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Letters and Testimonials
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you so very much for all your help these past few months. It has changed my life. You see things were not always so wonderful. I was born in Northern Indiana on a small farm. My single mother was very poor and went into labor on a cold snowy evening in February. She gave birth to me and my seven brothers and one sister in an unheated garage. The only thing I knew from the beginning was aggressive, rowdy, behavior. You know a growing boy has to eat and with nine mouths to feed I wasn’t going to be the last one in line. So I got tough, but I did get respect. I guess you could have called me the “Pack Leader”, although I knew one day I had to get out or be stuck here forever. As luck would have it a nice couple from Chicago was out in the country for a drive when their car broke down right in front of our farm. My mom went out to see if she could help. Well the next thing I knew they’re standing in our garage looking us kids over. Mom had finally given in. The poverty had overcome her. Was she really going to sell her own children? There was no question about it. Even though I loved my mom, this was my chance to go off to the big city; Fame, Fortune… I had to get myself noticed. Scrambling over my brothers and sister I bounded toward the city folks. I jumped up on them, barked, chewed on their shoe laces and altogether made a scene. However, I had competition. One of my brothers took the other tack. He quietly pranced over and gave them that sad orphaned look. I could tell the lady was falling for it. I had one last chance. I picked up a stick and brought it over to them. I just sat there and stared. The next thing I knew I was in the front seat of a Jaguar, wrapped up in a warm blanket heading for Chicago. Over the next six months I was a terror. I did it all. Jumping, barking, chewing, biting, you name it. However I did have a few favorites. First I’d be real good then my dad would take my leash off and we would play catch or follow the leader. It was a blast! I’d give him the ball when I wanted to, and as far as for coming when he called? Hey I was the Pack Leader, I came when I wanted to, not when I was called. Dad went crazy. You see basically I’m very smart; however I just didn’t want to listen to anyone. Then one day it happened. Dad opened the business section of the Tribune and staring him straight in the face was your ad. “Howard Mellin wants to be your dog’s best friend”. The first step was an evaluative consultation. Would I be accepted by Good Dog? Remember how you showed me around; asked all the questions? Then John and Dee looked me over as well. I was on my best behavior, but all of you saw through my act. However two good things did happen that day. First you told my parents to stop pulling on my ears. What a dumb way to discipline your kid. And two, you accepted me as a student. The next six weeks were grueling. Up every morning at 5 am for a good hot breakfast, and then off to school. Dee always greeted me at the door with a warm friendly smile and an encouraging pat on the head. After a short warm up and a pee-pee break it was time to get down to business. John spent the entire day putting me through the paces. Heel, Sit, Down, Stay, Come and of course the infamous command “Leave It”. Not a day went by without a round or two of doggie pushups either. There were some pulses. The liver treats, those delicious bones and that sexy Doberman named Ginger. WOW was she hot! Although on the few occasions when I got to spend the night Max always seemed to be around to make sure there was no hanky panky. At the end of the day when my mom or dad would come to pick me up you always spent time with them. As it turns out they had as much to learn as I did. Day after day, week in and week out the rigorous schedule continued. Howard, you taught us a lot; proper grooming, meal planning, social etiquette, obedience and above all positive mental attitude. Now that I’ve graduated I look forward to returning on a regular basis as an alumni to assist you with new students and continue to hone my new skills to perfection. Again, thanks for restoring my relationship with my parents. I’m sure everything I’ve learned from you will benefit me for the rest of my life. Please feel free to have any perspective students call me for a personal reference. Best Wishes for Continued Success! Sincerely, Toshe Topping TT/mr P.S. I really enjoyed our T.V. debut ---- Many Thanks, ---- It was a pleasure working with you and your staff at Good Dog. We are looking towards a wonderful experience with Urs. Again, thank you and I am enclosing the “Troupe Talk” newsletter showing Urs and myself as new team members. Sincerely, ---- Doralee Ruda ---- Love, ---- I hope you have had a good and prosperous winter; this snow and cold must have been rough on you trainers!! Too rough for me and Daisy to come for a lesson. Well at last I am writing to let you know Daisy and I are doing great. We have done well through the winter and as spring approaches will really try and come back for some lessons. We could use some tightening up on our heel, sit, and stay commands. Things that you taught us are probably very basic, but we have not used them much through the winter. That is not to say that we haven’t used our 1800 Good Dog Training to our advantage, because we have. And what a difference it has made in our lives!! I know I have told Howard and John that we have a five-acre open field across the street from our house that the whole neighborhood uses to walk their dogs. One of the reasons that we came to Good Dog was the fact that Daisy couldn’t be loose in this field because she couldn’t play nice with others. She had some very aggressive tendencies towards joggers and other dogs. Today she is walked four times a day in that field with nothing but our trusty collar and remote. She has the free range of the whole entire field and rarely gets herself in any predicament that a “pulse on #2” doesn’t bring her right back to us. This off the leash time gives Daisy a chance to rid herself of the very high energy Dobermans have and makes her a much more pleasant family member in the house. She pretty much ignores all the joggers that circle the field and pays close attention to other dogs, but obeys us when we call her back. It truly is a miracle as even you folks can attest to about her social ability with other dogs. If you remember my husband, Terry is handicapped and when we brought Daisy to you Terry could not handle her when he needed to take her for a walk. Daisy was afraid of his cart while on a leash and Terry would get very upset with her when she didn’t mind him. The collar and the training we received have given them both confidence and they look forward to their walks together. Daisy cannot cross the street until Terry gives her the ok and when he does, away she goes. We are looking forward to the spring and summer up at the lake and showing our neighbors that Daisy can be a “good Neighbor” also. Wishing you all the best and hope to see you soon. Sincerely, ---- The name “Good Dog” doesn’t give your company the justice it deserves for the services you provide. You should change the name to “Awesome Dog”. You have made my dog, Darby, such an amazing pet. Not only do I enjoy her, but also every dog and person that walks next to her on the street appreciates her newfound personality and behavior. Your training services are a small portion of the total benefits you have offered me and my pet. The flexibility of ongoing training, dog sitting, home training and grooming are great assets to your organization. When I drop Darby off she runs for the back room to be with her other dog pals. I truly appreciate that Darby and I are so confident of your abilities. I cherish finding you both. I offer my many thanks to you and your extremely caring staff. My time with my dog is so cherished because of you all. Thank you so much for teaching Darby and I a great way to enjoy each other. Most Sincerely, Trisha Rooney ---- Sincerely, ---- We want you both to know how pleased we are with the training of our boxer puppy, Copper. It’s a true joy to take her out now because we know she will follow our directions. But what was the best part of the training was the training you did with me, my husband and my 8-year- old daughter. I consider us all “successful graduates.” We have recommended you to others and will continue to recommend "Good Dog". We also will be having Copper back for a refresher during our next vacation. Many Thanks, ---- I wanted to share the update on “Chloe, the demon dog”. I know that at times it appeared the human component of this pup was untrainable, but your patience and perseverance paid off. We are both doing exceedingly well. Thank you for all the hard work you and John did with Chloe (and me). We can now take long weekend walks, with Chloe running free about half the time. She is able to play in the park again, run with her friends, and she had learned to swim because I can let her off leash at the beach. When Chloe and I returned to the park, none of the dog people could believe the transformation. Everyone asked, so I passed along your name. You may be getting some new business. I will have to change her nickname though, because “demon dog” isn’t appropriate anymore. Thank you. Sincerely, ---- Thank you for helping us and our bonkers dog, Lila, to get through the first year of her puppyhood. Our family is grateful to you and appreciates your kindness, gifts, treats and childcare, when necessary, all at a time when our family was managing a big move and other difficult hurdles. Your voice over the phone was always a comfort - Lila’s home away home of sorts. Fondly, |
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