When we adopted Zimmy, a 4-year-old Airedale, we expected an acclimation period and basic training…read morework. What we didn't appreciate was how much of a project Zimmy would become. As we soon discovered, she had endured some rough early years -- neglect, instability, life in a doggy daycare instead of a home -- and it showed. Explosive greetings, mouthiness, intolerance to downtime, and frenzied reactions to mailmen, dogs, cats, kids on bikes, Amish buggies, lawn ornaments, and on and on. She was impulsive, mischievous, and fiercely headstrong. Nevertheless we were smitten. "It's a good thing she's cute," we told ourselves, often. But we were in over our heads. After introductory discussions with Karen, we started in-home lessons in February ahead of a board and train program. Karen didn't just work with Zimmy, she worked with us, explaining the *reasoning* behind the techniques, and patiently fielding our questions between sessions. The yes/no marker system, impulse control work, "place" and "crate" commands, recall, emotional regulation -- the pieces started to click. Karen helped us understand what we were actually trying to accomplish. By the time Zimmy was Delaware bound with Karen in May, we were already seeing real, measurable progress. What happened over those next weeks was remarkable. Zimmy got to experience beach towns and boardwalks, picnics and festivals, pet stores and Lowe's, movie nights, a Golden Retriever convention, and a nose-to-nose greeting with a horse. Karen sent daily updates -- written recaps, photos, videos -- making it all feel close to home. We watched Zimmy learn to hold a "down" while shoppers walked past her, sit calmly while strangers greeted her, get a thorough breed-specific grooming, AND eventually coexist in glorious harmony with Karen's spunky feline assistant, Chippy. To his enormous credit, and to our astonishment, Chippy treated Zimmy with the patience of a saint and the authority of a lion. We award Chippy SIX stars. Midway through the stay, Zimmy seemed maybe a little off -- subtler signs than you'd normally flag, but Karen knew Zimmy's medical history and trusted her gut. She reached out, drove Zimmy several hours back to our local vet the next morning to get checked out, then stopped by for an impromptu in-home lesson. Zimmy was *her* dog for that month, and we saw that compassion, dedication, and proactivity firsthand. Zimmy returned home in June still very much the Zimmy we had grown to love, but with a new side that we noticed immediately -- calmer greetings, impulse control, fast post-distraction recovery, and leash manners. That day, we practiced walking Zimmy past our neighbor's dog lunging and barking at the fence, and Zimmy nailed what once seemed impossible. With her outsized presence, Zimmy continues to reintegrate into our home alongside her older brother Cooper, adapting her new mindset to familiar routines and stimuli. She's as energetic as she is clever, a classically stubborn Airedale, and we can envision the work we still have ahead of us. But as each day passes, there are small moments, moments that would seem trivial to anyone who hadn't witnessed Zimmy's old ways, where even without direction from us, she's making good, simple, levelheaded decisions. She's taking afternoon naps in her crate instead of perching in surveillance mode at our front window. She's pausing at open doors and looking to us instead of blindly barging through. When passersby can't help but approach to remark on her cuteness, she welcomes the attention with newfound poise. Karen established that foundation, and with her help navigating the transition home, we have the know-how and assurance to build on it. We're immensely grateful to have Karen as Zimmy's "trainer for life." One of the hardest parts of all this was seeing Zimmy on her homecoming day, nose to the living room window, watching with longing as Karen drove off. We look forward to Karen dropping by if she's in the area, and if we ever need more extensive training or boarding, we'll know right where to go.

Karen is an outstanding dog trainer who listens to your dogs' individual needs and develops a…read moretraining plan for them. In addition to the training she gives your dogs, she also teaches you how to hold them accountable and continue the structure that they have been taught once your sessions have been completed. She helped me with my 2 large Great Danes when I was at my wits' end with them and I can't thank her enough!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Training with Karen!!!

Owner is a dog whisperer!!! My dog from hell behaves very well during his grooming. He listens to…read moreher during the grooming! My dog loves her.

When they brought my do out, he did something that he has never done before, he bolted past me and…read moreran towards the door. My dog appeared to be traumatized. My dog did not smell as if he was bathed and the cut was just awful. His facial hair was lopsided, which I had to correct and he had nicks from whatever type if clippers that they used. My dog was not himself for the rest of the day from this experience. I suspect that the person who did this was not a trained groomer, maybe just filling in for an actual groomer. Never again!

Nicole at Paw Pals took care of my dog and my sister's. I love the fact they had a real home to…read morestay in with no cages. Her place has fenced in yard and a very clean home ! Nicole loves animals and took really good care of our pups and her communication was excellent! Thanks Nicole! We will be back. Ann

Super friendly and amazing with dogs, acclimated our Izzy well, we were very relieved for the last…read moreminute help!

Val and Dave are the best! Our dog Cassie has been boarding with them for the past 6-7 years and…read moreshe always loved staying with them whenever we had to leave her behind. We use to travel quite often, but luckily Val and Dave were always able to accommodate a place for Cassie during those days. It was such a relief to know she was able to stay in a loving home when separated from us. We were so lucky to find them all those years ago because they really are the best! Now that we're moving to the west coast, we're sad that Cassie won't get to stay with them again. Hopefully we'll be able to find someone just as good where we're moving, but Val and Dave's care will be hard to beat!

Love Valerie! She is a natural with the kitties, and even convinced our shy kitty out of hiding…read more The first day of cat sitting, she contacted us by text to give an update, much appreciated as this was the first time we had left them overnight. When we returned, the cats were happy and healthy, and there was still dry food left in a bowl.

I asked Mary of Shared Journeys Dog Training to help me with my 5 month old goldendoodle Orion,…read morebecause he would get so excited that I couldn't get his attention. Taking him places was a disaster. Mary was terrific!! She was able to teach me strategies to calm him and walk loose leash and other commands in a positive way that brought results!! I have been able to take Orion to stores, open air restaurants, in crowds and in parks and to enjoy his companionship!! I wholeheartedly recommend Mary as a wonderful trainer of not only dogs, but their owners!!

Mary has come to our house several times for help with 2 different German Shepherd puppies. She is…read morevery generous with her time, we always go over, and is very enthusiastic about her work. She has a lot of experience and even as a lifelong dog owner I was overwhelmed at first at all the information, but as we progressed it started to make more sense. Of course being local helps as well.

we have used Avenue Vet for several years . Dr Alexander & her staff are outstanding; kind ,…read morecompassionate, smart , our dogs respond beautifully to them & actually enjoy their vet visits !!! Thank you

Whether it's a doctor, dentist, or veterinary group, it's important to choose the right doctor in…read morethe group. At Savannah having seen multiple vets in that practice, that would be far and away, Dr. Alexander. She gave an exam looking over every detail, went over every option with me, and you could tell she really loved what she was doing. Dr. Alexander also made sure to follow up afterward to see how my puppy was doing. It's also impressive how she worked her way up, from working there as a a vet assistant in HS to their best vet on staff now. Highly Recommend!

They took great care of my dog while I was away for two weeks. They even trimmed her nails (at my…read morerequest). Will definitely bring my pup back

Sadly, I would not recommend. I have boarded my dogs here before and they did ok. This time, not…read moresure what went on but getting different stories from the staff. We left our 2 dogs for 4 nights over Thanksgiving. We called to check on them and were told that they were doing great. The dogs were kenneled separately, however we were told that they were let out in the run together and were playing. We called to ask if the video cameras could be turned on because we wanted to view them while we were away, the kennel never called us back. When we picked them up we were told that the older dog (13) was aggressive to staff and was never allowed out of the kennel, which conflicted with what we were told on the phone. He has a big (silver dollar sized) lesion on his face and a chipped tooth that is right under the lesion, as though he was kicked. This will require veterinary treatment. This dog has never been aggressive towards people. Both dogs had lost a considerable amount of weight. A very disappointing and scary experience.

We boarded our Labrador Retriever with Cobbs Hill Kennels back in April 2023. Great service and…read morehappy fur baby. Clean, no odor and this was our first time boarding our fur baby. Highly recommended. Go check it out! I think we were more concerned about leaving our fur baby then she was to stay. They have their own space and they offer walks as well. Not sure we will use anyone else.

This Kennel is very clean and cost a little less than most. The service is outstanding. My…read moreDachshund Zack is always well cared for here. I highly recommend Cobbs Hill for your pet boarding.