I go back to and I think like,

oh my goodness, like, Just that showed
me so much about what's really going

on when we take these animals on.

He said, well mummy, even if we only
have her with us for six months,

at least she gets the opportunity
to like spend the last part of her

life with a family who love her.

And it brings tears to my eyes again
remembering like, he's just clarity.

Like he's not about us.

He's not about us.

You know, I was, I was even projecting
my own, like, you know, that on my

children, that they can't put themselves
aside for the dog, but they can,

they can feel this isn't about us.

And so we, we, uh, gave her a home.

She actually was with
us, um, until she was 14.

So we actually had her for
far longer than six months.

Really was.

And she was just amazing.

And in the end she lost her sight.

And it was so, she'd gone so blind.

It was such an old age.

She just couldn't seem to
adapt to life as a blind dog.

Um, and the, I remember being in the
vets when she was put to sleep and I've

remembered, I thought I'd guarded my
heart, I thought because we'd taken her

on, knowing we wouldn't have her very long
and we're almost doing it as a gesture

of like, you know, like generosity rather
than it being like, we're getting the

dog, it's so exciting, but like, you
know, again, like my son was saying,

you know, at least she'll have a family.

And so I thought I'd protected my heart,
you know, like, We won't have a long

and, you know, won't get too attached.

I was so devastated in the vet.

I was, I was literally sitting on
the floor, like, just in streams

of tears to the point where the vet
said to my husband, is she okay?

That taught me another lesson.

I was so devastated and I came out of
there, I was just like, There isn't

any protecting your heart from them.

That's not, that's not the game.

That's not the point.

That's not what this is all about, right?

No.

And, uh, I remember coming out of the
vet, it's like, again, I still cry when

I think of her because she just was like,
she, everyone kind of like was forced

to open her heart, their heart to her.

And just that whole experience
has taught me so much.

I would, I would recommend, you
know, just as a side, really anyone

that's in a position to take on an
older dog like that, if you can do.

She taught me so much.

Anke: Yeah, and actually
a friend of mine, she, um.

always takes in, you know, and when one
passes, there'll be another one, and it's

always an older dog, you know, and, and
it's, it's always that, you know, but it's

every time it's You know, usually they
hang around a lot longer than one expects,

you know, and you do get attached to them.

Like, yeah, it doesn't matter if
they, if it's only a few months or

a year or something, it doesn't.

Yeah.

I don't think there's like a time.

I don't think connection, I guess
it's the same with people, right?

I think connection and
time aren't strictly

Lian: related.

No, we think they are.

It's another thing, isn't it?

We project our ideas of
like, this equals this.

Yeah,

Anke: because you can have that, you
know, and I think you kind of said

it, it's like, okay, that, that,
and I had like that sensation that

these eyes go straight through.

I had that in an extreme way
with, with the one that's,

that's right here beside me.

You know, I was just like, yeah, I don't
know, like these eyes go in, in a way

that the rational mind cannot follow.

Right.

And it doesn't matter
how, and it's instant.

You know, so there is no, like,
you don't need time to get used to

them or any of that, like, yeah,
it's, it's, it's really instant.

And there's so much that, that, do you
find, like, having more than one dog,

that was like, they were, for me, there
were so many lessons that I didn't expect,

because there was always like, yeah, you
know, dogs, they, they kind of very shaped

by you and your relationship, right?

And what I didn't really see coming
is like how different they are, even

if they grew up in the same household,

Lian: right?

Completely, and also the way that
Each new one coming in will shift the

dynamic between the three of them, so
suddenly you see a different aspect

of one of them that you thought you
knew really well, and you're like, oh,

I didn't know that was there for you.

Um, talking about that kind of like,
eyes bearing into your soul, our recent

addition, Huxley, the uh, Sausage Dog.

Exactly the same thing.

We weren't at all planning
to get another dog.

Um, my, my husband was like, no,
two is definitely, I've got two

hands, two dogs is the maximum.

I had the exact same experience where I
saw him, it was through the same rescue

charity, even though they're primarily
business, uh, they come from Hungary and

they have kind of links with a Hungarian,
uh, uh, fashioned rescue charities.

They often, uh, will show
those on the page as well.

So anyway, I had the same experience.

I think by this point, my husband's
like, okay, she knows something

I don't, we'll go with it.

And, um, He's, he's coming with such
a, I think it is a bit like that

breed nature, like, they're actually
quite similar to Vizsla's really,

you know, like Barry, lots of energy,
lots of character, really soft, really

want to be with, with their family.

And, He's come in and it's so
interesting because the, the one that's

off our camera at the moment, my long
haired fizzler, he's the softest dog.

He is like a forever baby dog.

He's just absolutely gorgeous.

Like the, everyone just says like
he's the softest dog in the world.

Like just not a bad bone in his body.

And it's been really interesting seeing
Huxley come in and then the whole pack

obviously all shifts in relationship.

And now starting to see Ah, Watson's
now realising, like, ah, I'm sort of

the baby, but I'm not really the baby.

But not really.

Yeah, I'm not the little one anymore.

And it's starting to get more, like,
independent in a way that, like, I

never imagined, like, he's now five.

You know, by five you're going to
get independent, you would have done,

but no, it took getting the little
one for him to, like, oh, perhaps I

could, uh, be on my own sometimes.

But like you said, they are all
just such distinct personalities.

It was funny, I did a podcast with, um,
a chap for my podcast yesterday, and

we were talking about how sort of human
centric we can be, where we can very

much think that we Everything in the
world is here for us and doesn't have

its own sensuous, its own consciousness.

And, um, it's a world view that we've
kind of like, it's a very modern

world view, and we then look at
everything we do through that lens.

And how, even if we start to take a
step back into a more, like, shamanic,

animistic lens, because we're still
looking at it through that viewpoint,

it's like, oh, we see a crow.

And it's like, what does that symbolize?

Rather than, no, it's just,
it's a being in its own right.

That crow, of course, has some
commonalities with other crows, but

it's also its own individual being
with its own needs, its own, you know,

I'm not going to reject too much kind
of, again, human ways of being and

thinking, but it has got its own nature,
its own way of being in the world.

And I think dogs are really great at
reminding us that, like you're saying,

it's like you have more than one dog,
you know more than one dog, you see

that these aren't just dogs as a breed
that are here for humans to do what

they want with and to control and to
own, each of them are their own beings,

all with their own right to life
and own right to express themselves

and be in the world as they are.

And I think it's, again, really
It's a helpful reminder, if we're

open to that lesson, I think we
really need that as a species.

Yeah, I couldn't agree

Anke: more.

And I think it's one of the reasons I
even started this, because I felt like

the narrative needs to be changed.

Like, we can't keep looking at dogs
specifically, but I guess it applies

to other animals as well, as like, Oh,
they're a tool, we use them when we

kind of, you know, or a toy for the
kids, you know, or like, my emotional

support, like, you know, my psychological
dumping ground, you know, so it's just

like, Respecting them for what they
are, exactly how you say, like, you

know, they are their own soul, really,
you know, and we have the privilege to

connect with them, but I don't think
we have the right to control them.

Lian: Yeah, yeah, very much so.

Anke: Yeah, I love that.

So how can people find out more
about the work you do and, you

know, about you and your pups
and the business and all of that?

Yes,

Lian: I'm constantly, uh, if they're
not showing up in the background on

podcasts, I'm constantly talking about
them and sharing pictures of them.

Even though it's not what
I actually do for a job.

And so, if you're listening to this in
the early part of 2020, Four, you'll

find us@wakingthewild.com, but we are
imminently about to, um, go to a rebrand

and we'll become be mythical.com.

So if you go to one or the other,
they'll, um, redirect anyway, but

probably by the time you listen to
it, we'll be@bemythical.com and we

have a free podcast, all sorts of
offerings and, um, we share on, you

know, most social media platforms.

So find out more if anything
I've said has, uh, resonated.

Anke: Love it.

Thank you so much for coming.

Um, I'm glad we finally made it together.

It wasn't the last one.

Lian: It's been delightful.

Thank you so much for inviting me.

It's been gorgeous conversation.

Thank you.

Thanks so much for listening.

If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget
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And if you know a pawsome human
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I'd love an introduction.

Email me at Anke.

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