From Challenge at Home to Confidence Together

We adopted our dog from the SPCA in November, and what first drew us to her was her hilarious name, Barka Streisand (now Sadie!). She looked so happy and full of life in her photo, almost as if she was smiling. We brought her home to our two boys and our 13-year-old dog, excited to welcome her into our family.

Early on, we realized that while Sadie is a happy and lovable dog, she was reactive toward our older dog. We began to feel like we couldn’t fully trust her around him, or even around the kids. We love her and were committed to doing whatever we could to help her succeed in our home.

A friend referred us to Paws and Possibilities, and we are so incredibly grateful they did. We connected with Samantha about their board-and-train program, and from the very beginning, she was knowledgeable, compassionate, and reassuring. She truly understood our desire to help Sadie thrive as a member of our family, and she gave us the confidence that Paws and Possibilities could help us get there.

We enrolled Sadie in the 3 week program, and it made such a difference. We received daily videos, which we absolutely loved, not only because we missed her, but because they showed us exactly how to continue the training at home. One example that really stood out: before training, Sadie would knock food out of our hands at mealtime. After just one week, she was sitting and waiting until we released her. It was incredible to see her progress.

Through the videos, it was also clear how much Sadie loved working with Sean, Annie, and Kim. They included her in group classes, and we were so proud of how far she had come in such a short time.

Since completing the program, we’ve continued reinforcing everything we learned, both through the training videos and ongoing sessions,virtually and in person. The experience has strengthened the bond between us and Sadie, and we feel a growing sense of trust in her interactions.

We are so excited about the future and can’t wait to continue this journey with Sadie as she grows and thrives. We are truly grateful to Paws and Possibilities for helping our family.