I cannot recommend Northstar Family K9 enough!…read more
Doug came to me as a foster, and from the very beginning, I knew he was going to need some extra help. He had already been returned twice before coming into rescue, and the thought of putting him up for adoption and having him experience another return honestly terrified me.
Doug was an anxious puppy who lacked confidence, struggled with severe separation anxiety, and was incredibly leash reactive. And when I say reactive, I mean he would lunge up and down like a tiger and was nearly impossible to calm down.
As his foster, I became very attached to him. I wanted him to find his forever home, but I was so nervous about adopting him out and having him returned again. He deserved stability, and I couldn't bear the thought of him going through another failed placement.
That's when we decided Doug needed more support, and he spent 4 weeks at Northstar Family K9 for their board-and-train program.
I'll be completely honest sending him away was HARD. But the team at Northstar made the entire experience so much easier. Milo, Julia, Emma, and Hank made it feel like Doug was at a second home.
The daily report cards and videos were amazing. I never felt completely disconnected from him. I could see his progress, know how he was doing, and feel like I was still a part of his journey even while he was away.
We also got to go in for training sessions, which I absolutely loved because they weren't just training Doug they were teaching us how to continue working with him when he came home.
And the transformation has been incredible. Doug is a completely different dog. He has confidence. He's calmer. He has tools to work through situations that previously overwhelmed him. And most importantly, I now feel confident sending him to his forever home.
As a foster, that is everything to me. I don't want to just find a dog a home. I want to feel confident that the home is going to be their forever home especially for a dog who has already experienced the heartbreak of being returned twice.
Thanks to Northstar, Doug is now getting adopted, and for the first time, I can let him go to his forever family without that same fear in the back of my mind that he'll be returned again.
Northstar didn't just train Doug. They gave him confidence, gave him tools, and gave me confidence in his future.
I truly cannot recommend Northstar Family K9 enough. If you have a dog struggling with anxiety, confidence, reactivity, or behavioral challenges, I would absolutely encourage you to talk to them.
Thank you to Milo, Julia, Emma, Hank, and the entire Northstar team for loving our boy, believing in him, and helping set him up for success.