Bayshore Companion Dog Club

I enrolled my dog to get therapy dog certified, but it ended up being a complete waste of time and money. We drove nearly an hour round trip for each class, only to sit in circles listening to stories and talk. Despite promises of hands-on training, most classes involved little to no actual work with the dogs. My dog had already passed several AKC certification prerequisites and was more prepared than many others in the class. Still, the instructor, Rose, made it clear early on that 1–2 dogs “just won’t pass”—a decision that turned out to be completely subjective. At one point, she asked the group to judge their own dogs' readiness. I was honest and said mine still had a few things to polish. Others with far less trained dogs claimed theirs were ready—and somehow that was taken at face value. The final straw came when Rose told three of us, a week before the last class, that our dogs wouldn’t be testing and to come in late. We showed up at our assigned time, only to find out someone else in our group had come early, taken the test anyway, and passed. We weren’t even given a chance. Just told we failed—without ever being tested. A month later, we ran into one of the "certified" dogs who passed—lunging and pulling on the leash—while ours walked calmly in heel. Unbelievable. Save your money and your time. Skip this class, take the test elsewhere, and find a trainer who actually trains instead of just talking in circles.