A few years ago, Katelin Morales decided to foster through a local rescue and ended up with a Labrador/Australian Shepherd mix named Jax.
It took a matter of days for the eight-week-old puppy to find a home. But by the time she got the call from the rescue, Katelin had fallen in love and couldn’t let him go. “For a puppy, he was super chill,” she said. “He even enjoyed watching TV with me and lounging on the couch from day one. The first night, he didn’t cry in his crate. I introduced him to my family and he only wanted to be with me even on day two, so I knew I couldn’t give him to someone else.”
A recent transplant to Philadelphia, Katelin was dating her boyfriend, Julius, over long distance, and hadn’t yet made any new friends. After she decided to keep Jax, she knew she wanted to get him trained and found Philly Unleashed. “Having a dog in the city is different than having a dog in the suburbs,” Katelin said. “Just so different. I also wanted to take him to a whole bunch of events in Philly because it’s so dog friendly. We started with Puppy Club. We learned so much the first time, and we knew we wanted to continue.”
From there, the pair took Jax to Levels 1 & 2 for obedience, Dogs With Attitude when Jax got a little more vocal towards other people on walks, and Trailblazers to hike the city.
Katelin and Julius were able to learn how dogs played with each other, and to discern what sounds were good sounds in Puppy Club. Then the obedience classes brought another element of learning for all three of them. “Half of the class is teaching you rather than teaching the dog,” said Katelin. “Every time they’re teaching us something, we’re just so amazed and we go home to try to do it.”
She’s also found that Jax is a conversation starter. “Not only have I made more friends, Jax has made more friends,” she shared. “I can do more stuff with him generally. We go to a lot of events in Philly, and everyone in our apartment building has a dog.”
They’re working through Level 2 towards Level 3, building on the foundations of tap and target. She’d also like him to get into a class like agility, since he’s naturally active and prone to activities like swimming.
Katelin enjoys being Jax’s favorite person. Jax often struggles with shyness when meeting new people, which is why Katelin and Julius signed him up for Dogs With Attitude. “He became more vocal and reactive towards people during walks,” explained Katelin, “We wanted to nip that behavior in the bud so we could introduce Jax to all of our friends and family without worrying.”
His comfort with his people, however, remains strong. “He’s always so excited to see me and so comfortable with me,” she shared. “And with my boyfriend rather than other people. He LOVES dogs and has tons of doggy friends, but with new people, he is often hesitant.”
As Katelin’s registered emotional support animal, he’s been able to assist her during airplane travel. While the airport, stuffed with new people, can be a struggle sometimes, Jax loves the airplane. “He relaxes and goes on his side and asks for a belly rub,” Katelin shared. “It takes him a bit, but I can tell when he’s comfortable and it surprised me how comfortable he is on the plane.”
Katelin advises other dog owners to trust their dog. With consistent training comes an understanding of behavior. “Sometimes I get nervous with him around people,” Katelin shared. “I’ll pull on the leash, and that makes him more reactive, rather than giving him more room on leash and trust him to not be reactive. I’m learning to give him the leeway to figure things out. If he freaks out, it’s okay, I still have the leash and I can pull back if I need to.”
And for those who have a puppy, Katelin’s been there. “It gets better,” she said. “We’ve struggled with potty training, and he still has accidents, but it gets better.”
