Jesse Miller

About Jesse Miller

A lifelong animal lover, Jesse graduated from the University of Hull with a BSc in Aquatic Zoology in 2008. Realizing that all the postgraduate opportunities being offered involved some kind of suffering to animals. Jesse just couldn't tolerate that. He switched his focus to ethics; first obtaining a Master's in Practical Ethics from the University of York, then moving to the University of Edinburgh to work on his PhD, completed in 2015.

Jesse grew up around dogs. Working with his rescue dog Edie changed his views on dogs and training. Edie's many problems and neuroses made him consider the ethics of dog training and how we represent the dog-human relationship. He resolved to learn as much as he could about dog behavior and the best way to help the anxious dogs like Edie. Jesse found that he could use his ethics background to approach dilemmas from a logical standpoint. Edie is now much happier, more focused and content, and still a work in progress. Working with Edie has taught Jesse about the virtues of mindfulness, empathy and compassion; how to just "be" with a dog and how to shed selfish hopes and expectations so that something more authentic and valuable could grow in their place.

Jesse and Edie now live in Northern California with Jesse's partner Matt, where he juggles volunteering at the Humane Society Silicon Valley, writing, studying Zen and, of course, training. Canine Nation is fortunate to feature Jesse's writing on our site.

Cognitive Dissonance and Respectful Disagreements

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In an argument, it is fundamentally disrespectful to the other person to assume, let alone assert, that the reason they don’t agree with you is because they are suffering from a defect in their reasoning. Increasingly, …

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