Victoria Schade's Blog

You guys …

Is this cover adorable or what?

I’m so excited for my next novel, coming 3/24/20! (And available for pre-order now!)

Here’s a quiz to see if WHO RESCUED WHO is right for you:

Do you love dogs? Y/N (If “no” discontinue quiz and reexamine your core values.) Do you think England is a magical place? Y/N Are you intrigued by family secrets? Y/N Does a delayed first kiss give you the feels? Y/N Do ewe think sheep are adorable? Y/N

One or more “yes” responses means you’re going to love...

I have a familiar face, and it makes me a little crazy.

Okay, truth? It makes me a lot crazy.

I’ll meet someone for the first time and they’ll say, “Oh, I’m sure we’ve been introduced before, you look so familiar! Do your kids go to School X?” (Unless they allow dogs, that’s a no.)

“Are you related to Person X?” (Nope.)

“Do you work out at Fitness X?” (My gym is an ultra-exclusive joint in my basement, so no.)

I swear to you, Stranger, we’ve never met, it’s just that I have features that are...

Last week I worked on a shoot that had the potential to be tough for a bunch of reasons:

— I’d never worked with the production company before

— It was their first time shooting with dogs

— I had to cast the canine talent from a distance (we were shooting in Brooklyn)

— Part of the shoot was outside and the forecast called for a 100% chance of thunderstorms all day

— I was going to be in the video and I was using an unknown makeup artist who was meeting me at 5AM 

STRESS CITY!

I always try to...

I’ve wanted to do dog product reviews for years because dogdammit, I know stuff!

Not only do I have 19 years of dog training experience behind me, I also owned a pet products store for 6 years. That means I’ve been figuring out what works for both ends of the leash for a long time. I can tell you all about must-haves for new puppies, I know which treats will make a picky dog drool, and I’ve got the DL on the products that are all hype and no substance.

That’s why I started a YouTube review ch...

I went to ACCT for the first time four years ago to bring home a foster dog. I thought I could handle what I was going to experience there – I’ve been to plenty of shelters over the years – but I was wrong.

I wasn’t prepared for the number of dogs in need. I walked up and down the rows of kennels filled with waggy tails and hopeful expressions choking back tears until the sadness overwhelmed me. The shelter was chaotic and heartbreaking and I was crushed that I could only help one when so man...

If you follow any of my social media accounts (Insta = @LifeontheLeash and Twitter = @VictoriaSchade) you’ll notice a recent uptick in “Millie on the road” content. (From left, that’s her at the post office, a lovely local flower shop and an I-want-everything home shop.)

Puppy socialization is hugely important, but I think we forget about how critical it is to keep flexing that socialization muscle throughout our dogs’ lives. It’s easy to get sucked into the routine of daily life, never takin...

I’ve hit all of my social media platform asking folks to say a few kind words about Life on the Leash and I figured why not the ole blog as well? Millie, Olive and I are begging you to post your (hopefully happy) thoughts about it on Goodreads or Amazon. Reviews really help, especially for a debut author!

As always we had a great time with this little photo shoot. Millie used to be my posing ringer but Olive has found her model muse and can serve lewks like a pro. Check out these outtakes:

W...

It turns out Olive is not part Malamute, as her original DNA test from 6 years ago suggested.

We received the new and improved results and they make a lot more sense. Check it out:

Or to sum it up in pictures:

I’m not sold on the Chihuahua part, but Shih Tzu and Poodle are believable. (BTW, the remaining 12.5% came in as “weirdo.”)

My favorite part of the results were these little gems:

Not a single black hair! And they’re right! Yes – Olive rocks a beard and fuzzy eyebrows!

Big thanks t...

I get all twitchy when people ask me about “favorites” because it’s an impossible question.

Favorite food? Uh, for which meal? And are we including dessert?

Favorite color? Do you mean to wear? Or paint on a wall?

Favorite song? For dancing? Singing? Driving fast?

Favorite book?

Nope. That’s extra unanswerable, because there are too many to choose from, and for one other big reason:

I believe that every favorite book is married to a time period.

For example, my favorite book when I was young...

Housebreak.

Correct.

Command.

Obedience.

These words have been a part of dog training since forever. Hell, my first dog training business eighteen years ago had the word “obedience” in it.

Now, those words feel wrong to me. They feel … ugly.

They all suggest that training is something you do to your dog, not with your dog. A million years ago that was exactly how dog training worked, but now we understand that dogs learn best when they’re allowed to be happy and creative participants in the t...