Kind Animal Services

Kind Animal Services Professional animal training and care. Enriching lives, educating minds, and empowering all animals (including humans).

Kind Animal Services believes in a world where animals are respected, properly cared for, and treated with kindness and love. We are on a mission to make that dream come true through educating animals (and people) and being involved in the community. KAS dedicates itself to helping animals become successful in our human-made world. We provide premium pet care in the Columbia Gorge enriching animal lives and empowering the animal to live in comfort free of stress, fear, and pain.

Your absolute “opinion” is limiting your dog’s ability to improve, change, or be the best version of themselves. The myt...
11/21/2025

Your absolute “opinion” is limiting your dog’s ability to improve, change, or be the best version of themselves.

The myth I hear often, especially in the rescue and shelter world, is my dog (male or female) doesn’t get along with dogs of the same s*x.

First off, most dogs in rescue (but not all) were spayed/neutered at a pretty young age! That procedure is removing the s*x organs basically rendering your dog de-s*xed. That means they are not truly going to behave as a male or female.

We call them something different in the horse world: they are a gelding. The procedure is mostly done with male horses.

Now I’m not saying that s*xist dogs don’t exist. Sure I have known one case (maybe two) where a dog (intact and not des*xed) was consistently aggressive towards dogs of a specific s*x. It’s rare!

When I actually start working with dogs, who their owners clam “they only get along with female/male dogs” I usually find its actually more personality or play style or communication cues they are responding to. Not the s*x of the dog. Then the owners are shocked when I bring a dog over to socialize with that is of the supposed s*x the dog doesnt like, and there is no aggression.

I do think that there is something to masculine behaviors and feminine behaviors. However, I know des*xed dogs to act in ways that don’t “match” their true s*x characteristics. So it could be that a dog feels threatened by dogs who behave more masculine or feminine but this is too Nuanced to say with any certainty.

Mostly, who your dog gets along with comes down to socialization/social history and their unique personality and preferences.

We can all understand not taking a liking to certain personality types. Some people don’t like me because of how direct, passionate, and loud I am. Some of that might be because I’m a women but it’s not all what makes me who I am? Right?

When we say my dog only likes ___. We are then projecting and limiting them. Until you can ask your dog and get a definitive answer in return it’s best to try and keep an open mind. Besides preferences can change over time and new experiences.

I have a tendency to waver some times in my stance on training techniques. It’s usually the animals that straighten me o...
11/19/2025

I have a tendency to waver some times in my stance on training techniques. It’s usually the animals that straighten me out in the end. They look at me and (call me crazy) talk with me. They share their feelings and thats something I cannot ignore.

Results based/behavior focused training vs understanding/ethic/relationship based training

It’s a spectrum and I hear you when you say with such determination that your dog “must come when called”, “must stay when told”, or “listen to you because you are their master”?

When I take these results based requests at face value, I to want them too. We all want dogs that bend to our every command… but it’s not realistic. Traditional training will get only you far on this path but it’s not perfect or 100%.

Then you zoom in and see those sweet eyes, they are breathing, thinking, and feeling animals! Total control needs to be relinquished if you want to build an authentic friendship with this being.

We all sit somewhere on this spectrum in our approach to working with and teaching animals. More and more I don’t think of what I do as training. I think of what I do as educating. Not to be confused with the flashy marketing scheme “dog educator” but more closely aligned to true life long education. The kind that offers freedom to the individual, not cloaked control.

My goal is to educate never really train. I’m teaching dogs and humans how to build meaningful relationships, how to communicate with each other, and live in harmony. Traditionally “training” is about redundant cohesive control that seeks only to maintain control over the animals behavior. It’s time we change the nerative and considered the animal’s experience in the relationship and learning process.

If you want to learn how to get reliable behaviors and share a rewarding relationship with your dog (or other animal) I’m here to support you along your journey. Bridging the gab between you and your dog. ❤️

Have we met? If not yet, I’m Kelsie. Your local expert on dog behavior. Specialist in Anxiety (including separation anxi...
11/08/2025

Have we met?

If not yet, I’m Kelsie. Your local expert on dog behavior. Specialist in Anxiety (including separation anxiety) and Aggression in dogs. I’m also a certified Service Dog Coach guiding people in selecting and training their own service dog.

I have been training animals professionally since 2011 and learning and working with animals long before then.

I want to tell you about my most valuable and worthwhile service, a Workshop Session. It’s a single session that doesn’t fail to disappoint.

I know myself, I can’t keep information to myself so I designed a service thats a single sitting, no time limit, with no information caps and I cover everything! I answer all your questions until you have no more questions to ask.

It’s fairly priced and affordable considering that I offer services from Portland to Goldendale and everything in between. Since I am already there I figure I can give you all I can and not be constantly checking the time.

This style of training also allows me to stay with you and the dog long enough to complete a full puppy (play, potty, eat, sleep) cycle. So I can walk you through what to do with your puppy when it’s play time, training, meals, nap time, potty time, and more.

This no time limit session also allows me to work with aggressive or fearful dogs at their pace. No need to push them or rush them for my own benefit. They dictate the pace of learning and much more progress can be made!

Workshop sessions are typically scheduled at the dog’s home and this is, again, incredibly powerful for working with aggressive, fearful, anxious dogs. Dogs don’t learn when they are stressed. When I used to bring these cases into my training facility it would take days or multiple sessions just to get them in a learning headspace.

Of course, this at home approach also really benefits puppies or service dogs in training since this is where they spend most of their time. I help the pet parents arrange their unique environment to increase results. It also makes doing the work easier when you see how to apply lessons at home, instead of trying to adjust instructions from a training class room into your home. Like how do you apply what you learned in a classroom at your specific front door, when people come over?

If you are thinking about getting training for your dog consider starting with a workshop session. I offer lots of other training options and ways to work together but the Workshop gives you so much for one flat rate. After a workshop we can decide how you want to continue working together or maybe that single session will be enough to set you on your way alone.

Let’s get started today.

11/07/2025

“Off leash” training.
“Perfect “ recall

Here’s what I think:

Peace of mind is an illusion. We are so willing to look the other way and do cruel things to our animals just so we can ...
11/05/2025

Peace of mind is an illusion. We are so willing to look the other way and do cruel things to our animals just so we can have “peace of mind”, “security”, “safety”, “control”.

Control is perceived not something that is ever totally ours to hold. But it’s a powerful reinforcer for ourselves and our animals.

It’s for this reason we go out of our way, look past our values, ignore our gut, and push forward with tools and methods that feed back to our brains the illusion of control.

Somewhere along the way we found a false sense of security and assurance in the use of aversive tools like E-Collars. Telling ourselves that this circumstance somehow warranted the use of a tool designed to make dogs uncomfortable.

You have been blinded at the expense of your dog. Pull the wool off and let’s honestly ask how creating more discomfort for your dog is protecting them?

I find it equally strange, this expectation that we can, using tools like this, let a dog loose and they are expected to not run beyond an invisible property line, expected to always stay in eyesight of their owner, and never ever take off after wildlife.

We don’t have this expectation of ANY other species! We don’t just set our goats, horses, cats loose and expect they will just stick around. No we utilize fences and tethers to keep them around. Occasionally with enough training and some environment set up we might let a horse be free but we are sure to have his buddy secured, goats same thing. Cats—we keep them indoors, in catios, or net our backyard.

Dogs, may be man’s best friend, but they are still dogs! Dogs roam and chase things and humans for some reason think that a collar or any tool is going to offer security.

We then justify our actions by saying “it’s for their saftey.”

It’s okay to do an act if evil if it’s for a good cause.

Sigh… look around it’s more than just dog training here. This is a problem baked into our society.

It’s in the name of god…
Sooo we can r**e, beat, starve, steal, and kill too.

Don’t you see it!

Where does it end?

I’ll tell you when you start taking accountability and quit make excuses.

You want to know what bothers me and gets under my skin. (PA for other pet industry professionals and pet lovers.) “Dog ...
11/04/2025

You want to know what bothers me and gets under my skin. (PA for other pet industry professionals and pet lovers.)

“Dog People” who feel the need to interact with my dog and tell them to sit!

Please stop asking dogs who you don’t know to sit.

Don’t make them sit to give them a treat, to pet them, before walking through a door, putting on a leash, or anything else.

I do not teach sit to my dog or my client-dogs.

That’s okay if you do or did no shaming here, it’s an easy trick to teach.

But I choose not to as a dog trainer and would really like it if vets, groomers, pet store employees, pet sitters, and any one else who works with dogs would stop assuming my dog (or any dog) will sit on cue.

Reasons I No Longer Teach Sit as a Foundation Skill:
1. My current dog (and many I work with) is afraid of strangers. When you make him sit you instantly make him suspicious of your actions and you are decreasing his ease of escape potentially increasing his need to use aggression.

2. Some (more than you might think) suffer from arthritis, pain, and discomfort in their hips or spine. You associate yourself with pain when you ask them to sit. It’s also just not kind to an aging dogs body to sit and get up many times a day because some person held a cookie over your head. Not to mention the amount of poor form most dogs have when they preform a sit only increases their risk for injury down the line.

3. It’s a useless skill (generally speaking) most people teach or have dogs sit because that’s what they were taught. We are human and they are dog, they should sit when we say sit. Look at the marketing in the training industry, we even have not so great training companies us it in their name. I see people use sits mixed into all sorts of training exercises that makes no sense and are just making it harder for the dog to be successful in the behavior they are actually trying to teach—Recall comes to mind.

4. “sticky sits” gets in the way of learning new and more valuable skills. This is usually because of their lack of creativity and problem solving. Dogs become a one trick pony.

If you want to teach sit or ask your dog to sit great but ask yourself why? Use the cued-behavior with intention. Completing in Obedience trial, then thats a good reason to teach sit.

If you want to ask something of a dog that is not yours ASK their guardian what they know or what you can request of them don’t assume they know “sit”.

I have been wanting to help more dogs in rescue and help people keep their dogs instead of abandoning their dogs at shel...
11/03/2025

I have been wanting to help more dogs in rescue and help people keep their dogs instead of abandoning their dogs at shelters.

I got an idea! I want to do a muzzle drive. Something that is challenging when working with rescues dog is that quality muzzles can be expensive and you have to get your dog sized.

I would love to have a bin of all sorts of muzzle brands, shapes, and sizes. I can use for fitting dogs, muzzle training, and helping get muzzles on dogs who could benefit from them.

What do you think? Do you have some old muzzle laying around you would donate?

Muzzles keep dogs and the public safe. They also allow dogs who might otherwise not be able to get out the freedom to go for walks, meet other dogs, people, and enjoy environments that otherwise they wouldn’t be able to without the extra security of a muzzle.

My puppy classes curriculum covered muzzle training. I suggest muzzles over crate training for all dogs. You just never know when you might need to muzzle up your pup.

While Nugget did really good even when she was charged by off leash dogs today. There were times her “warning” bite could have caused injuries to the other dog. A risk we just are not willing to take. ainy d e

Lion, Bear, or Dog? It’s a tough thing when you’re only a puppy but weigh 100+ pounds. People, for their own safety expe...
11/03/2025

Lion, Bear, or Dog?

It’s a tough thing when you’re only a puppy but weigh 100+ pounds.

People, for their own safety expect perfect skills, before the dog has even reached maturity.

It’s a dilemma that’s really tearing me apart. I am trying to give this gal as much freedom to be a puppy, to experiment with her behavior, play, and explore. But the reality is she also broke her moms hand (an accident) and easily drags me down the street when she want to.

Please remember that while your dog might look like an adult their mind does not mature till closer to 3 years of age.

I have lived most of my adult life in small spaces. I have also been training, boarding, and adopting animals of all kin...
11/02/2025

I have lived most of my adult life in small spaces.

I have also been training, boarding, and adopting animals of all kinds in all those places.

Even now, I went from a large 3 bedroom home with an insulated and heated garage and storage spaces to a tiny 5th wheel home. The trade off is getting more yard and pasture for outside stuff but it means I am again living in a small space with 3 birds, 2 dogs, and my horse who lives on the property.

I’m just saying I know a thing or two about living with lots of pets under a super small roof.

If you are waiting till you move to work with your dog on their behavior issues you are missing out on critical time you have with them.

It is absolutely possible to work with and train your dog in micro space. Sure it might not be agility training but it beats being out in the rain and weather like today.

If you’re curious about training or living with animals in a tiny space I am full of creative suggestions just ask.

PS. You should see how I have navigated living with parrots in tiny home.

10/29/2025

This is Nugget and she has been a tough case. She spent over a year in a loud shelter environment and since being adopted her mom has been working very hard to make her feel comfortable and be relaxed around the home and daily life (in their family).

She has some dog-dog aggression that we are now focusing on. I like to expose the dog to dog smells without the confrontation of actual dogs.

This was our first field trip. Sometimes that just means popping them out of the car for a moment to have a sniff. This exercise may seem like nothing to the average person. It’s not flashy training, it’s boring, is not glamorous, and sure it kind of sucks when the dog ignores you this much. They only ignore because they can’t hear/see you through the fog of stress and overwhelm!

You got this. Consistency is key here. Positive experiences around the trigger or the essence of the trigger in this case.

Genetics are not an excuse! Genetics don’t dictate the kind of equipment you should use. Genetics don’t influence if you...
10/29/2025

Genetics are not an excuse!

Genetics don’t dictate the kind of equipment you should use.

Genetics don’t influence if you need a tough hand, or tough love, or more aggressive training!

Genetics are also not a valid reason to give up on a dog and do nothing!

Sometimes you loose the genetic lottery with your selected dog. Dogs are like snowflakes no two are ever going to turn out the same.

Don’t let genetics stop you from seeking help from a behavior professional because you think your dog is genetically anxious, aggressive, fearful, crazy, hyperactive, hypersensitive, recourse guards, reactive, you name it.

Genetics DO influence behavior but the beauty of behavior in living organisms is its adaptive and can/will change.

Don’t take the first persons opinion, seek out qualified professionals that know behavior has function.

Yes, your dog may need more support because of their genetics compared to the average of their same breed, s*x, and age but change is possible if you look in the right places.

If you are noticing concerning behaviors in your dog I beg you please don’t wait, reach out!

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3031 Lower Mill Drive
Hood River, OR
97031

Telephone

+15414021006

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