Jake was a poor little terrorized Shar Pei who my husband and I rescued from the Salt Lake City Animal Shelter at the end of September 2017. He was likely a puppy mill stud, as he was not neutered, chipped, tagged or collared, found wandering the streets of Salt Lake City by the dog catcher. This poor little guy had so little human contact or socialization, he would growl and snap and was so hard to control on the lead. I mean, when we got him home, he didn't even know what a house was and seemed quite baffled by it all. But as far as adopting, we knew he was a high breed Shar Pei who, with the right aggression training and love, would be a wonderful dog. So, we adopted him knowing a trainer would be immediately required when we got him back to the San Fernando Valley area where we lived.
We didn't know Mark and actually found his site when I was looking for someone who handled aggressive dogs. We spoke over the telephone and I was a little hesitant because I knew Mark cared for some other dogs and I didn't want Jake to hurt those dogs. He was and could be very, very aggressive and mean. For example, the day Mark took him for training had been a very challenging as he ran out the doggie door before I could get it shut and almost bit our gardner person. Thank god he had on gloves and has been our gardner for a long, long time, through several different Shar Pei's we've had as pets. But none as aggressive as Jake, that was for sure. But anyway, Mark talked us into bringing Jake to see him that very evening.
Well of course, Jake acted meaner than a junk yard dog, growling, snapping, twirling on the lead and just acting like he had no control, which he didn't. His aggressive actions were always towards other people. Towards us and in the car coming home from Salt Lake City, Jake was calm and really wonderful. But walking him was challenging, to say the least. This Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality disorder was quite concerning and Mark told us, if we didn't get him under control and trained, we would have big problems with him, which we understood.
So Mark explained his program to us and we were able to see his home and his kennelling of the dogs. He assured us that Jake would be consistently supervised and explained that Jake would be kept from the other dogs, slowly being socialized into the pack. I asked what would happen if he bit another dog or was bitten by another dog. Mark explained that he only accepts bookings through Rover, simply because Rover provides premium insurance coverage for the animals in case of a mishap. He explained that there is a small deductible of $250 that a pet owner agrees to pay, with the rest covered by Rover for any covered claims. He also explained that coverage is for any injuries to the dogs while in his care and it wasn't limited to dog bites. For example, while Jake was in Mark's care, he developed a fever of no origin and didn't eat his dinner. Mark called us right away. He thought Jake may have suffered a bee sting in his mouth, which was tender. He wanted permission to take Jake to the Access Emergency Care but being close by, we took him. Mark offered to file a claim but it was unnecessary. Jake had a bee sting to his mouth. An easy fix!
After assuring us that Jake would get the training & attention needed, we signed Jake up for Mark's "doggie boot camp" for 10 days. We received daily videos and updates of the training. After a few days, I was allowed to come over and visit. Jake was significantly calmer and would walk at heel on the lead with Mark, right next to his knee. I followed and watched the techniques.
Mark was fantastic with Jake and has been fantastic with me too, training me how to use proper techniques in walking and further training him. We signed up for another 10 days and now I can't wait to take Jake back to Mark for more training for us both, when he moves to his new facility. I'm sure his new place will be just as great as his original place which provided such a comfy "home environment" for the dogs in his doggie day care. I'm further confident it will provide the dogs with their fresh filtered water (Jake loved it) along with plenty of toys and ropes for tug of war, balls and romps in the pool, running and playing. I have to say that I so enjoyed sitting outside on Casa McKibben's patio, watching the dogs, Mark's interactions with them and the care and service provided by the wonderful people who work with him. They are true animal advocates with a perfectly balanced atmosphere of love and discipline! I'm really grateful for Mark, his wife Carol, Ziyah, and the other persons who obviously love being there, caring and watching over these dogs. It's special!
So Casa McKibben will always be Jake's home away from home and we are looking so forward to it's reopening in their new location. We will be there for sure, with bells on! read more