Tiamat Warda on Harmony On Both Ends
While this interview is a little outside of my horse-centered focus, it is so special that I simply had to share it. Working as a self employed guide dog for the blind trainer, Tiamat is dedicated to creating harmony between humans and animals. As she is a true inspiration and one of my dearest friends, I know you’re going to enjoy this interview.
As my first published interview, I am honored and excited to be sharing it with not only this amazing and talented animal-person, but also a dear friend. I share so many memories of spending long hours playing with horses, teaching tricks to pups, and making very silly videos with this lady that make me smile when I think of the "good ol' days".
Read on to hear Tiamat's views on a day in the life of a guide dog for the blind trainer, choosing the right pup-partner, and reincarnation.
What led you to train dogs?
Some people need to actively search for their passion and figure out what they want to do with their life. Others simply do what is expected of them. For the rest of us, it is clear from the beginning that we have no other option but to follow our dreams. There are videos of me as a 2 year old seeking interactions with animals. My knees were dirty from crawling around in my diaper, a smile on my face and a dog was always at my side. As I grew older, I said yes to every opportunity, no matter how small, to be around animals. Then, about 12 years ago, my best friend in the world moved in with me - a small, black cattle dog named Mowgli. To this day, I have never met a dog like him. He is challenging, sensitive, independent, highly intelligent, has an amazing stamina and an unwavering trust. He has taught me more than any teacher could.
Tom Dorrance once said, "What I know about the horse, I learned from the horse.” That is the case with me, too. My time with Mowgli straightened my shoulders, turned me around to face the right path for me and let me loose to go snatch my dreams. Over the years, I filmed videos which later gave me the opportunity to work with top schools and trainers in Germany. At the age of 18, I sold most of my belongings, grabbed my suitcase and flew to Germany with Mowgli, as always, by my side! That was 5 years ago. Since then I have been a self-employed guide dog for the blind trainer in Frankfurt, Germany. It is not an easy job and only the craziest people on the planet can keep it up. What led me to these opportunities was a very strong passion and a need to train dogs for a living. It wasn’t that I simply wanted to live this life - I genuinely didn’t have a choice in the matter. There were moments when I sat down and asked myself, “isn’t there something else I could be doing? Something that doesn’t involve me leaving my friends, family and home? A job where I can go to work from 9-5 and then get paid for the work I put in?” I questioned my path daily. Every time, the answer was, “I can’t. This is what I need to do. There is no other option.” As Erykah Badu once said, “believe in yourself from the very beginning.” It really felt as if there was no other option for me and that mindset, along with my experiences with dogs growing up, is what led me to train dogs for a living.
What do you love most about your work?
My work is very challenging and requires extreme endurance - not only physical endurance, but mental and emotional endurance. My work and I have a love-hate relationship. It’s something that pushes me to my limits, exhausting me physically and emotionally, yet I keep doing it. Like I said - guide dog for the blind trainers are the craziest people in the world. Not only do I need to teach a dog to be so reliable that he can guide a blind person through a busy city safely - I also need to bring this dog and a fully blind person together, so that they can work together on their own.
"This is so unbelievably challenging. But it is what I love."
I will give an example of what I mean. Four years ago, it was the middle of winter and I was giving off my second guide dog. This process takes about 3 weeks. During the entirety of these 3 weeks, it was snowing, raining and freezing non-stop. My client was a quiet man who rarely spoke and was very clumsy. It was so difficult to get him to apply what I was trying to teach him and it felt as though they would never become a team. After the first week, things started changing. My dog was guiding him through the city and my client was coming out of his shell. At the beginning of the third week, we were walking along a busy street and everyone around us was grumpy and shivering. My client suddenly stopped and let out a loud sigh. I was walking behind him when we came to this abrupt stop and thought something was wrong. “What’s the matter?” He was quiet for what seemed to be an eternity and, after he wiped away a tear and breathed in deeply again, said to me, “I have not walked like this since I was nine and could still see. It’s like I am driving a Porsche.” There are days, like that one, where I am glad my clients can’t see me. I walked behind him, trying to hold back tears of joy. What he said and what my dog means to him, touched me so deeply - it is something I truly can’t explain. That is what I love most about my work. It is a true example of how animals can change our lives forever and that we can place our lives in each other’s hands.
Who and what else inspires you?
Over the years, more and more things and people inspire me. From the beginning, my greatest inspiration has been Tom Dorrance. I have never met him and unfortunately he is no longer with us, but the stories and lessons he left behind are truly breathtaking. There are other humans who inspire me, but to keep the list short, I will stick with Tom. Things he said pop into my mind daily and inspire me to do better and be better. But I believe the answer to this question, for anyone who is truly working for animals, not just with them, should be: the animal I am working with in that moment. When I work with an animal, I try my best to leave my worries and busy thoughts behind me and focus on the animal in front of me. If you observe the dog or horse you are working with and genuinely attempt to be in harmony with them, you will be inspired and learn a lot.
Tell us what a normal day in your life looks like.
In my line of work, there are rarely normal days or repetitive routines. But I try my best to give myself some structure. I rise early, usually around 6 a.m. (okay, fine, sometimes I wake up later, but it’s the thought that counts!) and walk with my 4 dogs for 1 hour. Now in the winter, it is still dark, and I simply slip into my boots, throw on a jacket and scarf and head out the door. Usually I will listen to a podcast or some great music, to start my day right. When we get home, I feed the dogs and go work out for 30 to 60 min, before eating my own breakfast. After answering emails, I load all of the dogs into my bus, around 9 am, and head out to the city where I train my dogs one by one. Before heading home in the afternoon, I stop by a dog park to let them play. While my dogs are working dogs, balance is very important and they need to work hard and play hard. This routine takes place rain or shine. In the summer it is a fun lifestyle when it is not too hot, but the winters are harsh and feel like a constant battle. The evenings always vary. Either I work on my blog and business, Humanima, or I go meet with friends. Even then, unless we are going dancing, I always have at least one, if not two, dogs with me. When I am giving a dog off to a client and working with both of them intensely for 3 weeks, my routine is completely different and it changes again, when I buy a new puppy, for example. So a consistent routine is very difficult, but that just comes with the job, as well as never having vacation.
Having learned to speak many languages fluently, both human and animal languages, what are some secrets you can share to translating what animals are saying?
When learning a new language or traveling abroad, you sometimes need to use body language and hand signals to communicate. There have been times when I traveled to Paris or Prague for example and couldn’t understand someone sitting next to me in a subway. That didn’t stop us from both looking at a small child, thinking it was funny and exchanging glances, for example. We can communicate through glances, that we think something is funny, awful, sad or surprising and know exactly what the other is referring to, without saying a word. That is where learning “animals languages” and human languages overlap. Animals communicate through body language for the most part and so do humans who don’t speak the same language.
"We don’t need words to express how we are feeling. Someone can give you a look that says, ‘I love you’ and you simply know what they are telling you."
We have lost some of our sensitivity when it comes to this, because modern life is all about speaking (about yourself, mostly), writing and watching action-packed films. But you don’t have to yell “SIT!” at your dog for him to hear you or understand. You could lean ever so slightly towards him and he would understand, that you want distance or that you want him to sit, for example. It is all about being aware and particular about your body language, as well as observing that of the animals and humans around you. We are constantly communicating with our bodies and so is everyone else. If you can focus more on the body language than the words, you will be able to translate some of what animals are trying to tell you.
If you could take your dogs on a walk with any person, living or dead, who would it be?
This questions makes me circle right on back to the great Tom Dorrance. I have read his book, True Unity, countless times. The pages are wrinkled and almost everything is highlighted at this point. If I were to go on a walk or a ride with him, I don’t think there would be a need for words. I would be too captivated simply observing him and taking in his every move and intention. Tom Dorrance unfortunately died. A living person who I would like to take my dogs on a walk with, would probably be either Michael Grewe or Günther Bloch. They are both german dog trainers of a very high status. Michael Grewe I have met with many times, but would still love to work with him one-on-one, and Günther Bloch spent over 20 years studying wolves, as well as working with dogs. His books take up half of my bookshelf. Both have a very practical, realistic and natural way of working with dogs that I love and can really relate to.
Dog truly is mans best friend. What advice do you offer to someone looking to adopt or rescue a dog as a companion?
This is of course a very, very broad question that I could write a thick book about. One thing that needs to change, is people thinking about what the dog needs and wants, vs what they need and want from the dog. Everyone wants a dog that looks a certain way, without knowing what comes along with owning that breed. They are not able to offer the dog what he needs or simply have no dog experience, and the dog suffers because of it. I could also go on an entire rant about “rescue dogs”, but will save that for another time. At the end of the day - do your research, make sure you have at least 2 hours a day to walk your dog, enough money for proper vet care and high-quality food and make sure you are giving the dog what he needs!
Looking into the future, what excites you about the next step of your journey with your business, Humanima?
Humanima has been a part of my life since the beginning of 2011. There have been times where I have invested a lot of time into it and times where I went about a year without writing a single blog post. 2017 is going to be a big year, because not only am I posting regular blog posts and videos, but I am offering an entire line of dog and horse equipment that supports over 80 families in Kenya. Humanima’s motto is, “Harmony on both ends of the leash.” You can find the leash (and collar) at Humanima, as well as tips and philosophies on how to have a more harmonious relationship with animals. What excites me the most about this entire year, is going to the many events I have lined up, as well as connecting with others online. I hope that people will not only find my content, but that I can display it in a way that it is understood and applied. The thought of that is what truly excites me the most.
If you could choose to reincarnate as any animal, what would it be?
This has been the most important question in my life since I have been probably 3 years old. So, I have had almost 24 years to ponder this question… do I have an answer? Nope, not yet. Still working on that one. It is a very, very tight race between a Wolf, Mustang, Monkey, Elephant, Raven, Dolphin, Leopard and spoiled cat of a rich family. So, I still need some time to narrow all of those down, but I’ll get back to you in 24 more years. Maybe I’ll have an answer by then.
Learn more about Tiamat
Stay in touch with Tiamat Warda and learn more about the work she does at Humanima.
