Sometimes I complain that I dont get out from behind my computer enough. So fall is my favorite season, because I get to get out of the office and onto an airplane. The annual conventions of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) are always held at around the same time of year, and attending both meetings constitutes both vacation time and inspiration time for me.
One of the best things about going to these conferences is meeting people who are big fans of the magazine. People often introduce themselves and tell me how such and such an article pratically saved their dogs lives now that makes all those hours behind the computer monitor worthwhile!
Of course, for balance, there are those individuals who track me down to let me know in no uncertain terms how angry they are with some article or other. Maybe we bashed their dogs food, or said we disapproved of their favorite training tool, but it made them MAD! I always feel like my sensitive Border Collie when this happens; I just want to go hide under my desk!
I try not to let the praise go to my head, or let the criticism get to my tummy. Because, honestly, not even a Border Collie can make all of the people happy all of the time. We can wear our paws off trying, but it just cant be done.
Nor would this magazine be much use to you if that is all we tried to do. If we spent all of our time sitting on the fence and refusing to take positions on things like electronic training collars, or pushing a puppys nose in a puddle of pee, or artificial preservatives in food, what use would we be to anyone?
So, sometimes, we have to agree to disagree on certain subjects. Hopefully, for every article you take exception with, youll find several you heartily agree with. And when we meet in person, we can shake paws and discuss it over a bone. I promise I wont bite.
-Nancy Kerns
