ALMA CANINAMy story: why I started Alma Canina
My name is Carlo. Dogs have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but Alma Canina didn't come from that love alone. It came from a difficult time and from everything Loki taught me.
A life among dogs
I've been surrounded by dogs since I was a child. In the fifteen years I spent in the UK, I studied dog training, canine behaviour and first aid, volunteered with rescues and looked after dogs for friends, neighbours and family. For me it was the most natural thing in the world.
At the same time, I was building my career. I had a business that was doing well and life felt good. I thought I had things pretty much sorted.
When everything stopped
After I settled in Spain, I was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly work, plans and deadlines stopped mattering. All that was left were the treatment days, the exhaustion and the uncertainty.
Through those months, Loki, my Springador, didn't leave my side for a single day. I'd trained her as a therapy and medical alert dog, but she became so much more than that. She got me outside when I had no energy, gave me a routine when everything was chaos and kept me company in silence when there was nothing left to say.
What Loki taught me
I truly understood something I'd been seeing in other families for years: a balanced, well cared for dog can hold you up through the worst of times. And it works the other way too. When a family goes through an illness, a break up, a job change or a move, their dog feels it and sometimes needs help.
I had that support. And I felt I had to give it back.
Why Alma Canina exists
Alma Canina is my way of supporting other owners and families, especially those going through a hard time. That might mean teaching a dog to walk calmly so that leaving the house isn't a battle, looking after them for a few days while their family needs it, or simply listening and working out together what's best for that dog.
I always work with respect, without punishment, and with each dog's breed, character and history in mind. The collars and leads I make by hand in my workshop in the Barri Vell come from the same idea: carefully made pieces, built to last and to be by your side.
If you're going through a hard time
If your dog needs help and you can't manage it all, get in touch. We'll have a chat, no strings attached, and see how I can lend a hand.
