We’re Haley and Scout, freelance writer turned obsessive dog nerd and stray heeler turned adventurous best friend. My husband Sean gets involved sometimes too 👋🏼
I adopted Scout in January 2019. Since then, we’ve trained through fear-based dog reactivity, fostered multiple shelter dogs, and navigated so many 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 has become a place to reflect on so much more (big feelings, adventure, reading, full-time travel…) but still dogs, of course. Always dogs.
You’ll find us:
- Making our bright yellow van a home
- Embracing emotions (dog and human)
- Prioritizing biological fulfillment and play
- Advocating for our dog and the public
- Asking why we set certain goals
- Having fun together everywhere we can!
Above all, we care about living a good life together.
A life we all enjoy with as much harmony as possible.
I write (and now sometimes podcast) about our experiences in the hope that our blunders and realizations can encourage fellow human-dog teams.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have questions — and check out our suggested reading for a place to start!
Meet Haley: Writer, dog nerd, aspiring badass
From starry-eyed kid to full-time dog enthusiast
I’ve long loved dogs, but for years I was confused about what that looked like. Was temperament “all in how you raise them”? Were all breeders bad? Didn’t every puppy I saw on the street want me to say hi to them?
Eventually I dove deeper into the dog world and haven’t looked back. I left a stable marketing job to pursue the art and science of our canine companions full time.
Two of my greatest passions are nuance and shared core values. Life complicated! I’m particularly interested in social interactions (especially between species), healthy relationships (with our loved ones and ourselves), and understanding that our dogs, lifestyles, and definitions of success don’t have to be the same.
See all of my articles here on Paws and Reflect?
Meet Scout: Sensitive, hilarious cattle dog mix
From timid shelter dog to confident(ish) companion
Scout is our quirky blue heeler mix. She’s been “shy but sweet” from the moment she arrived at my hometown’s humane society.
A dog attack left her with intense fear-based reactivity early in our journey — but we’ve come a long way with consistent training (and some important perspective shifts on my human end of the leash).
Scout (also known as Scout-o, Dog, and Scoof the Goof) loves playing tug, snuggling with her people, and living in a van. Despite our behavioral modification work and her idiopathic epilepsy diagnosis, our world feels big. This speckled rescue dog continues to teach us about empathy and balance and so much else.
Meet Sean: Silly, steady, and ready for shenanigans
From “not a dog person” to world-class dog dad*
Sean is our irreverent husband/cheerleader/partner in all things. He works as an engineer with a climate change startup, loves comedy, and always seems to be falling down a new Wikipedia rabbit hole.
Sean was decidedly not a dog person when we first started dating — in fact, he’d only ever interacted with a handful of pets in his entire life — but you’d never know it now. None of this would be possible without his support and silliness.
* Disclaimer that he hates the term dog dad… so naturally, we can’t resist. (More serious feelings about dogs and kids in this podcast episode.)
Meet Hermes: Full-time van home of our dreams
Our bright yellow house on wheels
Sean and I dreamed about van life for years. The fantasy became a reality in January 2023!
We sold our house to commit to a long-term adventure on the road in Hermes, a yellow Promaster named after the greek god. Our van is perfect for our personal priorities, complete with a travel kennel for Scout, shower for me, and cozy guitar storage nook for Sean.
Acknowledgements
- All images or quotes that aren’t our own are credited in individual articles. Say the word if you have any questions!
- Our logo of Scout holding her yellow frisbee was illustrated by the talented Haley Rogers.
- Nicole Handel took the “About Us” homepage image and our family photo featured in the sidebar. Saint Paisley Photography took the “Suggested Reading” homepage image.