MICHAEL HILL
GIVING HIS LIFE TO THE DOGS
WRITTEN BY:MARK KURIAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY: LUKE FONTANA
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”– Josh Billings
People often hear that their lives will change forever when they get a dog. For years I took this as a negative, thinking about all the ways that my life would change with the added responsibility. I love dogs, believe me - I stop every time I see a dog and might not even notice the owner. Dogs have a way of filling me with joy and seeing the goodness in life. The love they freely give is so authentic, so transparent and feeds our souls while asking so little in return.
Until I met Michael Hill, I never believed I could handle the responsibility of being a dog owner, but this man gave me a new perspective. His vision for life with dogs helped me see it all through a new lens.
Who is Michael Hill, you say? Michael is an LA based renowned dog trainer who has dedicated his life to bringing man and dog together in harmony. From his earliest memories, Michael was drawn to dogs and has made his life’s passion helping people access the special benefits of finding harmony and connection through a dog’s love. He has individually worked with over 600 dogs around the globe and found repeated success in creating an approach based on appreciation of both the dog and owner’s learning and communication skills combined with practical and positive dog-owner strategies.
Until I met Michael Hill, I never believed I could handle the responsibility of being a dog owner, but this man gave me a new perspective. His vision for life with dogs helped me see it all through a new lens.
While interviewing Michael, I
Michael works closely with his clients
had the total lightbulb
to give them lifelong lessons directed
moment as we discussed my
towards lasting harmony with their
personal living situation. It
furry counterparts. So many times,
was a moment I will never
owners are met with confusing or
forget. Michael said “instead
unfounded expectations when
of picking a breed based on
bringing a dog into their lives. What
how cute they are, start by
was supposed to augment their lives
picking a breed with the
ends up eroding the mental health of
inherent talents to best fit
both the family and the dog. But
your lifestyle”. What an easy
thanks to Michael’s work, more and
and simple concept, but in
more families are finding wholeness
my mind, revolutionary!
through better awareness of empathetic and meaningful connection with dogs.
He employs an academic background in human psychology coupled with real-world applications based on experience as a competitive show dog breeder/owner/handler, rescue group volunteer, and strong advocate of animal-assisted therapy programs. By paring down communication to the most meaningful inter-species points of connection (space, touch, tone, and energy), Michael helps owners and dogs move away from frustration and closer to synergistic teamwork. Michael’s work is changing lives of both dogs and humans. Through his unique and highly effective approaches to training, he is transforming ways that people comprehend communication with a dog. This in turn gives space for owners to experience the beauty of bringing a dog relationship into their lives. Because of Michael’s dedication to guiding his client families to deeper awareness and empathy, complete psychological and spiritual transformations are happening under the guise of dog training. To learn more about Michael, go to his website https://www.districtcanine.com, and connect with him on social media to follow his work (@michaelhill_k9). Although his home is in LA, the scope of his work is worldwide. He maintains regular clientele in all major US cities and internationally through virtual coaching and spends a great deal of time traveling to meet with his client families in the person. After talking with Michael, I realized his passion and care for both humans and dogs is both palpable and authentic. One could say it reminds them of the feeling of being cared for by a dog. I firmly believe that reminiscence of his four-legged students is surely no accident.
After talking with Michael, I realized his passion and care for both humans and dogs is both palpable and authentic. One could say it reminds them of the feeling of being cared for by a dog. I firmly believe that reminiscence of his fourlegged students is surely no accident