ou’re Dog Is Holistic, Shouldn't You Be?

Travis Paterson, OP Features Editor

Ss is a story about stress, dog food, and getting rip-roaringly
—the latter being something student publications can’t
e enough about. As for stress, some of us think we can
it off, sing it off, and drink it off. Well, I tried everything,
everything’s not enough. For the majority of my life I set-
for the easy route before anything else. I avoided work at
iry chance, yet I took everything on the chin, and for some
son I blamed myself for things I had no reason to blame
self for.
lived the hard and confusing life of a good young
hadian. I dropped out of University, trudged through a few
t courses at the local college, and worked for my Dad. I
id for beer and the chance to drink it in front of the
hucks game with my buddies.
hen it happened. The break up of my first
p-term relationship. We almost made it three
when she told me she was leaving me
another guy. Actually, she had already
There was just a matter of sorting
all of her stuff from mine. Overall
I reacted well; I cried, I
I made a huge plea for her
lake me back— then, I swore,
I cried, and finally, I
really, really high. Lastly, six,
ks later, I was free. I woke
and I was new. They say it
Ps seven years to com-
ely replace every atom in
body. Something in me
like my seven years was

hat was 2004, and I’ve
in happy everyday since.
secret? Not the
Akup, although that had
it to do with it, as does
new and awesome girl-
d. And granted, there
a career change in there
ewhere too. But it all start-
with a dog— a stray rescue
m the SPCA.
e original breakup may not
e happened at all if it weren’t for
in. We (the ex and the 2002 ver-
h of myself) adopted Bruin one year
our relationship. And Bruin, when we
ght him, okay, when my ex-girlfriend
ght him, came with two free visits to a
stic dogtrainer named Gary. At 6’7”, an ex-
Waiian surf-bum, Gary won me over. Aside from
ing else Bruin came with, including multiple shits
y living room and a taste for dime-bags, plastic and all, his
visits to the trainer proved life changing.
We were sold on Bruin because he was beautiful, and he
calm, but quickly we learned the truth—he was an aggres-
animal. When we first brought him home he tried to bite
parents’ dog, and he snapped at every person who came
my house. He was more than aggressive, he was barking

wo visits with the trainer resulted in some lengthy talks.
ny desperation to train him as fast as possible, I adopted
suggestion Gary had for me. The biggest shock was
ining that most dry dog foods, or kibbles, are made as
aply as possible and aren’t even good for dogs. Somehow I
this reflected human life. Gary politely insisted a raw food
for the dog, and I willingly implemented it. I fed Bruin
chicken bones, and in the food processor I pureed green
y vegetables with a touch of raw hamburger. He slowly
ired the appetite for chicken carcasses, but two weeks in

eatures@gmail.com

 

STE gpet eo crrennintincm:

Bruin was a raw food eating machine. I was also taught to
train him using only positive reinforcement, calmly rewarding
him for being calm, greatly rewarding him for behaving
around other dogs. I never told him ‘no, and I only rewarded
him for doing what I wanted him to do, which was chill-the-
fuck-out around other dogs, and not bite my friends. Lo and
behold, Bruin began to chill.

After two and a half years of buying his food at the same
butcher, I awoke to
what I was

   
  
  
  
 
 
  
   
  

 

 

 

 

really feed-
ing him. Organic chick-
en bones, and hamburger from non-medicated grain-fed beef.
Bruin had become the canine equivalent of a yoga-matt tot-
ing, Lululemon-wearing, Grouse-grinding, double-whipped-
soy-latte-drinking Vancouverite, yet I was eating the human
equivalent to kibble.

More importantly, if there was anything short of doggy-
yoga that I could do for the betterment of Bruin’s health, I
would do it. And then I realized, my health was of no con-

cern to me. In my mind, I always figured I would “go healthy”

when I was grown up.

As for Bruin, if I factored the belief that seven doggy
years is equal to one human year, and coupled it with the
seven year regeneration theory, Bruin was already twice
removed from the original animal I had adopted.

For that summer I met regularly with Gary at the seawall
in Yaletown. The visits with Gary were as beneficial for me as
they were for the dog. We spent half the time teaching me
how to properly react to Bruin’s antics, and half the time talk-
ing about life. Each session ended in a flurry of wisdoms
being passed from Gary to myself. Whether he saw a lot of
himself in me, or recognized the desire in me to understand
life, I was as much indebted to his experience as a human as I
was to his dog-training expertise. From him I learned to find
inspiration in places I never knew to look.

What it eventually came down to was what I was afraid
of—exercise and diet. I tried to run with nearly fatal
results. I didn’t make it ten minutes without stop-
ping and turning home. I knew I needed some-
thing to be motivated for, so I signed on to
a hockey league. When I started the sea-
son I could barely skate, and I’d be

completely drained long before the
game finished. The team were
weekly, so I kept running to
build stamina for the games.
By season’s end I actually
returned to the dressing
room without feeling light
headed.
Changing my diet
was far more challeng-
ing. Fast food was an
obvious no-no. Still, I
was a big fan of eat-
ing out, especially for
the social values.
Instead of cutting it
out, I adjusted my
approach, and
ordered vegetarian
items only. It was a
simple solution passed
on to me by none
other than my butcher.
Not only was the meat
that I brought home free
of steroids and hormones,
it was saving me a lot of
cash, because I was buying
from the cheaper side of the
menu.
Even nicer was the reputation I
began to carry. People assumed I was a
vegetarian, and I did little to persuade
them otherwise. In fact, I was a buffalo-eat-
ing carnivore, but I never pretended I wasn't. I
enjoyed it, and accepted it as a reward for sticking to
my garhe plan.

When I was hiking that summer I met a woman who was
studying to be a naturopathic doctor, and we kept in touch.
She taught me a lot about what nutrition the human body
requires, including the need for complete proteins in meats
that are difficult to replace. An unfortunate truth was that red
meat is not as beneficial as a breast of free-range chicken,
though in moderation, a steak or burger here or there isn’t a
killer.

My diet still isn’t where it should be, but I’m a lot better
off now than I would have been if I didn’t score the dog
training sessions with Gary.

One morning Bruin talked to me in a dream (while really
he was at the end of the bed snoring). In clear English, he
said “I promise I won’t piss on your vegetables in the garden,
and you're right about the seven year regeneration thing. I’m a
totally new dog.”

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