Testimonials – Page 2

Jonathan McGee, Facility Manager – Service Dog Consulting for Businesses

January 27, 2020 by

Jonathan McGee and other managers at Thornes Marketplace in Northampton were having trouble with people bringing dogs (and sometimes other animals) into the building. When tenants said they have an emotional support animal, were they covered by the law or where only service dogs were allowed? What about if the dog is off-leash, barking, or has soiling accidents? They contacted Sharon at At Your Service for a presentation and consulting to help them understand service dog laws and terms and how to handle such situations.

Sign on the front of Thornes Marketplace

I am the Facility Manager for a five-story retail establishment. Sharon’s guidance was incredibly helpful to us in learning how to navigate the complex and shifting web of codes, rules, and regulations surrounding service animal law.

Sharon clearly and succinctly tutored our staff on how to identify service animals, how to approach customers with these animals, and how to support them.

At Your Service provided best-in-class guidance on these issues and we wholeheartedly endorse them to anyone in the service industry.

As a retail facility operator, we have observed an escalating volume of customers who expect to bring their animals with them into the marketplace. Navigating the opaque and overlapping expectations related to code compliance on these issues can feel hopelessly challenging. Sharon’s guidance can help cut through this confusion and provide critical expertise. We cannot recommend her enough.

People accompanied by Service Dogs or Service-Dogs-in-Training (that meet legal definitions and standards of behavior) are welcome at Thornes!

“More Relaxed, Confident, and Trusting” – Marjorie Young & Deus

January 8, 2020 by

Hello Sharon,

Thank you so much for reaching out.

Deus continues to be Deus, but he also continues to make lot s of progress. He loves the relaxation protocol and that has become part of our everyday life. He sits around calmly while I cook and clean and he waits patiently while I do things in the kitchen and other parts of the house. He waits quietly and enjoys getting his treats.

He is doing a great job with fetching and dropping balls and other items.

He is now walking off leash when we go for walks and is doing an excellent job with the Here Here recall. It is amazing to see him running back when I say Here Here…He has been doing an excellent job with this except for yesterday when he went chasing a coyote. I was grateful that he came back was not hurt and that things ended well.

There is room for improvement for keeping him calm when strangers come. He is making progress in that area as well.

I actually was away for 4 days during the holiday and I had a new dog sitter come and stay and Deus did really well. He was really good with her on the walks and everything went well!!!!

So, he is growing and maturing and so am I. I am way more relaxed and we are trusting each other daily. I am more confident about everything and that is directly related to my work with you. Everything that you taught me comes into play regularly as I work and train Deus daily. I now leave him in the house while I am away…..

We still have a ways to go and so much to learn, but we are well on our way.I hope things are going well for you and your work.

Best,

Marjorie

Chesapeake Bay Retriever lying on a linoleum floor — Deus performing his “relaxation protocol” in the kitchen

“Mary Poppins for Dogs” Service Dog Puppy Consult with Cassie Caza and Bodhi

December 27, 2019 by

Cassie contacted At Your Service for help with her puppy, Bodhi, a future service-dog-in-training.

Sharon, your visit really opened my eyes big time! I am really thankful for your visit. So, even taking a small few steps in a day has changed my relationship with Bodhi a ton. Outside he did well with prevention. In the morning, I use a comand “sit, down” and, he doesn’t get attention unless he is down, and calm. I have my clicker ready and, treats. So, I am working on controling the jumping that caused the port to dislodge. Bodhi needs to go out BEFORE I even infuse. Today, his crate was dry all day and, that was great! He is really doing much better because I feel more in control and, more capable with the skills to stay on top of things. I had no idea how much work this would be but, I realize, I must keep Bodhi busy and, use prevention with positive reinforcement in order for him to be happy and, healthy emotionally. The same goes for Taboo and,Casey. And..me. This kind of training is non-agressive and, is perfect for my dog. With Lyme people constantly judge me. One moment I can walk, the next I am falling that is judged. So, I started to lose confidence in US. I am so thankful that you helped us, I will be in touch. And, I feel a lot better about my ability to care for Bodhi. I can do a good job. I did not have the tools when you arrived however, I feel I am now on the right track with him and our pack. People are complicated. Dogs are not. It is hard to learn how to be uncomplicated and more like Bodhi. I think I can though.

You helped us a lot. You know a ton about dog behavior and, service dog training. I did not know what I would learn or, what you had to offer as advice. I used to work with dogs for a living and have thought I had “seen it all” and, have seen other forms of training too. I was surprised that their was so much information I learned about dog behavior I have been now able to add to my knowledge. But more importantly, you were kind to us, explained things to me in a way I could understand, did not judge me despite that having occured in many other places in my life. It is hard having a “stranger” over (any new person), but, when you arrived, it was like mary poppins for dogs and, although my day was rough, it was a good feeling that I was doing right by Bodhi and, I did not feel my ussual nervousness as your form of training brings positivity into the home, and the “energy” feels different. I began to feel empowered and, Bodhi is happy. You really know your stuff. Anyone anxious about inviting a trainer to their home could know, with you if they feel that way, they need you to come visit. Thank-you Sharon. Sincerely, Cassie, Bodhi, Casey,Taboo

“OMG What a Difference!” Jessie Cortez & Molly (SDiT)

December 9, 2019 by

Jessie and Molly, a Golden Retriever, sit facing each other, smiling into each other's eyes

Hope you had a nice holiday! Molly and I spent a few days at my Mom’s house. Really good update 🙂

I was able to use both my Mom and sister for some good reps of the distraction training games we played during our lesson and she did excellent! And then, we had a night where my aunt and uncle came over which usually would have sent her over the top- but I was ready having prepped her with some reps of the “break, say hi” exercise before they came and OMG what a difference! She did amazing!

It was almost unlike her because she was SOOO focused on me that she almost wouldn’t even say hi to them, but that is honestly such an improvement for her that I will take that because I honestly NEVER thought that would be possible for her! She was always out of control with excitement when people came over, especially people like my aunt and uncle who are essentially “new” because she rarely sees them so that is extra exciting to her. I was amazed!

I honestly NEVER thought that would be possible for her!

I started holding off treats a bit more to get her to engage more with them in order to see if she would say hi longer- she ended up being able to at times but each time I was still able to call her right back to me! I’m like still in shock lol! And because my uncle is a very loud and extroverted type of character which is especially overstimulating to Molly and she still did amazing!

Also, today back in Boston, we went out on a walk and I used the “click for noticing you exist” technique and basically did a combo of both click/treat for any attention/even turn of the head towards me as well as completely stopping as soon as she got too far ahead. Doing this as well as I think the prep-work of all the exercises we have done around people-distractions resulted in a SUPER loose-leash walk with zero need for the Gentle Leader! She wanted to stay near me and I only had to employ a full stop a few times.

I also found that even in more populated areas where I would usually have to rein her in on a shorter leash due to her tendency to just randomly pick out people that she believes are clearly waiting on the sidewalk for her arrival and/or people talking/laughing loudly and then just walk straight up to them- but today I noticed that due to all the games we had been playing she now is giving ME the attention instead and there was no need to hold her close on leash! Thank you SOOOOO much—you are amazing! Just one lesson and so much improvement! I mean, I will give Molly some of the credit hahaha, she is a smart cookie and has always learned so fast.

Just one lesson and so much improvement!

But wow, this has been what I knew I needed all along but never had another person to do it with- I knew I needed another person to set up these people-distraction practice scenarios like we did in our lesson to teach her the foundations of what I needed her to know when out on the street, but I just never had another person to do that with. Even my Mom, I had asked her so many times and she would say yes but then never was “available” so I think even having her in lessons with us and just her commitment to this in general is now making her want to be more involved and motivated to actually do so. Thank you!!

What a MAJOR difference working with you has been compared to the nightmare of the last service dog program…

Anyways, what I want to add is just what a MAJOR difference working with you has been compared to the nightmare of the last service dog program/scam we went through. From our first meeting even, I remember driving home with my Mom and we couldn’t stop talking about all the differences! I kept saying things like, “and the fact that she even has all those worksheets! And that she even WANTS to talk to my therapist! And that she understands PTSD and CARES enough to want to know what my signs and triggers are when working with me!” I was just shocked, seriously, because the last program had NONE of this. Your worksheets on dog training were well beyond their knowledge and also well beyond the basic time/caring that they spent on their clients/dogs.

Like the fact that you spent time making the client portal and making those sheets and that you KNOW all that stuff- those people had zero training worksheets to give us, no knowledge on training to even tell us beyond just demonstrating a few of the same things every time we saw them with the same demo dog that over time we came to notice was just abused and overly fearful of this man (came out later from several families that the demo dog had actually bitten their children on visits to the kennel, UGH). They also not even once asked to speak nor even write to my therapist, nor even asked me to fill out any worksheets on my disability!

I immediately felt comfortable with you because there is a true level of empathy

You are so incredibly thorough in understanding the person, and I immediately felt comfortable with you because there is a true level of empathy there because this is something you have gone through yourself. I think that really helped me feel comfortable too. Throughout everything so far, you have been so incredibly kind and patient with me and have put me at ease. I can tell that you genuinely want to help me and Molly and that you care about doing whatever you can to help us succeed. Usually with most people, I feel too judged and anxious to work with them on something like this, especially when it involves me performing tasks in front of them. So the fact that I feel I can do it with you says a lot.

As compared to the other program I went to and I’m sure even “good” programs but ones that are just big factories of service dogs that spit out tons of dogs a year, I think that working one on one with someone like you that actually understands and makes such an effort to get to know all aspects of me and Molly’s life together and my disability, I think makes such a difference and I think ultimately is what will set me up for the best success in the long-term.

You go above and beyond by doing things like making accommodations for my disability to make things easier/work better for me such as filming the lessons so I can review them later or working with me to come up with specific ways that I can manage communication to the public about her since that is something I struggle with (the last place never gave me cards like the ones you just emailed me! So thoughtful and helpful- the difference between this and the last place is just so profound and such a welcome relief to me and my Mom that it’s hard to describe in words, we finally feel like we are in the right hands and can relax!). I’m so grateful and happy to have found you and to finally not feel alone in this process!

Kim-Marie Carrasquillo & Scout

November 14, 2019 by

Josh and Kim contacted us about their recently adopted dog’s extremely fearful behavior. Scout appeared to have been raised without human interaction and was frightened by people, the television, cars, etc. Even after two months in his new home, he often seemed “frozen” in fear, and despite his new family’s gentle and loving ways, it was hard for him to take treats around Josh and Kim, let them touch or approach him, etc. After the consult, Kim emailed Sharon.

Thank you for your time and patience. You shared a lot of valuable information I can’t wait to see how Scout responds. Last night after you left, he did fantastic with the fetching of his treats. He would move about 3/4 of the way down the bed before it was “too far” for him to retrieve. We will continue to work with him diligently. Thank you again!
KIM-MARIE CARRASQUILLO

“Super happy with progress” Amanda Kicza & Opie

September 2, 2019 by

June 17 (after Opie’s second lesson)
Hello Sharon,
We cant wait for our appointment and to continue working on our progress. So we had some great things happen between last update and now. We had one night our neighbor was having band practice so she tried all her dogs outside while they practiced inside so I hooked opie up and we practiced getting closing to the trigger. We got to the fencing no problem till her dogs wanted to come closer. When this happened we reatreated and started again. I was super impressed with opie and being that close. We had another day we were sitting eating lunch and the neighbor walked by with his dog and he ran to the fence and we were able to get him to come back and stay by saying thank you opie and treating him. So awesome compared to were we were.
We cant wait to see you tomorrow and hopefully the rain holds off on us.

July 17 (after Opie’s third lesson)
He will play with ball and ignore neighbors and disengage from them with it. Still a little on edge with them for a bit then starts to forget theyre there. Kongsickle and milk bones are perfect to give to him for when strangers come over.I cant seem to get my hand eye coordination right during the turn with him. But working on it. We still havent gone for walk other than to the mailbox and back. But no encounters yet during it. I am perfect with the planned agenda for Friday

and cant wait to work on it more and talk about future opie goals.
Cant thank you enough again from where we were till now.

Aug 22 — after Opie’s fifth lesson
Hey Sharon,
Opie is doing good. Sometimes the neighbors dogs are at fence line and it takes a little work to get him to disengage but it happens and we dont have to drag him away. We also have been to the lake once. I went down while all the neighbors dogs were out and with our clicker we got past them with a few looks but no barks even though the other dogs were going nuts! Then when we got to the lake since it was a dull day it was pretty dead and he did fantastic on his new harness with long leash swimming around. We even had a gentleman launching his boat and using his name and positive praise opie didnt bark and kept coming back to me when called. He got one little arfff because i tried to see if hed come back without me calling him but after the arfff I said opie and he came. No barking at bikes, we use our ball when people are walking and he chases it and ignores them. No one on one interaction with other dogs(still makes me super nervous to try) and i try to make sure when i go to lake it’s a dead time so if there is a person we can make sure we keep space to work and not overwhelm. He didnt love other dogs that were on our walk but we know how to walk away. Thank you so much again!!! Amazing!!
Still super happy with progress and we know we have tons of work to do but were super hopeful since our training days.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Alison Sinkler and Pearl

May 7, 2019 by

Sharon met with Alison and Pearl for a behavior consult first

“Sharon thank you so much. It was wonderful meeting you as well! I felt particularly reassured by your incredible manner with Pearl, the scenarios you walked me through for each training point, and the way you were committed to making it fun. Such a joy. “

“Alex thank you so much for working with Pearl and me. I love your gentle way with Pearl, and seeing you bring out the best in Pearl gives me such a sense of optimism. I now see that the humans (me) need just as much training as the dogs, lol!
“Looking forward to continuing our work together, Alison

Marie Stellato & Reese

March 12, 2019 by

Marie is no longer making extra trips to the chiropractor due to Reese’s continuous pulling and periodic yanking and lunging on walks!

Hi Sharon. It’s Marie. Reese’s mom. I just wanted to give you a big thank you. We just passed a major test on our walk. We passed a flock of turkeys and a squirrel and a dog barking all at the same time. She looked over and perked up her ears. I told her to leave it and she walked on. I didn’t even have to tighten my grip on her leash.

“Presentation was helpful, delightful, and engaging”

December 6, 2018 by

Hi Sharon,

Thank you for your presentation yesterday. I found it very informative and helpful. I teach Basic Manners and Puppy Kindergarden group classes as well as offer private day training in Reno, NV and have been approached by a client with a disability to look into setting up an Owner-Trained Service Dog training club with her. This project is on hold while she trains her own service dog and we will discuss again once her energy level allows. She trained her previous service dog through a group in Utah but that group disbanded. I’m not sure I would want to re-constitute that group as I think the training methods were often aversive. I felt so lucky when your webinar popped up and that you are a KPA-CTP! I knew it was going to be quality info. Your presentation was very helpful and I especially liked learning more about how important it is to screen owners to make sure they get the support they need and help owners understand the work involved. The quiz and poll were delightful and engaging. Thanks, again.

I’m sharing your contact info with my client and will encourage her to reach out if she needs more than I can provide as a pet dog trainer. I just wanted to reach out and say thank you and let you know that one or both of us might be reaching out in the future if the project moves forward.

Best,

Bev

Beverly Lassiter, BA, CPDT-KA
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
Barn Hunt Judge

Head Over Heels
Owner and Lead Trainer

Service Dog Consult – Meghan and Stormlight

November 28, 2018 by

Sharon,

Thank you so much for your time yesterday, and I hope Barnum’s appointment with the surgeon went well. My dad and I were both so impressed by you and deeply appreciate the way you took us through everything. As you know, Storm will never be a service dog; she will however be able to have a happy life and I’ve decided that she will remain with me as a pet for the rest of it. I’m planning on reaching out to the trainer you recommended in Somerville after Thanksgiving, and working with my vet to investigate potential allergies she might have and get a full thyroid panel, try to get her feeling as much better as possible. I truly appreciate all of the information you gave me and am enjoying reading through the prints and digital information both.

As a quick aside, would you be able to remind me of the name of the toy you showed us that looks like a giant cat toy, the thing with the dangling toy on a string attached to the stick? Storm would absolutely love playing with one of those, I’m getting her one for Hanukkah, and I cannot for the life of me remember what you called it. Thanks so much! She’s going to be SO happy to have that, especially since I’ll be able to bring it when we are visiting my parents and play with it in their fenced in yard in the snow soon enough.

Again, thank you for your time and your kindness taking me through a difficult discussion I needed to have. I would like to work with you in the future on finding and training a service dog; for right now, I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for the meeting and for sharing your knowledge.

All the best,

Meg