K9 Testimonials

K9 ADVISOR saved Max's life. This is not an understatement. It's not a statement made more dramatic for effect. It is literally true. Max was on his way to the humane society to be euthanized because he was incorrigible. Cujo. Frightening to the neighbors. A nuisance. Edel Miedes changed all that because he told me there wasn't a dog he couldn't train, it was the humans that sometimes gave him problems! Before Edel, Max spent most of his life relegated to the backyard, because I couldn't walk him without fear of him lunging at people or barking. Even in the backyard, he was
always "on guard" and prowling for the least little thing to bark at. My neighbors' kids taunted each other to run alongside the fence as Max barked crazily and jumped at them to prove who was tough. Of course, to me and my family, Max was just a 35 pound wimp. It was only when he was around other people that he acted this way. Which of course made it really difficult to have anyone come to the door, visit, or peer over the fence to chat. After the "final straw" when Max escaped from our fenced yard and jumped on the neighbor's 75 pound lab mix and pinned her down one morning (although he left her without a scratch), all while my poor neighbor was screaming for help. My husband and I agreed that something had to change. At the time our son was 18 months old and although Max had always been sweet and gentle with him, my husband and I felt we couldn't take the chance of something happening. My neighbor said that if any thing ever happened like that again, her husband was prepared to shoot Max. After many tears and consultations with my vet, I couldn't do what I knew had to be done. Our vet, who had cared for Max since about four days after he had been born in our living room, said there was nothing that could be done to change the "personality" of an aggressive dog. I kept trying to make a case for Max really being "a sweetie", although no one outside of my husband and I had ever seen it. That's when fate stepped in. I knew that if I took Max to the local Humane Society, he would be put down. Nothing about the environment would make him adoptable. The answer was our local no-kill shelter, Dogs and Cats Forever. Except it wasn't. I spent enough time crying in my car in the parking lot of Dogs and Cats that a staff member had to come and tap on my window and ask me if I was there to turn in my dog. I couldn't even get the words out. Fortunately, and this is what I mean by fate, Max was his usual self. Barking, growling, and then hiding behind me. The staff decided they couldn't take him. They knew that with his "personality" he'd spend the rest of his life at the shelter and potentially hurt a staff member of another animal. They sent me away, but not empty-handed. I had a business card for K9 . And that's when Max's life, and my family's life, turned around. After speaking with Edel, he gave me confidence that he could do something to help Max. He took him for over two months and worked magic. It wasn't all work on Max either. Edel worked with both my husband and me on how to handle him. Most of his bad habits and behaviors were a direct result of things we had done, unintentionally, to cause them.
When Max returned to our home, my neighbor and her kids were able to pet him and he just sat patiently while their dog went nuts this time! Kids on bikes rode by and he didn't even seem to notice. Obviously, that "old dog" and "no new tricks" adage is not true because Max was 7 years old when he started his new life. He sits on command and stays in a designated place until you tell him to move. But really, the obedience stuff is not the most important or noteworthy as far as I'm concerned. It's the fact that I can take him for a walk, let him play in the backyard, take him to the groomer and know that he will behave. My neighbors joke that we actually have a new dog that just looks like Max! The best part is that Max can be a part of our daily life because he is so much better behaved. What Edel accomplished with Max was a result of patience, consistency, and love. We will be forever grateful and can't say enough to recommend giving what he has to offer a try.

-Vickie Rodriguez, pet owner

K9 Testimonials