Do you know someone with special powers? I do. I am not talking about leaping across tall buildings with webbed hands or moving objects with their minds. It’s something more subtle, a power to communicate…with dogs. It may sound as if I am exaggerating that there is a human on this planet who can translate dog language or read inner canine thoughts. Putting it that way, I may be stretching it a bit. My sister is actually more of a dog whisperer than a mind reader. 

Cesar Millan is the most well known “Dog Whisperer” out there. He is the dog behavior expert that we see on reality tv who helps humans solve problems with their dogs. It’s entertaining and educational to see him train the dogs and the dog owners. But he is not the only whisperer out there. My sister is one. I say this because of what I have witnessed.

Whether it is her own dog or an unfamiliar dog on a beach, my sister is comfortable and enthusiastic with the furry four leggers. Some would say that she is a dog person. She is more than that. A dog person likes dogs, I am a dog person. When someone’s cute friendly dog wags his tail and sniffs a me, I pet him. However, I also have a great fear of dogs and then a fear that they can sense my fear. It goes way back to my early childhood of being chased on my bike by dogs in the neighborhood. Despite this fear, I consider myself a dog person (why else would I get two giant aussiedoodle dogs). My sister is more than a dog person, she is a dog whisperer.

She is known as the “Fairy Dog Mother.” She started a business several years ago by that name. Her gift of understanding dog’s needs was what made her so successful. She knew just what makes a dog happy when they were not at home with their human family. Every dog is happy staying some place that feels like home. Her Dog Inn was just that. The visiting pups got to do almost everything they did in their own house. Doze on the sofa, run circles in the backyard, sniff around the kitchen tiled floor, and even sleep on the end of a bed. It sounds too good to be true, right? But my sister created this homey atmosphere for the canine guests right there in her house.

She welcomed dogs of all sizes and breeds. Her main stipulation was that the dog be sociable, not have any aggressive tendencies. On any given day her house or yard may have an assortment that seems like a Disney movie: a pair of golden retrievers, a beagle, a great dane, a rescued mutt, a terrier, a pug, and her yellow lab Carlo.  She does not discriminate. In fact, when she first opened her business, we played a prank on her by sending her a fake request for boarding. We found a picture of the scariest looking german shepherd on the internet and emailed it to her with a request that “Bruno” be boarded. She replied happily, “Bruno would be most welcome at the Inn.”  I do not know how she did it. All those dogs in the same family room then sleeping at night on her bed. Her clients were very lucky to have such a loving responsible person to look after their fur babies. 

My sister no longer runs the Inn. She now works with human children in the classroom. I’ve heard her say from time to time how much she misses working with dogs. They don’t talk back, they appreciate any little attention, and they play, eat, and nap. Raising two aussiedoodle puppies, I can see what she loved about being around the dogs all day and night. However, I cannot imagine a whole group of dogs. That’s why my sister is the Fairy Dog Mother that she is.

Even though her job is out of the house these days, she comes home to several fur babies. She’s always watching a friend’s dog along with her own. People know that she is a lover of pups and will treat them as her own.  My sister has yet to meet Koda and Summer because we live across the country from one another, but that has not stopped her from providing me with plenty of tips for puppy training. She’s my Cesar Millan through the telephone, my Fairy Dog sister.