Home Away

One morning I decided I would take a German Shepherd (who had bitten several people before me) out to town. This was before I had any real experience or training in the field. I just believed this dog had bonded with me and that he wouldn't hurt anyone if I had the leash.

 

I took Axel straight into stores, walked him around and never had any problems with him. My friend was amazed and taken back, because she knew how aggressive Axel was at times. I didn't think that mattered though, I believed in the dog and knew I had a bond with him. I was able to play with Axel and grab him anywhere during our play and he never became aggressive with me. I just knew I could keep him from becoming aggressive with anyone else. I didn't want Axel to be left at home when we went to town so I took him along for the ride. He did fantastic, no one thought anything of him, people in the stores even gave us complements on how well behaved he was!

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Shortly after, I rescued my dog, a Pitbull mix that had been abused. He had been kicked and beaten several times in his first home. So when I got him I wanted to give him a whole new life starting with his name; I named him Atticus. Atticus was a wonderful dog! He had an abundance of behavioral issues from his abuse and neglect. I quickly found out he was more of a challenge than Axel. I had to learn how to work with this new dog, that had come from a far worse situation. I became obsessed with learning more about dog behavior. I truly let my ADHD take over-- I would watch shows and videos on dog behavior day and night; feverishly writing down notes in a book I still have to this day. I wanted to be able to handle any situation a dog threw at me, because I wanted to help as many dogs as I could! This is why I never stop educating myself and still to this day continue my education on primarily Balanced based techniques.

 

With the experience I gained working with Atticus, I was confident I could take on another. I thought this time I would get a puppy. Spoiler alert; things don't always work out like you hope. My precious baby, Ivy, ended up passing away at around 6 months old. Even though I had taken her to the vet and gotten meds the vets made a mistake on her condition... I was heartbroken, but determined to have a dog that would bring me closer to Ivy. So I reached out to the breeder, and asked if I could have her mom. They had told me they were looking to rehome her before so, I figured she would be the best way to be able to be close to Ivy.

 

I named Her Daisy and called her Daisy Duck because she was always following me around. I had to give her some extra training because she was left in a 'backyard breeders' yard her entire life and did not have any social skills. I quickly learned you get the dog you need not the dog you want. Daisy taught me a lot and i will always hold her in my heart as one of my best dogs!

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After I got Daisy, the numbers just kept increasing-- I quickly jumped from 3 to 5 personal pets. Very quickly, people started to see the pack I had and would ask me if I would take their dogs. In fact, I ended up rescuing 5 more dogs from a man that was leaving the states and didn't want to take his dogs. Most of them came with some issues, as to be expected when your rescuing dogs that were left in kennels to be breed their whole life.

 

I took on a 150 lb shepherd with aggression and then quickly integrated him into my pack. From there, it felt as if I had been doing it for years. I took care and rehabilitated over 10 dogs with ease and still had people wanting to surrender their dogs to me. So of course, I took on more. In fact, I've had over 20 dogs at one time and took care of them all by myself while I worked another job. I made sure that the pack was able to get along together because I didn't and still don't believe in separating dogs!

At one point, I ended up breaking my arm running a pack of dogs, yes just running them. One of the 10 ran around my back side, I caught their leash with my foot and SNAP! I found I couldn't do landscaping with a broken arm, but I could still train dogs. My first training client was a blessing as I didn't know what I was going to do for work. She hired me to board and rehabilitate her aggressive dogs.

 

I found I preferred helping dogs in need and I decided I would try and help more people learn how to better communicate with their dogs! I wanted to help dog owners feel like they would not have to get rid of their dogs with behavior issues. I still took on rescues but, I started focusing on finding people that wanted to train and keep their dogs. A plethora of my clients returned to board their dogs with me regularly because they did not feel comfortable leaving their dogs with someone that didn't understand their dogs behavior. I realized that there were many people offering boarding for dogs and they were not trained to know how to handle behavioral issues.

I decided I would offer my home up to anyone that needed special attention for their dogs. I chose to go full time as a dog trainer and boarder. I always wanted to start a rehabilitation center for dogs so when a good friend was selling their 6 acres, I jumped on it!

 

We have started putting up dog runs on all our properties. My mother owns 1 acre in Denair, CA that we have dedicated for small dogs. We did this so you can feel comfortable knowing your dog wont be boarded with a bunch of random large dogs. They will be kept save in our home and have access to the oasis my mother has been creating in the back yard. My family helps me watch dogs and they have been studying how to work with dogs so they can better serve you too!

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We have set up several dog runs on my father's 2 acres, for any dog in need of boarding and training. You and your pup deserve an attentive dog boarder that will treat your dog like their own. At Home Away From Home, dogs get plenty of bathroom breaks, but are NEVER just left outside. On hot days, they come inside and enjoy the AC we have running just for them. When night falls, we make sure they are tucked in safe inside the home as well. We want them to feel like this is truly their Home Away From Home.

 

Our ranch is only 2 houses down from my father's place, soon it will be filled with runs and a house just for dog boarding. For now, it has one huge dog play yard for your dogs to run and play at full speed. With it being around half an acre in size, they have the chance to feel free and be a dog! No matter your dogs behavior, big or small, we train them all. We know no dog is beyond help when you learn how to be a true best friend to man's best friend.