Got Your Six Support Dogs

I never write reviews and am using a throwaway account for this review to avoid harassment. But would like to share my experience with Got Your Six Support Dogs in Maryville, IL. It started over the phone when I called to ask some questions about their training programs. During that call, I was laughed at because of the breed I owned—which immediately made me uncomfortable. She was also rude and was giving me basically one word responses. I inquired about the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program and asked if they offered a class for it. The woman on the phone was short with me and told me that the AKC was retiring the program, which turned out to be untrue; the AKC later confirmed via email that the program is still active and has never been retired. Anyway, I decided to give them a fair chance and took their mandatory $50 “canine communication” class (which you must complete before enrolling in any of their other training courses). In my opinion, the class wasn’t worth the cost. The information covered was very basic—things that could easily be learned for free through YouTube or other reputable sources. But whatever, my main issue is with HOW I was treated in this class. The instructor (I believe her name was Christy) was noticeably condescending toward me, despite being polite and professional with everyone else. I am disabled, and I honestly felt singled out because of that. After the class, I tried to ask her a question, and she couldnt even look me in the eye and basically blew me off. The behavior was so apparent that another attendee approached me afterward to ask if I was okay and commented that the instructor’s treatment of me was unacceptable. I’m sharing this so others can make an informed decision before signing up. While I support their service dog mission, I personally cannot recommend them based on how I was treated. Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps someone in the future when looking for dog training classes.