Clients Stories

Rolo

Rolo

We had Rolo an English Springer Spaniel from a puppy and immediately started with Dog Training, the first class we attended was very old school, choker chains, lots of shouting and stamping of feet to get the dogs attention, we were never very comfortable with the style of training.

We then went on to a different dog training class this was much better and Rolo got his Bronze Kennel Club award. In the meantime, Rolo got attacked by three Springers whilst he was out, he was not hurt but it obviously freaked him out, he was on the lead at the time and the other dogs free. At this point we noticed a change in his behaviour, he started to bark and get aggressive to other dogs, especially Spaniels and black dogs, at dog training his behaviour also changed and this was with dogs he had previously been quite happy with.  In the end we had to finish with the classes because he was being so disruptive, the instructor did come and see us at home in the end the advice given was to try and avoid situations where he might come into contact with other dogs.

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At this point everybody got wary about taking him out in case they came into contact with other dogs, he caught me, my husband and daughter with his teeth through our wellingtons, not on purpose but whilst he was trying to get at other dogs. He would be on his back legs and the noise he made was really scary, at this point we even tried a muzzle.

We were desperate, his temperament at home was lovely, the girls played with him and he never showed any aggression, it was only with certain dogs. Somebody then recommended another trainer who specialised in helping problem dogs.  I looked at the website which was pretty impressive and phoned up, having explained what the problem was, she agreed to take Rolo on. Initially the training consisted of a skype session which was mainly about changing his diet to raw food and giving him a supplement which she sold, this initial consultation cost in excess of £50, the one to one was all extra, we must have spent at least £200.

She then came to the house and talked some more about his behaviour, she brought her own dog and we took them both out together, he was fine with her dog. It was pouring with rain and we did not come into contact with any other dog, so she never got to see what he could be like.  She left us with a folder full of information and the promise that we could contact her at any time if we were still having problems, at this point I still did not feel confident in what we were meant to be doing.

A couple of weeks later we were still struggling, I contacted her again both by phone and email, she promised to come out again but that’s the last we heard from her, this had turned out to be a very expensive lesson.

We then muddled on the best we could with Rolo just trying to avoid other dogs whenever possible, but know body was enjoying taking him out.

We found out about Roann’s Dog Training by accident, a friend was looking after him whilst we were on holiday and had taken him to the garage where he worked, Rolo was in the back of the car when Anne visited the garage, she was making a fuss of Rolo and our friend explained that he was a lovely dog but had issues with other dogs, Anne left her card and I immediately phoned her on my return.

Anne came to the house and spoke to us at length about his behaviour, she then took him out for a walk on her own, we then all went for a walk with one of her dogs, Anne’s thoughts were that it was fear rather than aggression, Rolo was getting in first particularly if a dog came into his space and he was on the lead and felt threatened.

Anne suggested that we brought Rolo along to the classes so that he could be around other dogs in a controlled and safe environment. The first couple of classes he worked mainly on his own just joining in the classes towards the end, he was still quite wary of some of the dogs but Anne managed to keep him in check and reassure him.  She also suggested a change of lead which made a huge difference straight away.

After a few weeks Anne arranged for another Springer Spaniel to come, a lovely old dog who was so gentle, Rolo took one look at him and went crazy to the point that Anne took Rolo off my daughter, I was sure that he was going to bite someone. All the other dogs were working outside, Rolo was the only dog in the hall, every time the Spaniel came in he went crazy, Anne just held him and spoke gently to him and he slowly started to calm down.  In and out the spaniel went till eventually he could tolerate the Spaniel being in the hall, Anne gradually got the Spaniel to get closer to Rolo till in the end they were sitting back to back, if I had not witnessed what had happened I would not have believed it.  The next two weeks Rolo and the Spaniel went out together for a walk, it was hard to believe that this was the same dog that was causing all the fuss.

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We continued to go to classes and Rolo had his moments when he got a bit nervous around certain dogs but Anne showed us how to help him through it. The classes were varied a mixture of obedience training, and fun things such as jumps, hoops and playing games, Rolo seemed to be enjoying himself, in the early days he sometimes had to leave the room to calm down, a bit like the way my children went on the naughty step.  As the weeks went by he got more and more laid back, as well as helping him with his discipline the classes have helped him socialise with lots of different breeds, temperaments and ages of dogs this is just what Rolo needed.

We continue to go to the classes, my daughter does the training we just watch, she just loves working with him, this is mainly because as well as being educational the classes are fun, how many training sessions do you go to where the dogs play musical mats! especially as Rolo won.

People who knew Rolo from the very first session would not believe it’s the same dog, I cannot thank Anne enough for her support. It’s such a friendly group and I have recommended it to several friends and will continue to do so.  Ro and Anne are a credit to the dog training world, I only wish we had come across them earlier, it would have saved us a lot of money and heartache and we would have a much happier Springer much earlier.

Fleet’s Story

We have had Fleet, a purebred deerhound, since she was an eleven week old puppy. Previously, having had two deerhounds from puppies, we were expecting to own another ‘typical’ deerhound – laid back and easy going, relaxed with everyone, rarely barking, walking beautifully on the lead, eager to please and generally a couch potato! To our surprise Fleet displayed many traits we weren’t expecting – full of energy, always wanting to play, a little nervous of some people and other dogs, suffering from travel sickness, eating her own poo, jumping up, barking at us and others, pulling washing off the line and generally being quite hyperactive! She was proving to be a quite a challenge for us. We knew help was needed.

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When we first had her we searched around for a puppy class, eager to ensure she was properly socialised with other dogs whilst learning some basic commands and good manners, but they seemed few and far between. After quite some time we managed to find one, although she was nearly four and a half months old before the classes began for one reason or another. We attended for four weeks but the pace of each session was rather slow, so she became bored quite quickly. We needed to find something more suitable for her.

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A neighbour had recommended Anne and Roland’s classes at Uffington which she had attended with her own puppy, so we enrolled and began attending in January 2015, when Fleet was 8 months old. Roland gave us a one-to-one session when we first arrived and the following week we were able to join the whole class session. Fleet responded very well to Anne and Roland’s approach and she loved the liver cake! For a deerhound, she has quite an amazing appetite for food. We could see she had some intelligence which our other deerhounds had lacked. What she needed was mental stimulation, so learning new tricks and commands, participating in some agility and heelwork to music have given her the opportunity to use her brain, even if sometimes she can be rather lazy and knock over all the poles despite her long legs! We now attend Anne and Roland’s classes twice weekly which are great fun after which, Fleet returns home ready to sleep for the rest of the evening, mentally and physically exhausted.

Anne and Roland have also given us several individual sessions at home and at Haughmond Hill in order to support us in teaching Fleet positive behaviour. These sessions have been extremely useful as they are tailored to the individual dog. She is now a calmer dog who is much better when meeting new dogs and people. She is still learning and so are we but now when out walking locally, people who know her comment on her improved behaviour which makes us feel very proud.

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Fleet continues to be a dog with a huge character. She is also rather quirky: loving to bury treasures of all sorts that she finds, racing up slopes in the woods before promptly sitting proudly at the top and then running down as fast as she can, paddling in puddles like a spaniel, dragging her vet bed to wherever she wants to lie, playing with plastic bottles from the recycling box and watching the TV. She loves her squeaky toys. If they’re small and fragile she looks after them. If they’re large and robust she pulls them to shreds!

We are so pleased to have discovered Anne and Roland’s training classes which we will continue to attend for as long as possible. So thank you both for all your support and encouragement with our ‘delinquent’ deerhound!

Sue, Gareth and Fleet


Dudley

Dudley’s Story

I had Dudley, my Border Terrier, as a puppy. He was a happy, lively bundle of fun. I wanted him to go to a training class but I soon discovered that it was difficult to find one to suit his needs. We tried two, in both Dudley’s excitable behaviour proved too much for the trainers to cope with and I was given some very bad advice on managing him. I stopped going to the first one and we were expelled from the second! By this time Dudley was nearly a year old and in desperation I took him to a Day Centre to help his socialising. He enjoyed the company of the other dogs at first, and then when their business expanded he became nervous about going there and his attitude to other dogs changed. I stopped taking him but was left with an adolescent dog with “attitude” towards other dogs. Taking him for a walk was a nightmare, his general behaviour was challenging, I was not enjoying being his owner and I was on the point of returning him to his breeder when a friend suggested I look at the website for Roann’s Dog Therapy Team.

Anne came to assess Dudley (and me!) just before Christmas 2014 and she left me with such hope, it was the best Christmas present I could have had. We joined her class in early January where Ro gave us individual attention and pronounced that I had got ” a cracking little dog with great potential”. The way Dudley responded to Anne and Ro was amazing, that was how I wanted him to respond to me, it made me determined to follow their advice and work with Dudley in a positive way.

At first we attended class weekly, where I was shown how to manage him better whilst he had fun learning that getting it “right” brings a reward (liver cake) It wasn’t long before we were introduced to Heel Work to Music, Agility and Aerobics. Then, because we were both enjoying it so much, we started going to class twice a week. During the last year, with guidance from Anne and Ro, Dudley’s behaviour has improved enormously and he has become a happy, enthusiastic dog who loves learning new things.

At the moment he is learning to ride his new skateboard and we are members of the Heel Work to Music Display Team. I have attended workshops on nutrition and dog behaviour which have helped me to understand life from a dog’s point of view, to interpret behaviour more accurately and respond accordingly ( and if I don’t it’s my fault not Dudley’s !) I now understand that I have a “reactive” dog, who still has his odd moments, but I am much more confident in dealing with these occasions.

Anne and Ro have made a huge difference to the quality of our lives, I am so glad that I found them and deeply indebted to them for the generous way they share their knowledge, love and experience of dogs.

Dudley

Sue Davies and Dudley

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Lizzies Story

Lizzie, at the rescue centre, when Jill went to collect her.

I first saw Lizzie by chance, at a Rehoming Centre in Berkshire in April 2013. She had been in the country for less than 6 hours having been sent from Romania in the hope that a new home could be found for her. Her mother had been a street dog caught and homed in 2012, but Lizzie had escaped and had been fending for herself on the streets, before eventually being darted and sent to England.

She was extremely traumatised and hung in my arms like a sack of potatoes, as I picked her up to put her in the back of my friend’s car, where she immediately tried to hide underneath the driver’s seat.

It took 5 days before she ventured out from her bed which was in the corner of the kitchen, having hardly eaten anything. I remember exactly when she made her first move, as I was sat on the floor in the living room in front of the fire, and saw a movement as she crawled and lay next to me but not touching, whilst I talked quietly to her. That was very hard, as all I wanted to do was hug and comfort her to let her know that she would be safe, looked after and loved, but I knew that she would need to make that first contact as she was so nervous.

Lizzie was scared of everything, noise, movement, going out of the house or garden, other dogs, people, particularly children, bicycles, pushchairs, bin bags and not being able to run away, although she always considered her bed to be her safe place.

If people came around to the house, she would try to scare them away by barking and I needed to ask everyone not to look at her, speak to her or try to touch her, even then, she would remain on ‘high alert’ until they had gone.

It was a very hard time for both of us and I don’t think I helped her much in the early days. I would tense up if I saw anything that I knew she would be nervous of, and hold her lead tightly saying ’It’s alright Lizzie, it’s OK’ which I learned later, was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing.

Eventually a friend recommended Anne Browning, a Dog Behaviourist who came to visit us. Lizzie greeted her in her ‘usual’ way which Anne completely ignored. Eventually Lizzie approached her very apprehensively, backing off and barking if she moved or looked at her. Anne dropped several pieces of Liver cake on the floor which Lizzie ate, whilst she told me about how she could work with Lizzie, with the help of her own dogs.

We ended our first session by going for a walk with Anne and one of her dogs Sam. Sam took no notice of Lizzie except to calmly walk by her side, which was exactly what Lizzie needed and responded to.

Lizzie and Sam on their first walk together. Don’t they make a lovely couple.

It was such a success. Lizzie seemed comfortable, more relaxed and I wasn’t holding as tightly onto her lead.

After a few more one to one sessions with Anne, Sam and another of her dogs, Anne and I swapped dogs so that I could watch Lizzie’s behaviour and see how she responded to Anne and her dogs, in some day to day situations that I knew Lizzie would usually struggle with.

Anne suggested that I take Lizzie to one of her classes which would introduce her to other dogs and people in a very controlled and safe situation. Lizzie immediately panicked even before going inside the Hall, pulling to get back in the car. I had never heard a dog ‘cry’ before or see one shake with terror and I almost decided to take her straight home. However, we persevered (with the help of Sam who sat close by her,) and by the time the class ended Lizzie could walk past all the other dogs and their owners at a distance.

Things progressed well after that and both Lizzie and I became more relaxed at the classes until a time when Anne suggested that the whole group could unclip their dogs from their leads. Lizzie was familiar with most of the dogs particularly Sam and several of Anne’s other dogs, but there was a new lively Labrador puppy. I was concerned that if it was to rush up to Lizzie, that she might not manage the situation and it could undo the progress she (and I) had been making, however we went ahead.

The response was amazing! Lizzie’s body language clearly changed each time the new puppy tried to get close to her, her head and tail went down and she tried to move away. Immediately Meg, one of Anne’s dogs, sensing Lizzie’s nervousness, moved between them and barked stopping the puppy from approaching Lizzie until the puppy moved away.

Lizzie has regularly stayed with Anne and her dogs when I have needed to go away, and each time she has joined Anne’s ‘pack’ seamlessly. She still seeks out Sam and Meg as her protectors when she feels nervous or in a new situation, until she feels confident enough to move away, but will choose other high energy dogs from the group for ‘playtime rough and tumble’.

We continue to attend Anne’s weekly classes and join in all the available activities together sometimes meeting new dogs and owners. Lizzie loves it and although still cautious of anything new, she has developed a more confident approach and I have learned to relax and enjoy loose lead walks.

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I first met Jill and Lizzie, when I was called out to help a fearful Romanian Rescue dog, and fearful was definitely how Lizzie was feeling. If you think about the journey that Lizzie has been on, living on the streets with her mother, ducking and diving and hiding from people’s efforts to catch them. Hunting for food and water, and living each day just to survive. Then that awful day for her, when she was about six months of age and her mother was caught, but she managed to get away, now all alone, that must have been terrifying for her. Her next massive event, was when she herself was caught and taken to a rescue centre, by the things that she had spent her short little life avoiding, people. Then she was shipped off to another country and another rescue centre, and within hours, yet another human taking her away, somewhere.

When I first saw her, her body language was screaming out for help, and that help she craved from another dog. After spending all that time just with her mother, Lizzie understood, and was more confident with another dog, then she was with scary humans.

Lizzie now, very rarely shows any nervousness, as we have eventually got Jill’s nerves under control as well as showing Lizzie how to cope. Jill and Lizzie now have a very entertaining life together, clicker training, activity sports, Tracking, Heelwork to music and performing in front of guess what? Yes, lots of people. Lizzie has an amazing personality considering her start in life. It just shows what can happen, with the right dogs and people, giving the right help.

Jill & Lizzie at a demonstration 

So, as you can see by these very inspiring stories, that if you, your dog, or both of you, are living with fears and anxieties, there is help available, you just need to look in the right place.   

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Bella’s Story

Bella

Hi my name is Bella, I am 8 years old or there abouts, we don’t really know my birthday! I am a miniature Dachshund/Jack Russell, so I look like a stocky Dachshund.

7 years ago, I had arrived at my third home in my first 9 months, I really didn’t like being a hand bag dog!! Within the first week my new owners called in a lady called Anne to help them sort me out.

Anne very quickly saw that I was a very scared little dog who used aggression to drive people away especially men. I was taken to her the next week where I met Pat my new owner to be, when Pat had heard that I was needing a new home she instantly said she would have me.

At long last with the help and advice from Anne, boundaries were set for me to live by. We learnt obedience, scent work, OH I love scent work I can always find that piece of liver cake!! I was then introduced to tracking which I was really good at but Pat is a little elderly and found the rough terrain hard going.

We then tried a form of agility which I loved and was so good that Pat didn’t have to run too far. I even won my first rosette!

I am still worried about men and sharp movements, but Anne has taught Pat how to anticipate situations and how to give me the support needed for me to cope with them.

We have been on holiday, on boats, in buses and my favourite, …. driving about in Pats car. I would do that all day, (well Pats really doing the driving, I just enjoy being in the car).

I am now a much-loved little dog, though my barking can make people cross, but after all I AM A DACHSHUND!!! Thank you, Anne, Sam and my other doggy friends that have helped me.

Cheeky Bella has pinched the chair 

                                                          

I was called out for a behavioural visit to a young mum, several years ago, who had recently taken on a new dog. When I arrived at the house, I was introduced to a very scared little dog, who was shut in a very small kitchen area. This was Bella, a young pup, just about 9 months old and petrified.

After finding out about her back ground, it appears that Bella’s first home from leaving her litter mates, was a family who carried her around in a hand bag, as an accessory. As she started getting bigger and livelier, she became excess to requirements, so was moved on. Not fitting in at her next home, she was moved on again to the lady who had called me in. She had only been at this house for four days, when I was asked to sort out this noisy, snappy dog, that had already bitten a man, who was working in the very crammed kitchen area with an anxious dog. No thought was given to how Bella may be feeling, or any attempts to settle her in. The lady owner had two children, who were rather active, so Bella was kept confined in the kitchen. (Bella turned out to be, fantastic with children once she was finally settled in the right home).

It was obvious not only to me, but also to Bella’s owner at that time, that she wasn’t the best dog for them, they only had her because somebody was giving her away. It only took a week after my first visit, to get the call to rehome her. It didn’t take long to get her away from her miserable situation into a perfect one, some who was experienced with and understood Dachshunds. So, at nine months of age Bella went to her fourth home.

Bella, also showed a lot of nervousness around some dogs, so we worked with her and Pat, and the therapy dogs, to give her a happier, more active existence. Although she still shows anxieties at times, Bella and Pat have learned to work together, and are an inseparable pair.

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Misha’s Story

We had Misha  from 8 weeks old, we got her from a place called Bulldock  Nr London.

She was an accidental breeding of a German Shepherd and a Belgium Shepherd. As a guarding breed we knew from early on that Misha was very protective of us both and although we did our best to socialize her with other dogs, she became very vocal and threatening towards other dogs. After considerable time spent with many dog trainers, we met Anne and Roland at our local Morrisons Supermarket.

Both Anne and Roland were very understanding and professional and after an initial consultation soon had us and Misha on our first therapy session. After only a few sessions we started to notice a huge improvement in Misha’s behaviour and we had a very clear understanding of what we’ve been doing wrong.

We continued to work on Mish’s behavioural issues and have gone on to complete our Bronze and Silver good citizen dog scheme awards and next year we will go on to complete our gold award.

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she still has the occasional moment where she misbehaves around other dogs, but just knowing the signs, body language and remembering the advice we were given means that this is easily managed.

We now attend regular Obedience/tricks training classes run by Anne and Roland, we enjoy the classes and Misha thoroughly enjoys herself. Misha’s obedience has improved so much we are now demonstrating different exercises for the class which we are very proud of.

We would highly recommend Anne and Roland to anyone who has a dog with any antisocial or behavioural issues their in-site, advice and experience are second to none.

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Misha on holiday !!

Anne and Roland gave us the confidence and resolve to work through our dogs issues when many others were urging us to re-home her to a working home. We now have a happy and well-adjusted young dog and could not imagine life without her.

Anne and Roland we would like to say massive thank you for all your support and hard work, we wouldn’t have a dog if it wasn’t for you.

Misha

Tracy, Gareth and Misha x

Bonnie

This was Bonnie’s first outdoor training session around Haughmond Hill

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Kathleen, Eric and Anne with Bonnie and two of Anne’s dogs spent a very useful time through the woods recently.

There was plenty of opportunity to learn to control Bonnie on a short lead to get her to walk close, especially when confronted by other dogs and people.

It was excellent training for Eric and Kathleen as well!!

A really enjoyable time was had by all, especially the cup of coffee in Pine Tops Cafe at the end. What a lovely surprise to find on a quiet day, we can take Bonnie into the cafe as  well- all part of her training, of course!!

Kath and Eric

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Meg’s Story

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Meg was one of a litter of six puppies who had not been let out of a shed since they were born.  When I had her in November 2011 she was about 6 months old , undernourished, terrified of everything and everybody, had bald patches from the effects of mange, worms and other parasites.  It took several days to coax her out of the cage I had provided for her in my kitchen and about a month to get her to come voluntarily into the garden.  She did not even know how to play as I don’t believe she had any toys.  I was advised to let her take things at her own pace.

When I was introduced to Anne, in early July, Meg was about 14 months old and, although I had made some progress with her, she still had quite a number of issues.  I was able to take her over the local fields for a walk but on a long lead.  When we had been doing this for a while she began to play with other dogs we met but shied away from any human contact.  It was the same at home; she was OK with me but frightened if anyone came into the house – even my family when they visited.  She was afraid to go anywhere new – too nervous to go up the street on the lead and terrified if we met anyone.

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When I first took Meg to Anne’s training session, I struggled to get her to come into the building and she was also too frightened to walk on the rubber mat down the centre of the room.  Anne took charge of her that day and the next week she was a different dog; happily walking around the room wherever I wanted her to go.

Since then Meg has improved tremendously.  We go every Tuesday to the classes where we have half a session with Anne doing “fun” stuff (dog agility and basic commands) and half a class with Ro (working on different obedience type work). Under Ro’s tuition, Meg has learnt to sit and stay even when I go out of the room.  This is astonishing progress in such a short time.  Anne also offers individual hourly training sessions which have been invaluable.  Three weeks ago Anne came with me on Megs normal walk over the fields and showed me how to handle her off the lead.  Meg has not been on the lead since and comes when I call her even when she is tempted to continue playing with another dog.  She has also begun to respond better to adults; especially if they give her a doggy treat!

I cannot praise Anne and Ro enough for the work they have done with meg.  I meet people on my walk who are astonished at the change in her.  Roann’s Dog Therapy Team offer training at a reasonable cost and have the ability to bring out the best in a dog and its owner.  I cannot thank them enough.

Sue Pugh

2014 Update on Meg

Life has unfortunately dealt Sue a hard blow, as she has been diagnosed with Cancer, so Roann’s Dog Therapy Team has taken Meg on and she has become one or our therapy dogs (see her on our ‘about us’ page).

2015 Update     Sue has had her treatment and with great pleasure I am pleased to say that  at the moment is all clear from her cancer. Meg is going to stay with us as one of our working dogs.

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Jet’s Story

I got Jet as a six week old puppy, we did a basic training class which was good and did what it said, they gave Jet the basics like sit & stay etc.

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But Jet had a stubborn streak and a lot of Lurcher in him, so when he got a scent of something, off he went and no command would stop him.

That is when I met Anne and Ro, they were working with an aggressive dog and to see the change in that dog after only a couple of sessions was amazing.

I spoke to them about Jet and arranged a meeting. Since that day Jet has progressed in leaps and bounds, not perfect yet but a vast improvement. We have attended their training classes as a basic refresher, plus the fun of the tricks that we have great fun in learning. Jet loves the classes and Anne & Ro, we are continuing the classes mainly because Jet loves meeting them and all his friends.

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Berni and I run the Pine Tops café at Haughmond Hill, and daily see a great many dogs, some well-behaved and some not, and we are always amazed at the improvements we see of dogs that Anne and Ro have been working with.

Ellen, Berni and Jet

Ellen and Berni are now retired from running the Café.

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Max’s Story

Mary and Nick.

When I was a pup I never had many opportunities to meet and play with other dogs and when I did meet them I was frightened and used to bark and growl so I had to be kept on a lead.

Mary and Nick. When I was a pup I never had many opportunities to meet and play with other dogs and when I did meet them I was frightened and used to bark and growl so I had to be kept on a lead.

They then introduced me to Ann and her dogs and after a few times going out with them I soon found out that dogs are not going to hurt me and just want to say hello. I now go out every day without my lead and life is so much more fun.

If you are the same as me I would recommend Ann to your owners, her dogs are great fun and made me feel at ease.

Max, Mary & Nick Lloyd