FirstBark
My wife and I took in a foster back in October. After inquiring about fostering a different dog fell through; Guido FKA Guidance, a Pitbull… fell in our laps. He wasn’t the dog we were originally looking at, but he was on the euth list. According to the rescue that pulled him fro…Read full reviewClose full review
My wife and I took in a foster back in October. After inquiring about fostering a different dog fell through; Guido FKA Guidance, a Pitbull… fell in our laps. He wasn’t the dog we were originally looking at, but he was on the euth list. According to the rescue that pulled him from the shelter; we were his last chance. Emotions kicked in, the story was sad and we wanted to give him another shot at life. According to the notes provided by the NYCACC and previous owner; Guidance (GUIDO) “lived with 2 adults, and another large, male dog. Owner says Guidance is friendly and playful with strangers, children, dogs and CATS!” We took this with a grain of salt. But upon entering our home; Guido was never anything short of wonderful with my wife and I. However, going on walks, Other humans, dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, planes flying in the sky above, and just about anything else you could possibly think of, became a problem. It was as if he had never been on a leash, gone for a walk, walked up a flight of stairs or socialized, in any way, ever before. The strength behind his leash pulling was powerful and immense. When he couldn’t pull away; he would “army crawl” until he got his way. We certainly did not expect Guido to be as advertised, but we definitely did not expect Guido to be this raw. He was exhibiting a high prey drive and aggressive behavior, he was hard to walk and even harder to control. Even seeing another dog through a window was a problem. As days went on and Guido settled in a bit; it was clear Guido had an amazing heart. He just needed direction. We were doing our best and he was trying his best. This was our first “Big” Dog, and we simply did not have the know-how or experience to safely, guide him through to the other-side of this behavior. We desperately wanted to give him the shot at the life that he deserved, but it was clear; we needed help! After a few evaluations; another trainer recommended 203K9. At first, we were skeptical. Was a “Board & Train” really necessary? Would it even work? Would it be a waste of money? Would being away from home and so much change make him more aggressive? After taking Guido for an initial consultation/evaluation at their location; it was extremely clear that 203K9 was the answer. When it was over; I immediately called my wife and told her that it was going to hurt giving him up for a month+, but this was something that definitively needed to be done. If we wanted to keep Guido; 203K9 was the only way. We were sure that if he were returned to the shelter or was adopted by someone else; he would end up euthanized. We owed this to him and ourselves. She agreed and we enrolled Guido a day later. Fast forward almost two months…Guido is a new man! Our boy has learned to walk on a leash, he has learned manners, commands and patience. He listens, obeys and works through perceived stressful situations. We are beyond happy with his progress and are thrilled for what’s ahead. Guido now has future and we owe it all to 203K9, specifically Scottie. We are so very, appreciative and thankful to him, and the rest of the crew there. We don’t know what kind of situation we would be in without scottie. His hard work and dedication with our boy has done wonders. Obviously, you hope for the best, but we could never have imagined, let alone, achieved this outcome on our own. We will always be forever grateful and look forward to all of Guido’s follow-up sessions. We highly recommend 203K9! Some of the best money we’ve ever spent. Thank you, Scottie!