Good afternoon!
If you have been involved in local pretty much anything the past few years, I am sure you’ve either met or heard Jeanette Borunda speak. Both she and her husband Nathaniel Lukas Redekopp have worn many hats in this town.
Borunda said it took a while to find a building suitable for their needs, but in 2021, Pawsitively Transformational opened its doors.
The main inspiration to open their own practice was being able to have a bit more control over the kinds of services they could offer this community. Borunda and Redekopp value providing care to patients holistically.
Small little rant, journalists try to be as unbiased as possible, and it’s a nice ethic. As a blogger, I have no such obligation, and as an invested member of this community, I can’t be anyway. All that to say, I know both Borunda and Redekopp pretty decently outside of this interview, and both of the ways in which I mainly know them have been added to their practice.
You can probably guess by the name, but I primarily know Redekopp as a dog trainer. In this practice, they have added services with therapy dogs, namely Charlotte and Linus as listed on their website.
Previously, Redekopp was a professor in Albuquerque who had a few different roles over the years, but all in the Spanish-language department. Another reason for wanting to start his own practice was the opportunity, especially in this area, to offer culturally sensitive services tailored to the people of this community.
He graduated in his current specialty in 2019, but through previous personal experience, he has also been able to see just how much dogs and people can help each other heal. The saying goes that dog is man’s best friend for a reason, and he has really taken that to heart.
According to Very Well Mind, there is evidence that those diagnosed with depression, autism, ADHD, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions can benefit from interactions with even-tempered dogs. These interactions can be very judgment-free, help ease anxiety, and simply provide companionship to those who may feel alone in their suffering.
In fact, there are studies showing that frequent interactions with dogs can not only raise oxcytocin levels (the feel-good chemical produced from cuddling a loved one, for example), but it can also reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood.
‘A patient may be struggling to share for whatever reason, and all they may need to refocus is to sit on a couch and cuddle with the dogs for a bit,’ Redkopp said*, ‘and I can go make them a cup of tea to make sure they feel cared for.’
I realized long ago that longer posts are a bit of a chore for my audience to read, so later this week (hopefully Thursday) I will bring you a part 2 of ??? Yet I still apologize for the length lol.
Until then,
Salud!
*I couldn’t get my recorder to work, so I don’t have direct quotes for this piece.
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