Reflections on learning, growth, and the quiet impact of Dylan’s first summer as a reading and therapy dog Our first summer as The Story Dog team has been truly special. Dylan’s gentle presence has had a wonderful impact on me and on the people he meets. He lives in the moment, loves meeting people,…

Sometimes change arrives before we feel ready for it. Six years ago, after facing my first redundancy, I found myself questioning what I truly wanted from work and life. I had long dreamed of working for myself, but I had no clear plan — only a growing sense that I didn’t want to keep…

Have you ever felt as though something was missing, even if you couldn’t quite explain it? For a long time, that was how I felt. I often saw myself as a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle — present, but never quite able to settle into place. I didn’t yet have the language for…

As we mark Mental Health Awareness Week, I’ve been thinking about the kind of comfort that doesn’t need fixing words or big gestures. The kind that meets you exactly where you are. For me, that comfort has often come with four paws—because Harley and Dylan, have taught me the same quiet lesson: return to…

There are moments in life when everything shifts — the way you think, the way you move through the world, the way you work. For me, that shift was because of one dog. My first dog as an adult. My soul dog. Harley. Harley and I shared a life full of highs and lows,…