To K-9 Insight,

I wanted to send you this note to express my appreciation for all that you have done to develop Abbey's social skills. She has come along way and I couldn't have done it without you. If you remember:

We adopted Abbey from a rescue shelter in Berkeley in April 2003. Abbey was always very good with people but the few times we exposed her to other dogs she became very nervous and timid. I enrolled Abbey in the Beginning Obedience class through K-9 Insight in May. Prior to the class Abbey had her evaluation with Planet Pooch to attend daycare. Abbey was very scared and nervous around the screening dog and any other dog she saw at the premises and did not pass her initial evaluation because of being so nervous. When we attended our first obedience class she was so scared she hid behind my chair and didn't want to see or make contact with any of the other dogs.

Pia recommended that we bring Abbey to The Little Paws playgroup on Sunday mornings to help her with her socialization with other dogs. The first few times we brought Abbey she was very afraid of even the littlest of puppies and still continued to hide behind my chair in a safe zone. After continuing to bring Abbey to the playgroup on Sundays she has not only become more comfortable being around the other puppies and dogs she truly enjoys it. We have seen her go from hiding behind my chair to running around and playing with some of the more aggressive puppies within the group. Abbey's curiosity through exposure has helped her become more interested and interactive with the playgroup. She gets so excited when we pull up to the training facility I can barely keep her under control. She still remains cautious of some of the dogs, but overall she is mixing it up with the best of them.

I want to express my gratitude for giving Abbey this outlet to gain confidence with herself and develop the socialization skills needed to be with other dogs. We wouldn't be at this position if it wasn't for the attention and assistance Pia has provided in mentoring Abbey in situations were she might be apprehensive and even sometimes reluctant to participate. Now when we bring her to the playgroup she wanders from dog to dog introducing herself and being a very active member in the playgroup.

I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to see Abbey so happy around the other dogs after she had started off so scared. I strongly recommend Pia and K-9 Insight for their knowledge and assistance with every aspect of raising a happy, confident and obedient dog. I have learned so much in the last few months I feel that I am providing Abbey the positive reinforcement she needs to continue to grow and we will definitely be joining the Intermediate class in the Fall.

Thank you for everything!

Mike Henderson & "Abbey", Lab mix