The Nicholberry Dispatch

Whoa! Welcome new subscribers! Plus how a rockstar photographer ended up taking our cover photo and Adam Grant's life changing lesson on generosity.

So, that was unexpected! The “New subscriber” notifications began pouring in on Tuesday. At first I thought it was an anomaly, but when 100 became 300 became 600 (and counting), I knew something had happened “out there.” That something was the tremendous honor of being selected as a featured publication (thank you On Substack!).

Since I’m new to you, you may not know that I have a book dropping on April 30th. Published by Celadon Books, Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love is a practical guide to raising a resilient puppy that Kirkus Reviews says is “A must-read for any dog lover, whether you’re adopting your first puppy or your last.” 

The other thing you’ll quickly pick up on is that I have the most incredible community over on Instagram. It boggles my mind that a quarter of a million people have chosen to join me in changing the world, one dog at a time. My book was borne out of my Instagram account, where we have a great time tracking puppy development, playing games, and marveling over the miraculous creature that is the dog. Come join us there, too!

BOOK NEWS

When we did the Puppy Brain cover reveal back in January, I promised to tell you some of the backstory on how that shot came together. Oh, what a learning curve all of this has been, including an education in book cover photography. While it may seem that I’d have countless photos from which to choose (a quick survey of the recent Instagram “pick your fav” selections reveals just a handful of the 57,000 photos on my phone), I truly didn’t have even one. As I discovered, a book cover like that requires a studio shoot. And a studio shoot with an 8 week old puppy is a very difficult thing to achieve.

Difficult, that is, unless you have an extraordinarily talented photographer. All along, my son Max had been suggesting (strenuously, I might add) that I contact the very talented and kind mom of @itsgoosethegolden - Miranda McDonald. Miranda is a successful photographer whose subjects range from celebrities to brands. I felt a little uncomfortable asking her to photograph a puppy in between her shoots for Shawn Mendes and Armani beauty. But Miranda is as generous as she is talented - she enthusiastically agreed and immediately infused me with confidence as she described her portable studio set up.

The other giant piece of the puzzle was the puppy - Eve. Her human happens to be an incredibly talented model, who graciously agreed to help with the photo shoot once Eve was home in Beverly Hills. I sent Miranda some pictures of my ideal shot and was jaw-dropped to see just how flawlessly she executed the vision in my mind’s eye. It’s absolute perfection. (Comment if you agree, as I’d love for Miranda to see the enthusiastic feedback I’ve received!).

SOMETHING TO LEARN

No, You Don’t Owe Me a Favor

Sometimes, you read something and you know that it’s going to forever change how you think. Such was the case when I read this unbelievably powerful (and short!) newsletter by Adam Grant. Like many people, I have a hard time openly receiving when someone does something for me. I am learning to simply say, “thank you.” Grant makes essential distinctions between taking and receiving, and explains why gratitude is the receiver’s only obligation.

If you aren’t already subscribed to him, do so. You won’t regret it. I find that whenever I read anything he posts or sends, I am a better human because of it.

SOMETHING TO READ

https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Puppy-Socialization-Position-Statement-FINAL.pdf

I spent a lot of time on Instagram last week posting about the critical need for socialization during the sensitive period. While we vaccinate our puppies physically, we must also vaccinate them emotionally. This position statement from the American Veterinary Society on Animal Behavior couldn’t be clearer: the AVSBA “believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Everything is habit forming, so make sure what you do is what you want to be doing.

Wilt Chamberlain

SOMETHING TO LOVE

Let’s keep changing the world, one dog at a time.

Hugs,

Kerry

P.S. If you enjoy this newsletter, please recommend it on your own Substack! And tell a friend!