Kind Animal Services

02/05/2025

Monday my dog, De Vel Enkira, took her final breath.
4/13/2009 - 2/3/2024
My heart hurts and I miss my partner in life.

She is everywhere and no where all at once...
She occupies every dog bed in my home.
She is standing on every high point on the trail.
I still hear her breathing at night.
I am still holding her in my arms.
We are running in agility, in a conformation ring, Rally, and lure courses.
She is still barking obsessively at the soccer, volleyball, basketball match.
She is standing in the kitchen waiting for her bite of steak.
She is bounding through the snow, catching snow flakes.
She is in my vehicle, riding shotgun, watching the world rush by with a curiously intelligent look on her face.
She is laying outside as the snow quietly falls, refusing to come inside.
She is waking me up at 7:00 am with her nose on the bed huffing and whining.
She is still laying at the edge of the bed or couch while I am unwell.
She continues to stay alert at night when we are sleeping in the car or camping in the woods.
She will forever be the fur-missile, a blur of fur and teeth outrunning most of her components but never quite fast enough to catch the deer in the forrest.
She is Twinkle-toes, lightly treading along the ground, as though her steps landing in fairy dust.
She will remain my dog in service, picking up things I drop, taking my bank statements into the bank, walking herself with her own leash, staying by my side, but always waiting patiently at the door when asked. Assisting me in training, grooming, and dog walking work that I have done over the years.

Kira was my dream dog. My do it all dog. My protector and guardian through some of the biggest growing pains of my twenties. She was a yes-dog, whatever it was I asked her to be she gave her whole life to her work, to me.

In return, I listened and spoke with Kira often doing my best to give her the platform she needed to be her most authentic self. She was employed, in a world where most dogs are currently unemployed. She was almost as free as a dog can be in our modern world. I know she loved me, cared for me, trusted me, and appreciated all that I offered her.

Now Kira joins my other loved ones in my memory and in my heart.
Rest in peace Queen of the Forrest.

01/18/2025

Let’s play a game. How many dogs do you see? Social time with other dogs is an exhausting activity for most dogs. It’s extremely enriching and requires a lot of brain power to be social especially with unknown personalities. However that doesn’t mean that it’s the right activity choice for all dogs. Just like people dogs are usually more social when younger and grow into enjoying only specific relationships they feel safe in. Group socialization for dogs (dog parks/daycares) for dogs over the age of 3 is not required. What’s more important is ongoing quality friendships with dogs and people. How many healthy and strong relationships does your dog have?

01/15/2025

Another educational milestone down. This one has been on my list for some time but I have been very strategic about the courses I take and in what order. I'm proud to announce that while I was already working with aggression cases I now have even more tools to help my clients find successful resolutions to their dogs scary behavior.

If you are struggling with a dog that has bitten people or other dogs for any number of reasons. Contact KAS right away to get help.

01/05/2025

Working and living with a reactive dog is a process, a journey, a lifestyle in many cases. It’s not something that needs to be fixed, solved, or otherwise removed from your dog. Your dog’s reactivity is just their big feelings bubbling over. They are good dogs and many of them (like Krash pictured) are social with other dogs and people. Adolescent dogs have a hard time regulating those extreme feelings and require even more help to regulate them. I see you out there working with your dog, in the public, trying to manage their stress, keep up the good work.

12/28/2024

I think that we forget our dogs like us benefit from time spent in nature. Nature therapy it’s sometimes called. This is your permission to let out your inner child and have some fun, build a fort, and spend time in nature with your dog.

12/19/2024

Sterilization. Spaying and neutering dogs. This topic has come up a lot and weighs heavily on my mind.

Mainstream advice is to desex dogs at around 6 months of age. I’m pleased to hear that many vets and pet owners are pushing waiting until the dog is 1 year. Though I still cannot get behind it.

“Typical canine desexing (spaying and neutering) removes organs that researchers now believe are quite important to overall health in dogs. Studies also indicate that the earlier a puppy is spayed or neutered, the greater likelihood of health problems later in life, from abnormal bone growth and bone cancer to an increased incidence of adversities reactions to vaccines and behavioral challenges like fear and aggression.” [The Forever Dog Rodney Habib & Dr. Karen Shaw Becker]

Did you know there are other procedure options if you are seeking to sterilize your dog and prevent accidental breeding? Consider a hysterectomy or vasectomy.

Personally, I have found the most incredible dogs I have worked with were intact. There is something about them that is wise, mature, and intelligent like no other dog.

12/18/2024

Things that will not solve your adolescent dog’s reactivity…
👉 Yelling or verbal scolding
👉 Popping or correcting them with a collar
👉 Smacking them on the butt or nose or anywhere for that matter
👉 Shocking, tapping, or zapping them in the middle of a reaction
👉 spaying / neutering in hopes you will influence their behavior. I.e. calm them down.

What adolescent dogs need most is your understanding and support while they are still not capable of risk assessment and working on their impulse control. Just like teens they are all about immediate gratification and can’t hardly imagine delaying. Adolescent brains are impulsive, how you guide them through this stage of life is what will determine the outcome. Aging will be on your side.

Hold fast to your training plan but be willing to forgive them and yourself when things don’t work out gracefully. I promise things will get better. Try the following:
⭐️ Have a cheat day each week where you and your dog can enjoy something together. (For Milou the pictured dog thats a good game of tug.)
⭐️ Laugh out loud when your dog has an explosive reaction. Laugh at them, laugh at the situation, just notice how absolutely ridiculous this is. Laughing will help you stay calm and not get frustrated.
⭐️ Ditch the agenda! Look don’t try to walk from point A to point B in some set amount of time. Sit often and just hang out in lots of new and interesting places. Don’t you know teens just want to “hang out dude.”
⭐️ Notice and reinforce all their good choices, not just their behavior. When you see them looking across the road at the neighbors cat (but not chasing it) BINGO reinforce them with food, praise, or toy.

If you want more information or help reach out.

12/15/2024

Looking for an awesome family pet dog? You should meet Tucker. This boy blew me away when I met him yesterday. He is currently at but we can’t figure out why. He is friendly, easy going, and such an all around good boy. He is young and athletic but that doesn’t mean he wants to run miles it just means he needs ample play time to help him develop into the well rounded adult dog I know that he is going to be.

12/04/2024

Board and Train programs - Immersion Boarding School - is booking for 2025. We are raising our rates and if you want to lock in our current rate book now, before the new year.

Boarding School is perfect for:
🐶 Puppies 14 weeks and up!
🐶 Gain valuable social and conflict resolution skills
🐶 Learning how to learn
🐶 Manners training and leash training (off leash training if applicable)
🐶 Epic adventures including hikes, camping, and visits to the farm to meet horses, goats, and chickens
🐶 Housed in a home environment not isolated to a kennel when not training

We book up to a year in advance and space is limited because we only take a few dogs max at a time. So our students get one-on-one consistent care and attention.

Call now to book your dogs Boarding School stay.

12/04/2024

Livestock guarding dogs (LGD) are prominent in our area. This course was a good reminder that these dogs can be uniquely challenging and prone to aggressive behaviors particularly towards other dogs.

They have a unique set of genetic tendencies that can make them wonderful guardians but cause issues in other environments.

If you have a LGD you are having issues in your home with or you are looking to train your Livestock Guardian to guard their flock. Kind Animal Services can be a valuable resource.

Erin Williams, CPDT MDI will present on LGDs and aggression!

11/27/2024

One of the amazing rewards of the industry is working with dedicated pet parents who genuinely want to see their dog succeed in life despite the obstacles and trauma their animal has faced in the past.

A dog labeled as feral, aggressive, and beyond help transforming into a happy, respectful, and loving companion. I find myself thinking and even telling clients how there is a strong possibility that the behavior problem may always exist but I am committed to trying everything and staying with them for as long as it takes. I make no promises.

However, many of my cases blow me away. When I hear that the dog is improving steadily with the recommendations and protocols I provided. Maybe we can help dogs (and other animals) overcome their behavior issues, trauma, and fears. Maybe, just maybe, it’s possible.

I can promise you this I refuse to give up on your animal if you don’t.

10/14/2024

I want to tell you a story about me and my best friend. I think it’s due time to celebrate this hard working and faithful soul. This is something I wouldn’t normally do on my business channel but for the next while you can expect a flood of photos and the story of a life who has been behind the scenes of Kind Animal Services and motivated me every day.

Our story starts Summer 2009. I picked up my Belgian Malinios puppy shipped all the way from Kansas! Shen she got off the plane the first thing I said to her was “you’re not in Kansas any more.” And we headed straight to my dance dress rehearsal. School had just let out for summer and I was heading into my Senior year of high school. Everything was right in the world.

On the drive home this fluff ball was named Enkira, call name Kira. Oh how much life we would live together. My dreams, goals, and ambitions were running wild.

Dear Kira, where will we be when it’s all over? I can’t wait to charge ahead with you, to grow and learn with you.”

09/28/2024

Harsher methods will not give you calm, confident control. They offer you control based on fear. Fear of you, fear of pain, fear of something in the environment. I prefer to know my dog seeks me for safety and that they trust me. They comply because they are safe not because they are afraid. What kind of leader are you?

08/31/2024

Vulnerability is an under recognized superpower.

It’s okay to not have the perfect dog. It’s okay to not understand why they behave in difficult and stressful ways. It’s okay to open yourself up and even cry because of something they did or didn’t do.

Know when to seek help. By being vulnerable you will open yourself up to learning and growing. Our animals have so much to teach us about ourselves sometimes vicariously through others, such as a dog trainer who can help translate for both ends of the leash.

08/30/2024

Free Dog Training for Trade!
Seeking dog training assistance and helpers (human and canine helpers welcome).

If you have been wishing to get professional help with your dog but haven't been able to afford training now is your chance to trade your time for training sessions with Kind Animal Services.

We specialize in fear and aggression cases and need helpers who can follow direction and stand in as a stranger for dogs working through their behavior challenges. Play the part of a delivery driver or guest to a house where we are working on a dogs reaction to someone at the door. Or other similar scenario.

Depending on your dog's personality we can also use helper dogs. The qualification for dog helpers is your dog needs to be non-reactive towards other dogs. This is a great opportunity to practice working your dog around distractions or if your dog is further along in their dog-dog reactivity training and looking for controlled exposure. This makes for a win-win.

If interested please message us with your email and phone number if you wish to receive texts. We are going to create a list of helpers and their general profile and then email or text you when we are doing set up sessions that have helper roles to fill.

Thank you for your consideration.

08/17/2024

Be present, observant, and have some fun!

08/11/2024

Sunday vibe: Pink