I met Jamie Damato amid the typical “furry” of activity at her downtown office. Dogs swirled at our feet as she buzzed me in. Jamie took my hand and drew me toward her. With calm, connected eye contact and a steady voice, she said:
“There’s a big, white dog at your feet. Don’t look at him.”
She stood there holding my hand and holding my eyes for longer than is socially comfortable for a first business-type meeting or a meeting of any kind, for that matter. Yet, instead of feeling uncomfortable or scared (there was, after all, a big, white dog at my feet who apparently did not like to be looked at), I was calm and relaxed, like I had fallen into something really special.
This is a woman who knows how to get quiet
when quiet is what’s called for.
Jamie is the owner and creative genius behind Animalsense, a multi-functional brand that extends far beyond the dog training for which she is known. I liked her immediately and not just because I learned something important from her that day.
This is how she connects with dogs, I thought.
And, guess what? It works with people too.
Why I Run
Make Yourself Uncomfortable, Part I
