" OPHELIA & PORTIA"
“Dog of the week” 7/16/2023
Ophelia is Portia's naughty sister. Also a cream colored Shiba Inu, she enjoys instigating trouble by teasing her cat brother and sister. She also enjoys pretending she can't hear us when we call out commands. We adopted her as an eight-week old puppy with Portia in September of 2021. The two of them have kept us on our toes ever since!
Portia is a cream colored Shiba Inu who is every bit as clever and smart as the breed description says. We adopted her and her littermate sister Ophelia in September of 2021 after our previous dogs passed away. Portia quickly proved to be the bossy boots of the two! As the self-appointed family protector, she loves to bark and howl at any two- or four-footed "threat" that passes by our window. She also loves to lick her sister awake when she wants to play.
Elizabeth Maginnis
" BRADLEY "
“Dog of the week” 5/9/2023
We adopted Bradley in July of 2019. He was adopted via a rescue organization and was described as coming from a hoarding situation in Kentucky . The rescue organization we used required training as part of the adoption and our foster recommended Rich. When Rich and Carol made a home visit they diagnosed Bradley as “fearful”. They gave us great advice on collars, leashes and treats and recommended “Brave Buddies” to start our journey. I should point out that Bradley would not leave the driveway, would try to hide from other people and dogs and was terrified of anything new (like riding in a car). We weren’t even sure we would be able to get him to go into the facility for training but it was such a treat-filled place that after the first session Bradley would pull us into the training room. During his brave buddies class we saw great progress, he went from needing to sit near the door to actually sniffing some of other pups and Carol and Rich were able to teach us what to look for – when to know he was getting anxious, how to distract and reaffirm and give him the confidence to deal with his anxiety. We completed Brave Buddies and moved to Basic Obedience which was also very helpful (training us to train Bradley). Bradley is now 3 years old and loves car rides and pontoon rides, loves walks and even sat for a santa pic (to be fair it took a lot of chicken for that one). Wags to Rich’s gave us the tools we needed to help our dog be happier and more confident. I know we wouldn’t have gotten this far without their instruction and support.
Jean Maess and Mark Kokanovich
" BELLA "
“Dog of the week” 4/2/2023
When we first rescued Bella, we were in over our heads, we just didn't know it yet. She had been kicked out of Basic Obedience training for being "dog aggressive" so we enrolled in that trainer's Dog Aggression Classes. It was a disaster. The training was punitive and Bella was worse, constantly being exposed to her triggers. I was afraid to take her on walks for fear of seeing another dog. We had two Vets tell us to rehome her due to her aggression and anxiety. I knew Bella was a sweet dog and was so incredibly loving, she just needed the RIGHT training.
THEN we heard about Wags to Rich’s with Rich and Carol. At first, we did home sessions to work on some in home anxiety behaviors, and learned that Bella was not 'vicious' and 'aggressive' as past trainers and Vets had called her, but instead she was Dog& Reactive and it came from a place of fear. We worked with her on clicker & training and most importantly, positive reinforcement training for desirable behaviors. After a few months, we then moved on to their Reactive Dog Classes. Bella successfully finished Reactive Dog I and was even able to go out IN PUBLIC with other dogs to complete Reactive Dog II. I am no longer afraid to take Bella for a walk. We can successfully go for a walk in our neighborhood and she can pass another dog and be redirected. She still prefers to be the solo dog at our house and we do not take her to dog parks, but Rich and Carol have taught us so much about being a dog owner. It's not what is best for you, but what is best for your pup and their behavior. We are expecting a Baby Girl in September, and know that thanks to Rich and Carol, Bella will be the best big sister ever!
Amber W.
" YO "
“Dog of the week” 2/14/2023
Raised from a baby. Dedicated companion. Great family member who never had a bad day, and would make you laugh everyday. Never meet a pool that she didn't like, put a golf ball in the pool, she would spend hours trying to get that ball. She was so gentle, she sounded ferocious when she played with you but would always slip a kiss in just to let you know she loved you. She enjoyed chasing my RC cars around the yard and occasionally would catch it and rip the wheel off it, which made me laugh. Loved going for rides and sticking her head out the window. Would go over family member members houses to play with their dogs non stop , soon as we got home she would walk upstairs , pause at the top landing to look back to see if you were coming and then right to bed. That king size bed was hers.
SHE will be forever missed..
Fred W.
" SUP "
“Dog of the week” 1/13/2023
Raised from a baby. Dedicated companion. Great family member who never had a bad day, and would make you laugh everyday. Never meet a pool that she didn't like, put a golf ball in the pool, she would spend hours trying to get that ball. She was so gentle, she sounded ferocious when she played with you but would always slip a kiss in just to let you know she loved you. She enjoyed chasing my RC cars around the yard and occasionally would catch it and rip the wheel off it, which made me laugh. Loved going for rides and sticking her head out the window. Would go over family member members houses to play with their dogs non stop , soon as we got home she would walk upstairs , pause at the top landing to look back to see if you were coming and then right to bed. That king size bed was hers.
SHE will be forever missed..
Fred W.