More The Merrier w/ Rebecca Ascher-Walsh

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How Rebecca Ascher-Walsh’s Dogs Prepared Her For Motherhood

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About The Episode

Rebecca grew up on the Upper East Side and had a dog right away when she was young, a golden retriever named Cooper who became her best friend through her adolescence. She also learned responsibility from a young age with walking him. It’s a “gift of independence” as she calls it.

After going to school, she got into writing and after being at Entertainment Weekly for a while, she got an offer to write a book about dogs for National Geographic as throughout that time she had stayed involved with the dog world, too. That turned into a trilogy of books, all published by Nat Geo.

She now has two kids (twins) and two dogs (one older and one younger), still living in New York City. The dog’s names are Buddy and Joe. The older dog, Buddy, has acted as a nanny to the kids during their whole time growing up. For Rebecca, too, having dogs prepared her for motherhood - from responsibility to patience.

The dogs have also been a social connector for Rebecca to connect with fellow dog walkers in Central Park, where she goes, and forming this special and unique bond with those. Taking her dogs out in the morning also helps her with a different type of morning routine and meditation, including staying out of her phone and being more present and tuned into the world, people, and dogs around her.

She also was even motivated to start her own organization, The Deja Foundation. They pay directly to a vet/trainer to help promote sustainable adoptions and help specific people and dogs to help afford their needs to survive and keep going.

About The Guest

Rebecca Ascher-Walsh is a freelance writer who has written several dog books that have been published by National Geographic. She has two dogs of her own, Joe and Buddy, and lives in New York City with her family. Her two kids now love the dogs, too, and their older dog (Buddy) has acted as a nanny to the children. The dogs have also helped to connect her with other people she may not have met otherwise, including during her morning routine around other dog walkers in Central Park. Additionally, Rebecca is the founder and director of The Deja Foundation, which helps provide direct assistance for getting care, training, recovery, and rehabilitation for rescue dogs.

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