Island Canine Academy, LLC

In the face of tragedy, people often seek a source of blame. As the trainer of “Joey” a dog owned by Laura and Robert Davidson, I am the target of their misplaced blame. <br>Laura Davidson emailed me on Dec. 24th explaining to me their dog Joey had bitten one of their children in a situation of food aggression. The bite left a bruise but no broken skin. <br>I spoke with her husband Robert and scheduled a consultation. <br>I met with Robert and his dog Joey Dec. 27th. I told Robert Joey’s biting will get worse if not handled appropriately. Robert told me he, unlike his wife, had a lot of experience with dogs, and he understood. <br>Joey’s training began Jan.9th.<br>I guarantee the dog will learn the commands as described during the consultation. I also provide follow up, in home lessons free of charge after training to help the owners as part of that guarantee. <br>Part of the training is teaching owners how to prevent negative behaviors such as food aggression. <br>I have never said to any client I can make your dog non-aggressive, or your dog will never bite again. That would be an irresponsible claim. If left to his own devices, a dog will do what comes to them naturally.<br>The Davidson family came to my office for their “Going Home” lesson on Jan 24th. I explained what Joey had learned and how to use his new skills in home. I demonstrated the commands for them then they handled Joey to make sure he would comply with training moving forward.<br>I explained that the children should never have food in Joey’s presence. I told them that was the only way to control this behavior. I told them Joey would bite again, and the biting would escalate if they didn’t follow this instruction.<br> They seemed to understand the risk.<br>As they were leaving my office, Laura said to me “Thank you for saving our dog”<br>Feb. 3rd. I sent a follow up text message asking how things were going with Joey. Robert responded “He has been doing great. Thank you for asking”<br>Feb. 6th, Robert called to say Joey had bitten his daughter in the face. At first, he wasn’t sure how it happened, then he told me that his daughter was eating and Joey bit her before he could pull him away. I told him I felt terrible that his daughter was bitten but I had made it very clear the children should never have food around the dog. He did not blame me or the training. He told me they would not keep the dog. I recommended he call the shelter the dog came from. I offered to call the shelter regarding Joey’s behavior. I told him I thought most shelters would not take Joey and would likely euthanize him. I said I did not believe that was necessary.<br>Feb.10th An email from Laura came telling me Joey had been quarantined and was scheduled to be euthanized. She asked for a 50% refund of the training fee because the training failed. <br>My reply was the training had not failed. The biting of their child happened because they did not follow instructions to keep the dog away from the children when food is present. She wrote back saying the training had failed because the dog didn’t respond during the attack. I never made this promise/guarantee, I taught them how to prevent an attack. They did not do as instructed.<br>I spoke with Robert about the email from Laura and he apologized. He said he didn’t know Laura was contacting me and I was not to blame.<br>Feb. 21st in an email Laura demanded a refund and that if I did not comply, she would write a complaint to the Better Business Bureau as well as submit negative reviews online. She threatened legal action and would demand a full refund. She gave me until Feb. 24th to respond.<br>I texted Robert “I am speaking with my attorney in regard to your wife’s threats”<br>Laura posted negative reviews and filed a complaint with the BBB. She did not wait for a reply. I did not threaten to sue her, I was only seeking advice from an attorney.<br>Joey was a good dog who made terrible mistakes that could have been prevented. Most negative behaviors from dogs are human error. The error was not mine.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It was our pleasure!<br>

Thank you Melissa! Daisy is a lovely girl and we loved having her here!

Wow! Thank you Adam. It was so great working with yourself, Phyllis and Luka! Let us know if we can be of help in the future.

Aw! Thanks Sydney. It was our pleasure. Keep up the good work and let us know if we can help in the future. Give Orion a big smooch from us!