Hi! 👋🏼 I’m Haley.

Find me writing about animals, living in a yellow van, and reading lots of books. I’m always here for emotions and nuance!

I adopted my blue heeler, Scout, in January 2019. Since then, we’ve trained through fear-based dog reactivity, fostered shelter dogs, and navigated ups and downs in between. In January 2023 we hit the road for full-time van life!

What started as a strictly dog training blog on Instagram has become a place to reflect on so much more (big feelings, adventure, reading, full-time travel…) but still dogs, of course. Always dogs.

🥹 Support my writing

Get access to every post here on Paws and Reflect by subscribing below.

Pay monthly or yearly

I’ve set our subscription cost to Substack’s minimum amount.

Request a free supporter account

If you aren’t comfortably able to subscribe, let me know! I can waive Substack’s fee. It’s important to me that everyone who wants to read my words has the opportunity.

(I mean this. Do not hesitate to reach out for an account. Please email me!)

Why have a supporter section?

I wrestled with the idea of creating some sort of paywall on Paws and Reflect. Who am I to sell anything? It feels like a gift that someone would simply read a piece I’ve written, let alone pay me to be able to read it.

But the truth is I put a lot of time and energy into this blog. Adding a supporter option seemed like a reasonable way to work through the associated costs.

Some posts explaining our “why”

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

I am always here for any questions. No need for shyness, I promise!

✉️ Say hi

Please don’t hesitate to say hi via haley (at) pawsandreflect.blog. A few things help me stay on top of incoming emails:

• 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.

📝 Acknowledgements

• All images or quotations that aren’t our own are credited in individual pieces. Holler with questions!

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

• Nicole Handel took the “About Us” featured photo of me, Sean, and Scout posing just inside Hermes.

🐺 Now go play with your dog, if you can