Once a child who couldn’t resist “borrowing” the neighborhood dogs, Marjie Alonso grew up to make her passion her profession. She spent decades as a dog trainer, behavior consultant, and executive director of animal behavior nonprofits. Over the years she shared her life with Emma, an American Eskimo, Betty and Addie, a pair of Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, Nellie, her first beagle, and now Alice, along with countless foster dogs. A devoted parent and storyteller, Marjie writes with humor and heart about the joy, mischief, and everyday conversations that make life with dogs so deeply meaningful.

 

Marjie has just completed a memoir about taking her sons to meet their biological mothers in Paraguay and a reckoning about adoption. She writes essays for publication, and has a weekly Substack.

Dear Goddamned Dog,

Dozens of 10′ tents; hundreds of pounds of gear and paper goods and auction items and give-away toys and office supplies and training equipment and coolers full of treats; numerous 10′ PVC walls with tarps wrapped around them, and dozens of hay bales; signage, T-shirts, donation bins; rain gear; hammers and stakes and 2,000 feet of snow fencing; zip ties and twine and scissors and tape; Volunteer schedules for 70+ volunteers; agility equipment, nosework boxes, weight pull sleds and harnesses and long lines, Kibble Quest containers; golf cart rental and return; press and TV interview and PR communications; bins and bags and bundles laden with everything it takes to put on an annual festival for thousands.

IMG_3716Thank you for finding that one leftover peanut butter sandwich a Thing had stored in a bag I had not yet gotten to. I really appreciate that. I’ll assume that smacking/licking noise you’re making is to remind me of my tardiness in putting everything away. If you could stop that, I’d really appreciate it.

Love,

Your Person

(Here’s some information about our Somerville Foundation for Animals and the annual September Somerville Dog Festival.)

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