Having had previous success for dog training it was without a doubt to choose Central Coast: Off…read moreLeash K9 train to train our young dog. Miguel was very patient and skillful in handling our Maltese. Mugi returned to us confident and receptive to basic commands. We were amazed that Mugi walked off leash so obediently! We recommend CC OLK9 and Miguel and found the two week board and train program a great way to train and expand socialization to our dog.

A few months ago, we hired OffLeash K9 through their "Board and Train" program, for our Cane Corso…read morepuppy. At that time, he was around 7 months old. At the time I signed the training services agreement, there was zero mention of the use of an electronic training collar as part of the program. Additionally, it is not clearly described or disclosed on the OffLeash K9 website that they utilize these collars as a part of the training-- they use vague language to refer to their practices, including the use of "safe and effective methods", but no concrete examples or definitions. I did not discover that they were planning to use an electronic (shock) collar until well after I paid the $2790 for the training program, I should add. Learning this information gave me pause, and I considered cancelling the training, as I had learned through my own professional experience that positive reinforcement training is more effective to achieve results for dogs than punishment-based training. Nonetheless, I was told and encouraged by the trainer (Izzy) that this method was safe, and would not cause injury. Upon return to me after the 2 weeks, my puppy had injuries around his neck which the trainer referred to as "hot spots". The trainer informed me that it was simply due to "irritation" from the collar. The trainer stated at the time of return that our dog was "stubborn", and "slow to learn". Being a Registered Veterinary Technician, I took him home, and I shaved and cleaned the wounds around his neck, in order to better visualize the area. It was immediately clear that he had painful, necrotic pressure wounds around his neck (see photos). I administered first aid, and consulted a veterinarian colleague for further instruction. I am relieved to report that his injuries healed without the need for more invasive treatment--however, those pressure wounds are not a "normal" result of the use of electronic collars. That occurs when the collar is left in place for too long, and is fitted too tightly. This was a direct result of the misuse of the training collar by the trainer. Subsequently, our dog was fearful of the collar, and, understandably, would refuse to allow us to place it on him. He demonstrated very little obedience as a result of his training, despite our attempts to follow up with his training as directed, and he appeared more anxious than he was prior to the program. Both personally and professionally, I was left disappointed and concerned by this program, and certainly would not recommend it to any of my friends or associates. I question its validity, if management is using and supporting dubious communications, and condoning harmful practices. I have extensive connections in the veterinary medical community of the Central Coast and Bay Area, after an almost 20-year career as a senior veterinary nurse, and I have been vehemently opposing and advocating against this he use of OffLeash K9. I have dissuaded clients from acquiring their services. Furthermore, I strongly suggest that trainer Izzy of Salinas be investigated for misconduct, and potentially animal neglect. My intention in sharing this feedback is to make the community of pet owners, whom I love and humbly serve, aware of the adverse effects of this training program.

10/10 ! I love this place and so does my dog Cowboy ! He always comes back so tired and is excited…read morewhen we drive up the drive way for drop off . They all take such good care of him and I couldn't be happier to have found Desjardins . Professional and so friendly .

Owners are professional, caring, knowledgeable, flexible and just amazing!…read moreOur newish, unpredictable dog goes to daycare at Desjardins and has also been trained there. The results are outstanding and we are so pleased to understand our dog and be able to give him a happy life. Thank you Desjardins!!

they know what to ye are doing and don't charge too much! happy with care for my dogs and catsread more

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Dr. Jessica Lightsey. I'm sharing this review…read moreto help other pet owners make an informed decision. My dog, Pepito, was diagnosed by Dr. Lightsey with ITP -- a condition he had never shown signs of before. Based on that diagnosis, he was prescribed a high dose of prednisone. Shortly afterward, Pepito became seriously ill and had to be taken to the emergency hospital, where he was treated for a GI bleed. In the days that followed, I consulted two additional veterinarians, including an internal medicine specialist, to better understand what had happened. They reviewed Pepito's records and felt that his initial symptoms were more consistent with transient gastroenteritis or pancreatitis, not ITP. I was also told that the diagnostic workup used to support the ITP diagnosis did not meet the typical criteria for that condition. According to the specialist, Pepito's mild anemia improved after the prednisone was stopped and replaced with GI-protective medication, which aligned with a GI bleed related to the steroid rather than a primary ITP diagnosis. I reached out to Dr. Lightsey hoping for acknowledgment of the situation and to discuss the more than $2,000 in emergency costs that followed. Unfortunately, she declined my request for reimbursement and did not offer an apology. I left the experience feeling that my concerns were dismissed and not taken seriously. This was a deeply stressful and upsetting situation for me and my pet, and based on my experience, I cannot recommend this clinic or Dr. Lightsey. She has been reported to the California veterinary medical board.

Highly recommend! Kirsten taught me all about my dogs, and how they see the world and how I can…read moresupport them and help them thrive in this busy and complicated world. Kirsten is a partner and collaborator for me as I learn to adjust my behavior and communicate clearly to my precious pups. I've seen Kirsten work with many breeds and she always finds a path forward for canine and human, together. It's a beautiful and often fun process. Book her today for a better tomorrow with your dog.

Kirsten brings decades of knowledge and experience to helping improve behavioral problems with your…read morefurry (or fluffy, as it may be) best friend. Look no further, Kirsten is the best behaviorist you will find. Almost a year ago, my partner and I adopted a 9-month-old, abused and traumatized Great Dane, named Brünnhilde. We don't know her history, but we know from her high levels of anxiety and her physical scars that she had a very difficult formative period and, now a teenager, she was large and strong (100+ lbs) and highly reactive to people and other dogs. She was very hard to control. We knew immediately we were in over our heads and needed an expert to help us. By way of many phone calls, we found Kirsten and began an incredibly rewarding journey. With Kirsten's help, Brünnhilde learned to be a dog--a normal dog! We now love having Brünnhilde in our home; she has become our best friend, and she now even plays with other dogs! It has been an amazing journey, from questioning whether we could keep her, to being grateful that found Kirsten and stuck with it. In literal terms, Kirsten made it possible. During this journey, Brünnhilde and I have met with numerous dog trainers, behaviorists, veterinarians, and even veterinary behaviorists. If I have learned anything, it is that the world of helping your dog (and helping yourself) is complicated and hard to navigate. Kirsten is an invaluable resource--she has worked with dogs from all angles for many decades, knows the best veterinary behaviorists, and knows the landscape and how to get results. Finally, and maybe most importantly, Kirsten is a "positive reinforcement" trainer. I put that in quotes, because there is a lot of complexity in that phrase; the basic idea is that Kirsten is about building a relationship between you and your dog. Co-regulation is the foundation, and fun and positive training is the end and the means. Kirsten is about building the relationship with your dog--obviously that is the right idea and why we have a dog in the first place. I have limited experience with other kinds of trainers, they usually they call themselves 'balanced', but after seeing such incredible results with Brünnhilde, and growing my relationship with her, I am now firmly in the "positive reinforcement" camp. It just makes sense--have a better relationship with the animals you love.

Maura introduced my sons -- who had been extremely frightened even of the idea -- to horseback…read moreriding. She took it one step at a time and before the lesson was even over, my sons were asking for more. Couldn't be better!!

I had Maura pet sit our cats for a few nights. She understands how paranoid or a worry wart I can…read morebe. So she cared for my cats like I would. You can 't ask for anymore than that.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let them do all the explaining. We can only comment on…read morethe doggy daycare portion of From the Heart because that's all we've used, but our dog comes home wiped from a day of playing every day. For $30 a day we get the knowledge that she gets good socialization and time with other dogs she wouldn't get at home alone with a few rover walks throughout the day. The staff is friendly and attentive and I just wish she had some more energy at the end of the day for a walk, but she's loving it so far!

I took my dog elsewhere and she did great. She follows commands and her behavior has drastically…read moreimproved. I believe Barb just didn't like me, which is odd because I never really interacted with her.

My Dalmatian is so happy here! Drop off and pick ups are low…read morestress and staff is friendly. My dog runs into the owners arms at every greeting ! (dogs sense the love right)? Don't forget they offer grooming, etc ! 10 stars happy fur-mom !

I was very bummed upon checking into my hotel that dogs are not allowed to be left in the room…read moreunattended. Scrambling to figure something on Yelp, Joel and his awesome energy came to the rescue. I was lucky enough that there was space available for my pup the same day we called. You can tell Joel & team genuinely love puppers and really put me at ease trusting them with our dog. They are about a mile from Fishermans Wharf, easy to find, and there is street parking in front. Things to know: * Forms can be printed & completed online in advance * Have vaccination records ready (rabies super important) * Create a profile online to make an appt and they can accept the morning of * Advance booking preferred for holidays

I love working with Amy! She really understands my dog and what he needs. She helps me to…read moreunderstand how I can keep working with him so he can thrive at socialization. Amy is patient, funny, reliable, and can handle anything you throw at her. I woul highly recommend her if you need help with your fur babies!!

Amy is the BEST! She helped with training both our fur babies and it always there with a helpful…read moreidea or suggestion. She helps out with pet sitting and our pets always come home with better manners than they left with. She is a wealth of knowledge with all kinds of pets and was really encouraging when our Sun Conure was ill. I won't trust my pets to anyone else.

Just went to the gotcha event for my dogs, Xena, birthday month. The gentlemen running the table of…read moreactivities was super sweet and made a pup cup for her to eat and got her paw print on a card for us. We have had her since she was 7 weeks old, she turns 8 on the 22nd. We have been coming to Petsmart for her baths, treats, accessories and toys. We will continue to do so.

Terrible cut, h was brushed before i brought him in. I only wanted a bath and brush and they…read moreinsisted he had mats. Well they could have brushed them out , but shaved him and he looks awful!! They're just lazy and that's an easy way to groom them . Will never return

I applied as a foster (never fostered a dog before) with AFRP in 2024. My experience was very…read moregood. I submitted an online application asking for a smaller dog and my preference for a poodle mix. They responded within a couple of days, as I recall, and asked a few more questions. After a few days, they contacted me with a possible match, explaining he was a senior poodle mix with a few medical issues. They work closely with Hitchcock Animal Services (county shelter) and had several dogs that had issues and needed a rescue with a strong foster program. They brought "Bernie" over, and I became a foster mom with full support from AFRP. They provided guidance and everything from beds/blankets to toys and even food! They provided the vet services to help Bernie be the best dog he could be. They invited me to various events (and even a TV spot!) to show off Bernie but unfortunately dogs with medical issues can be a little harder to get adopted. So after six months, I fell in love and became a "foster win" and adopted him. To this day, AFRP considers me part of their alumni family and invites me to activities such as local parades or fun events. They have a variety of dogs and cats, young to old, healthy to some having medical challenges, and work hand-in-hand with several shelters to help find fosters and ultimately final homes! I found their offices to be clean and functional, although if they were bigger, they could help more animals. I use Yelp frequently and know I make decisions based on reviews. I wanted to provide a positive and more recent outcome than some older comments which I feel are no longer applicable. The last note I will make is that as of 2024, they have new executive and support staff who are fantastic. So please consider discovering this great local rescue organization. AFRP have been around for a while but today, I find they are an excellent organization always improving on their processes and staff. So please GO FOSTER! It's fun, rewarding, and inexpensive. You get lots of love in return.

In 2019 I found the website for AFRP made an appointment to stop by and see the dogs that were on…read moresite and talk about having a visit with a possible dog in foster. I chose an adorable little dog named Oscar. Next was becoming "eligible", yes eligible, to take in a dog from a "rescue". A paid foster (her words) then brought Oscar to my home for me to meet and fall in love with. The foster mom was too busy on her phone and with her teenager to give me information. After waiting over a week for a response I was then told by a woman with AFRP I did not qualify! The AFRP inspector that had came over obliterated my house. Apparently there was nothing good about my house and a rescue couldn't possibly be homed here. A little bit about me; I am disabled and home 90% of my life. I decided to go to an actual rescue in Salinas, CA. Monterey County animal services. Where I was told I was an ideal candidate since I'm home all the time but perfectly fine to take care of a dog walks etc. I paid a total of $100 to Salinas Animal Shelter for my chosen dog (Piper) to have a full hysterectomy. Including putting a microchip and doing vaccines. After rescuing Piper I found out from Salinas Animal Shelter employees that AFRP procured all of the "most desirable" animals from Salinas Animal Shelter. Salinas Animal Shelter's requirements before adoption is spay or neuter microchip and vaccines before they will relinquish animals. Yet AFRP fees for me to "rescue" Oscar was over $300! They are not a rescue! They are a facility to purchase animals that have been procured from a shelter. I would never ever recommend AFRP to anyone and any person that mentions this facility I tell my story to. If you want to support a actual rescue go to Salinas Animal Shelter. Yes it's further away and far sadder than going to the plush AFRP site. Salinas Animal Shelter had puppies kittens senior dogs big & small. My dog is 9 pounds for those that say it's OK to buy a dog because small dogs are not in shelters. Since then I have had to lean on Peace Of Mind Rescue in Pacific Grove California. It would be impossible for me to give an adequate review. They have helped me financially, with Emergency temporary foster options and delivering & returning Piper to an emergency vet hospital for an MRI and spinal surgery several hours from my home. They are angels, please support Peace Of Mind Dog Rescue if you can! AFRP should not have the name rescue in their title.