👋🏼 Hi from Haley (and Scout)!

Find me writing about animals, living in a yellow van, and reading lots of books.

I adopted Scout in 2019. Since then, we’ve worked on her fear-based dog reactivity, fostered shelter dogs, and navigated life’s chaos in between. In January 2023 we hit the road for full-time van life! What started as a dog training blog on Instagram has become a place to reflect on so much more… but still dogs, of course. Always dogs.

Currently, I’m focused on drafting and securing representation for my first book: a memoir-esque reflection weaving together emotional realizations, training insights, and core values from seven years helping my fearful dog handle—and more importantly, enjoy—our shared life.

How things work around here

You can sign up to get new posts in your inbox for free. (All you need to do is enter your email; no account required.)

By default, you’ll receive posts from the main Paws and Reflect category (dog thoughts, animal-related musings), Write and Reflect (writing and reading reflections), Park and Reflect (all things van life), and Haley’s Journal (personal thoughts that don’t better fit elsewhere).

You can change which sections you’re signed up for at any time under your subscription settings.1 I also add tags to each post so you can filter through them that way. (Here’s a bulleted list of every tag.)

What about paid subscriptions?

It feels like a gift that someone would simply read a piece I’ve written, let alone pay me to read it. That said, a few particularly effort-intensive or personal posts here are behind a paywall.

• Pay monthly or yearly: I’ve set our paid subscription cost to Substack’s minimum amount.

• Request a free supporter account: If you aren’t comfortably able to pay, I can waive the fee. (I mean this! Please do not hesitate to reach out.)

The below Instagram post and this blog dive deeper into my thoughts about sharing, especially when it comes to dog stuff (and I’m “just” a pet owner).

paws.andreflect

A post shared by @paws.andreflect

Bark at me

Say hi via haley (at) pawsandreflect.blog!

• I don’t check my inbox every single day—but I do make an effort to reply to each genuine message I receive. I should get back to you within a week!

• The more detailed your email is, the better I’ll be able to respond.

Now go play with your dog

And tell someone you think they’re doing a great job!

• Our logo of Scout holding her yellow frisbee was illustrated by the talented Haley Rogers.

• Nicole Handel took the featured photo of me, Sean, and Scout posing just inside Hermes the yellow van.