TESTIMONIALS

There are few words that truly do justice in describing Sid’s expertise and capabilities as an animal behaviorist. His professionalism and his reliability as a caretaker are unmatched and, perhaps most importantly, Sid is effective. It is this efficacy that, in no exaggeration, changed my and my dog, Ruby’s, lives.

Ruby is a four-year-old Plott Hound/American Pit Bull Terrier mix, rescued in August of 2011. Ruby is a great dog. She is beautiful, intelligent, sweet, and loyal. Ruby is also nervous, has serious separation anxiety, horrible leash manners, leash aggression, and an uncontrollable prey drive. Having worked with five trainers before finding Sid, I was simply trying to come to terms with the fact that I had a “problem dog.” I would simply manage with the destruction and the accidents. We found other alternatives for exercise (renting private facilities), covered the outskirts of our yard with fox urine (yep!) to deter rabbits, took walks at odd hours to lessen the number of dogs we had to dodge like land mines (not to mention other small animals), washed and re-washed the carpet, kept the trashcan outside, and barricaded any and all doors to bedrooms and bathrooms when leaving the house.

See? We were managing. Right? Wrong. Enter Sid.

I contacted Sid solely for the purpose of walking. I had used walkers in the past and was relatively shocked at their limited experience, especially when combined with the potential liability of mishandled dog-to-dog interaction.  These dog walkers could not handle her power or problems, but it was clear from the start that Sid was not “just a dog walker.”  We met, and Sid’s understanding of canines was immediately apparent.  He promised to provide vigorous walks that would satisfy Ruby mentally, physically, and spiritually each time he visited and that his walking style would spawn organic behavior improvement. He thought he could eliminate Ruby’s dog aggression simply through the dog walking service and promised, at a minimum, to teach me how to handle Ruby to properly manage her aggression. I could have cried.

To prove his assertions, he took Ruby for a trial walk around the neighborhood.  During the trial walk, I trailed behind Sid and Ruby with my jaw on the ground. There was an immediate, measurable change in her demeanor and behavior. As we walked briskly down the street, Ruby largely stayed at Sid’s side- far more than she had ever done for me,- or anyone- and we even passed- actually walked passed, not around, not lunging, barking, or walking on hind legs- a squirrel. I was ecstatic and hopeful, but truthfully- still a little skeptical having worked unsuccessfully with so many trainers before. Ruby had made strides previously, only to regress minutes, hours, or days later.

Over the next five months, Sid walked Ruby twice a day for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week. After each visit, Sid left comprehensive notes of visit timing, walking distance, interactions and eliminations. Each morning, I left the house relaxed and confident that Ruby was in good hands- a far cry from anxiety ridden outings prior- and returned home to fewer and fewer accidents, less and less destruction, and a tired and happy dog. Too frequently, dog walking companies use rotating walkers- resulting in inconsistent handling- many of whom are individuals with little experience or training, which, for any dog, can result in unsafe outings. In contrast, Sid is a one-man show bringing over ten years of experience to the end of the leash, and providing consistent, reliable and comprehensive care. There is no better alternative.

Ruby today is a different dog than she was when we first met Sid, and I am a different dog owner. She has gone from a nervous, anxiety ridden, leash aggressive, dog with an insatiable prey drive, to a confident, collected, relaxed and controlled companion. Ruby and I now walk with a slack leash at “normal” times of day and pass other dogs and critters with ease. No more private yards, no more dawn and midnight walks. Accident-induced carpet washing is far less and, while we still keep the trashcan outside- Ruby’s destruction has been eliminated- having been replaced with safe, mentally and physically challenging exercise. Sid effectively trained me as much as trained Ruby. His means of dog handling are straight forward, effective, and reproducible. Just as Ruby needed to learn to behave, I needed to learn how to handle her in such a way that I was not feeding her misbehavior, increasing her anxiety, and amplifying distractions. Ruby was in part nervous, distracted, and aggressive, because I was allowing her to be and she thought she needed to be. Sid taught me that dog ownership, in every sense of the work, is a two-way street.

This testimonial is a far cry from truly explaining Sid’s impact on our lives. That said, if there is anything I can leave you with- call Sid! Whether you think you have the best dog or the worst dog, small behavioral issues or life-altering problems- Sid can help your dog be the best dog it can be and you- the best dog owner you can be.

— Kathryn D.