Episode 44. Children, Trauma & the Healing Power of Dogs with Natalie Keegan

A lifelong animal lover, Natalie Keegan has created a life she loves by connecting her background in psychology with her passion for dogs.

After witnessing firsthand, the difference that the love of a dog made in her son’s life, Natalie decided to learn even more about dogs by becoming a dog trainer.

Seeing the power to connect her professional work with children with her dog training skills, Natalie founded the Kids-4-K9s organization and was awarded a prestigious Open Society Institute fellowship to launch her program in schools. Kids-4-K9s has a mission to teach compassion in everyday interactions between people and companion animals.

If you have a high school-aged child in the Baltimore area, they can even learn from Natalie at the Kids-4-K9s Summer Camp at the Baltimore Humane Society.

In addition to Kids-4-K9s, Natalie also runs her own dog training business, My Creative K9, and volunteers at local animal shelters in the Baltimore area. Natalie & her husband also welcome children into their home through Maryland’s foster care system.

Natalie & I discuss:

Having a lifelong connection with animals;
Natalie’s professional work experience and background in psychology;
How Natalie first became interested in learning more about dog training;
The events that inspired Natalie to want to connect her professional work with her animal-loving interests;
The power of dogs to help us through difficult times in our lives;
What sparked Natalie to start the Kids-4-K9s organization;
The power of dogs to connect with children who have a history of trauma or who are distrusting of people;
How Natalie’s dog Lacey was able to continue her therapy dog work even after being paralyzed from a spinal cord stroke;
The resilience of dogs facing a medical issue like paralysis;
Lacey’s visits to the Ronald McDonald House with children who were facing similar paralysis;
Caring for a dog with special needs;
What Natalie feels is her mission in life;
Changing dogs’ behavior with positive reinforcement;
The connection between trauma and aggression in both people and animals;
Teaching children to train dogs with positive reinforcement;
Natalie’s volunteer work with local shelters;
Summer Camp for teens at Baltimore Humane Society;
The children’s books Natalie has been working on; and
How COVID impacted Natalie’s dog training business

Where to find Natalie:

SUPPORT Kids-4-K9s
REGISTER for Summer Camp at Baltimore Humane Society
WORK with Natalie at My Creative K9

Links Discussed:

Podcast Links Mentioned:

Check out my new podcast, The Alternative Dog Moms, discussing news in the fresh dog food community and the pet industry as a whole, with dog blogger Kimberly Gauthier of Keep the Tail Wagging. To learn more about Kimberly, check out Episode 18 of the Believe in Dog Podcast.
I was recently a guest on the Wear Wag Repeat Podcast talking about podcasting! Check out Tori Mistick’s podcast featuring women in the pet industry.
You can also hear me share about dogs, breast cancer, podcasting and the Dog Health Journal with Amrys Wang on The Raw Entrepawneur.