A lot of people added pets to their families during the pandemic, but quite a few "pandemic puppies" lack proper socialization. If you fit in that category, you can get some relief by taking your dog to a training facility.

Heather Gillihan is a certified professional dog trainer with Zoom Room. It's an indoor dog training gym with locations nationwide.

"I could train your dog really well," Gillihan said. "That's not going to do you a bit of good if you don't know how to follow up, right? So we believe that it's more important to empower the owner to train their dog."

Gillihan says the first step to building a bond with your pup is having some empathy for their feelings.

"Think about it from his point of view," Gillihan said. "So he's on the leash. He knows he can't run. Dogs, when they get nervous or afraid, they have two reactions: fight or flight. The fact that the leash is attached means his only option is to fight. So he's not an aggressive dog, but he doesn't know what's coming at him. So his point of view is 'I am stuck. I can't run. So I better sound scary because what if he's a bad dog?'"

If you show frustration with your dog, Gillihan says that makes the situation worse.

"He's already nervous and afraid, and now the person he loves most in the world is fussing at him," Gillihan said. "So it just makes that dog even more scary."

Gillihan says the good news is that you can retrain a dog's brain to like other animals.

"Let him know you have some really good food, like some barbecue, something that he has never had before, but smells amazing. Let him know you have it. But he doesn't get it until we see a dog. So as soon as he sees a dog and before he can react, you say, 'Yes!' and give him that barbecue. Think about what happens in his little brain now. 'Hey, mom, there's a dog. Can I have my barbecue? Because there's one right there.'"

The other common trait with pandemic puppies has been separation anxiety as people return to the office. Gillihan suggests you get a camera in your house. If your dog is panting, sniffing and soiling the house, that's separation anxiety. Otherwise, they may simply lack coping skills, and you can help with that.

"No big hellos or goodbyes," Gillihan said. "Make it non-eventful. You're just walking out. There are things you can do to help them, though, if you're going to be gone for a while. Such as toys, stuff about you, toys, puzzles."

If it is separation anxiety, Gillihan suggests you visit a dog behavior specialist with a veterinary background who can use medications to help your fur baby.

"What those dogs need more than anything is to be able to settle the brain so that they can be retrained," Gillihan said.

Gillihan says it's possible to have a well-rounded dog at any stage in their life. She notes it just may take a lot of practice and dedication through a training regimen.
 

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 16 years after separating, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton has filed for divorce from his estranged wife, Kathy Jordan Sharpton.

Paperwork for a contested divorce was filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

A statement attributed to both of them says: “After years of being separated, Kathy and I have decided to formalize our separation by filing for divorce. We plan to resolve this in an amicable manner. We remain good friends and our highest concern is the well-being of our grandson.”

The couple had been married for more than 20 years when a separation was announced in November 2004. They have two daughters together.

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Love knows no bounds, but for many, the northern border closure has certainly gotten in the way of it.

The Driscoll family traveled all the way from Winston-Salem North Carolina to the US-Canadian border in northern Vermont to see their family from nearby Sherbrooke, Quebec.

"We haven't seen each other since Christmas 2019. Decided to come as close as possible to one another to celebrate our son's birthday. That's what we're doing," said Marie-Claude Driscoll along side her husband, son and daughter.

The Driscoll's communicated with Marie-Claude's parents and sister over yellow tape placed across a portion of the US-Canadian border where there is no fencing. An official crossing was about 100 feet away and under watch by U.S. Border Patrol

Underneath a 'no loitering' sign and with permission from nearby border agents, the family reminisced in a mixture of English and French, celebrating, although they’ve been denied the hugging and hand-holding that others in the United States have been able to experience thanks to the vaccine.

Across Lake Champlain in Northern New York, another family is facing a similar struggle.

Pictures and videos are the only way that Pam and Dennis Lefebvre have been getting their fill of their daughter and young granddaughter for a year and a half, more than half the girl’s life. They live in Plattsburgh NY, her daughter’s family in Ontario Canada.

"It's been just agony and really, you know, missing milestones, birthdays, Christmas," said Dennis. "Just waiting for pictures from Canada so we can see what she's doing and how much she's grown."

"Just how much more are we going to miss? We've missed a lot," said Pam.

The border has been closed since March of 2020. The original closure was only supposed to last a month, but one month has stretched into 16. Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that vaccinated Americans may be able to cross into Canada by the end of August. The next official announcement regarding the border opening will come on July 21, but the grandparents aren’t holding their breath.

"What if she really needed us and we can't get there? And I know those stories are happening and it's got to I can't even imagine, it's just so inhumane," said Pam.

Devon Weber is from New York City but lives with her husband and child in Montreal. Just like the LeFebvres or the Driscolls, she is separated from her family. Last October, she started Let Us Reunite, a grassroots lobbying effort to get the border open to families as soon as possible. It now represents 2,500 families across the US and Canada.

"To suddenly be separated from their family with no idea when the border is going to open. And no plan from either government on what the requirements were to open the border has been extremely frustrating for people," said Weber.

They’ve gotten attention from some lawmakers, the latest being senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. They’ve been working for months to petition President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau to let families visit each other.

Whether it’s through pictures or conversations across physical barriers, families hope their patience will soon be rewarded

"We're just, just hoping that by the end of the summer, things kind of get back to closer to normal," said Marie-Claude.