We adopted a psychotic JRT from the MoCo shelter in 10/10, and made the first step of our life with her making sure we got her the best training possible. After poring over countless websites, brochures from the vet's office, and friends' recommendations, we happened upon Pork Chop's Way. Elly, the owner, was knowledgeable and generous with her time on the consultation call, and she invited us over to her house for a meet-and-greet. After we arrived and exchanged pleasantries, Elly went right to work. Keeping a close eye on how our pup responded to a variety of stimuli (mainly, how she was reacting to being part of an unfamiliar pack), she explained different behavioral traits about the JRT (much of what we'd researched prior to the adoption), and set out a coursework for the training (which was something that we hadn't been able to successfully cull through ourselves). After watching our little girl run around the backyard (100% fenced-in), we decided to go with Elly. She impressed us with her knowledge and passion, and we really loved the idea of cage-free boarding. It made sense for us to have the person who trained her be the person who would watch over her when we were away. *Fast forward to 6/12* Not only did the training go very, very well, but our pup goes on off-leash hikes and stays with Elly when we're out of town . Training: 5 stars (We can communicate with our JRT effectively now!) Hiking: 5 stars (The off-leash hiking is the best way we've found for her to get exercise AND socialization.) Boarding: 5 stars (No worries about your dog making a mess in its crate and having to wait 8 hours until someone comes around to clean up - there are no crates!) read more

The owner never return to search my dog. Her friend was useless. She did not know the area. Pork chops way lied about the area that they were walking my dog which was not secure by any means. I have just seen this review response. She is a pathological liar. I will not trust your dog's life with her. I Contacted Better Business Bureau and I sued her. We won and I donated. Do not trust your dogs well-being, health, and life with her and her business. read more

Reviews of dog care are like second hand information, because I can't really know what our dog experiences once alone with the caretaker. At best, I can share your impression of our dog after the fact, and our experience with the handlers, but at the end of the day, its a bit of a black box as to details. That said - dogs are dogs. They are generally happy resiliient and forgiving furballs (which is why we love them, of course!). We can't REALLY know what goes on while our dogs are out of our care. HOWEVER - I don't consider my dog's safe return in a happy state to be 5 star service but rather the very minimum acceptable standard. Pork Chop's Way fails for service, professionalism and trustworthiness. While it appears there are those who are satisfied, we were not. When things did not go smoothly, we found this company fell short in how it conducted itself. From our experience, our dog did not receive the level of conscientious care the owner led us to expect. Pork Chop's Way does not walk its talk. Save yourself the trouble and heartache of finding out personally, and find a better outfit. Do I think anything will happen to your dog? Probably not, as there appear to be other satisfied clients. But consider the unhappy postings here. They're not angry because someone overcharged them or were rude to them. They're sharing their negative experience and physical harm suffered by their dog while entrusted to Ms. Rivera. Even more telling - rather than take ownership of these (repeat?) problems, Ms. Rivera is quick to provide rebuttle, excuses and spin. Do yourself a favor. Do your DOG a favor. Go elsewhere for safe responsible dog care. The owner denies calling herself a "dog whisperer." However, she implies she is, she allows others to describe her as such, and her website is deliberately optimized to show up in searches for that term. Est quod est The owner billing herself as a "Behaviorist" because she attended school for a masters in Animal Behavior is like me saying I'm a psychologist because I have a masters in psychology. Neither the owner nor the business are certified or registered with any professional animal behavioral group (i.e. Animal Behavior Society (CAAB or ACAAB)). For the record - we are posting this because we are not happy with our experience with PCW and hope by sharing others can avoid going down the same path. No, we are not offended - just dissatisfied customers who will take our dog and our money elsewhere. read more

I have not used this service, but I was very disturbed to see the way they appeared to be treating some dogs. While I was out walking my dog in North Bethesda, I saw an SUV with this company's logo, illegally parked with flashers on, with two large dogs inside. The windows were slightly cracked. I waited for several minutes to see if anyone came back, but I had to leave before anyone ever came back, so I have no idea how long the dogs were left there unsupervised. I would never leave my dog alone in my car any time of the year, for any amount of time. I would be horrified if I found out that someone I had trusted to care for my dog did so. I think people using this company should know that this is the way they treat dogs. read more

I am a huge yelp researcher/stalker but have never written a review until now, as I have never felt more strongly about a business and provider as I do about Pork Chops Way and Elly Rivera. From the time we brought our Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy (Neo) home, Elly has been an invaluable provider of guidance in training and raising a puppy the right way. Neo has hiked daily and periodically boarded with Elly for the last two years. Because of her, he is a well behaved, well exercised, 120 lb dog who LOVES his Elly. Her daily hikes are worth their weight in gold- not only will your dog get 10 times the exercise he/she will at doggie day care (for an equivalent cost), he/she will learn commands and be socialized with a variety of dogs of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. This is critically important to a dog's development... did I mention we have a 120 lb dog :) ? Our Neo loves Elly-- and we think she is pretty great too! read more

It's taken me a long time to post this review because a part of me has wanted to just forget the terrible experiences we had with Pork Chop's Way. We initially hired Elly to train and board our cattle dog Latte for two weeks while we were getting married in October 2012. When we returned Elly let us know his training for dog reactivity was not yet to her satisfaction so she kept him a couple additional days, which was a nice thing to do. When he came back to us he was a different dog entirely and was able to run on the trail near our house without any real issues. All in all, some minor bites and scratches aside, we were happy. Unfortunately his dog reactivity training was short lived. Once he got his energy back from not running on the daily trails he became as bad as before with his dog reactivity. Wearing a head halter as Elly's method called for only worsened his issue as he essentially lost control of his body, therefore adding to his stress and anxiety. We almost thought to give him up at this point, but this one issue aside he was too good of a companion. What eventually worked was a method taught in a short booklet called Feisty Fido that reconditioned his underlying emotional response to dogs. Shortly after I began this method, I also took him to a do reactivity class and the instructors taught the same method and were hugely impressed with my progress with Latte. Unfortunately, this is not even the real problem we had with Pork Chop's Way. A day after we got Latte back home from his stay there, he vomited several times and eventually a couple sturdy pieces of green plastic. That was in November 2012. Obviously Latte ate up something while in day care but I didn't think anything much of it. In April 2013, Latte suddenly stopped eating, which is unheard of for him.. He lives for food. I took him in for an xray at the emergency clinic and they found nothing. For another day and a half I had to watch as he became enormously bloated in his belly and was drooling like crazy. Something was not right, so again, I drove him back to the emergency clinic and again the xray didn't show any detectable mass but indicated a blockage. My husband and I waited for news and had to go through the stress of hearing hat it might've been Cancer and we should be prepared not to wake him back up if it was.. We sadly agreed. However, hours later the surgery was done and the doctor said they found a large piece of plastic. Immediately I asked if it was green and they confirmed it was. It turns out that it was the same plastic he consumed at day care only bigger.. It had been in his stomach the whole time, digesting, until it got lodged into his duodenum. The clinic sent a photo to confirm. It really pains me to this day to think of what toxins were being absorbed during those many months and worse, what might still be in there. We just found a hard lump on Latte a few weeks ago and it brought back these bad memories and makes me wonder if it might be caused by those toxins. My husband and I never mentioned this to Elly as we simply didn't want anything else to do with that terrible experience and we didn't want to go through the confrontation. Seeing some of the reviews here now makes me regret not speaking up sooner. Total cost of all of the surgery and xrays for the blockage was in excess of $4000 if I recall right. If we were like the rest of America, we should've sued for it back from Pork Chop's Way. Not just the cost of surgery, but the time and stress of watching your pet suffer, the late night emergency visits, the time and expense of followup visits including an allergic reaction to antibiotics, and the health hazards of having a large piece of plastic stuck in his digestive tracts for nearly six months and who knows what implications that has had. But frankly, I hate that I'm wasting my energy reliving the bad feelings writing this. I do this in hopes that it helps someone else out there in finding safer care for their companion. Update: Elly has well-crafted responses but places a lot of blame on clients. My dog is usually the last dog to "eat everything in his sight" as her response implies - he's never eaten a sock, chewed a shoe, etc. at home. Leaving him at a daycare in an unfamiliar stressful environment is a risk I took as the pet owner, and I know now to be more careful in the future. However, as the agency running a dog boarding service, they not only share responsibility but also should be aware of the need to monitor dogs in a stressful environment and adjust arrangements or keep closer watch accordingly. Finally, there is a huge difference between putting a dog's head into a head collar and redirecting his attention (and physically redirecting it's head) to you, versus teaching the dog offer you a behavior on its own because he wants to. In the first method you are distracting the dog, in the second you recondition the dog's underlying emotional response. read more

Ely R. lost my dog and did nothing to help find the dog once she lost her. We had volunteers offer to help search for our dog. She did nothing to help and said she was too busy to search! . read more

I also have a super hyper Jack Russell who's still a puppy. I have spent a lot of time looking for a doggy daycare, but have read so many horrid reviews that put me off trying any out. I went through a 6-week training program with another dog trainer, and it was an absolute waste of money. So I went searching for another trainer and came across Elly's website. When I saw she had a doggy day camp in her home, I figured I'd try it out. Unlike other daycare facilities, there are only a small group of dogs at Porkchop's way, so you can be sure your dog will get some individual attention and get to play with other dogs without getting too overwhelmed. In addition, there is a doggy door so the dogs have access to the fenced in yard to run around and go to the bathroom. Best of all, Elly is very flexible. My pup was not neutered when I first started taking him for day camp and boarding, and she was the only person that was willing to still take him. . Elly also emails pictures of my pup to me which makes it a lot easier to be apart from him. My dog is also a super picky eater, and sometimes has to be hand-fed, but Elly has no problem feeding him. He comes home happy and tired. Best of all, the other trainer labeled my dog as essentially "untrainable" because of his breed, but Elly has reassured me that is not the case. read more

My dog has been going to Pork Chop's for years. Elly is a miracle worker with anxious dogs; my dog (a rescue) was terrified of pretty much everything - loud noises, people, etc. Under Elly's care he has found his confidence and come out of his shell. There are plenty of normal dogs here too of course. This is a safe place where your dog will get LOTS of exercise and socialization. read more

My dog Petra always has a great time with Elly. We have boarded her with Elly up in Derwood 3 or 4 times. At Port Chop Way, the dogs have the run of the house and the back yard being well over an acre I think. It is a "cage free" environment for them. Elly has a great way with the dogs too. read more

I decided to board my dog Otto at Pork Chop's Way due to the owner's training and the positive reviews she has received online. My experience with this company, however, was very upsetting--and deeply traumatizing for Otto. In April 2013, my husband and I needed to board Otto for one night while we attended a wedding in central Virginia. Otto is our first dog and so--nervous dog mama that I am--I spent weeks researching boarders. Prior to the wedding, I brought Otto to the owner's home (where Pork Chop's Way is based) and I thought the visit went well. On the morning of the wedding, we were about to leave Otto in the owner's care when another boarded dog--a large pit bull--barked at Otto and aggressively knocked him over. My husband and I were alarmed but the owner assured us that she would take extra care of Otto (who is only 30 lbs.) and the owner's boyfriend mentioned that the dogs were merely establishing a pecking order. We left after that, albeit a little reluctantly. During our drive down, we kept getting that funny feeling that something wasn't right. We called the owner and she reassured us that the pit bull had been muzzled and kept in another room, but we couldn't shake our anxiety. And so, we made the tough decision that my husband would drop me off at the wedding while he drove back to pick up Otto. I am so grateful that we made that decision. When Otto saw my husband walk through the door, he soiled himself. Then the owner told my husband that Otto had been attacked again by the pit bull, this time drawing blood from Otto's muzzle. This second attack occurred when the owner left the dogs in her boyfriend's care. Even worse, five days later, Otto now shows aggressive tendencies at his training class. Otto has never had an issue with aggression before--our trainer even commented on his change in behavior. When we relayed to her what had happened to Otto, she was shocked and told us that dogs never establish pecking orders by attacking each other or drawing blood. Otto is a very sweet-natured dog but a part of that sweetness has been marred by his stay at Pork Chop's Way. I know other Yelp reviewers have had great experiences with them--and I don't contest that--but if you're looking for a boarder, please be careful and follow your gut. I deeply regret taking Otto to this company. read more

We have been clients of Pork Chop's way for over four years. Our dog has been with the team at PCW since he was a pup and he (as do we) think of them as an extension of our family. There is great piece of mind knowing that he is treated with such great care while in daycare or boarding. And the fact that he can be outside playing in a grassy, secure, fenced environment rather than in a concrete playroom is such a bonus! I can't recommend this place, or these people, enough. read more

I boarded my dog Otis with Pork Chop's Way for a weekend in October. I (and Otis) interacted with both Elly and Andrew. Both were fantastic. Great communication, personable, and most importantly, Otis really like them both. First, Elly gave me a tour, answered all of my questions, and got to me know my dog. Next, I got a few updates throughout the weekend, and finally when I picked my pooch up, he was happy and exhausted which is the best data point possible. I will definitely use Elly again, and I'm certain when I pull up to her house, Otis will excitedly jump out of the car. read more

If I could give a zero I would. I have never met someone so unprofessional. She is so nice and appeasing when everything is going well. As soon as something goes wrong, she is threatening and offensive. After our incidence, we have heard of others, many others; dogs bitting other dogs, losing dogs and even death. How often does this happen...? Often enough that she puts in her contract that she is not responsible for your dog. If she is not responsible, what am I paying her for? She gives you a story in the beginning like she is some kind of dog whisperer. But in reality, she takes on too many dogs at one time and has little control over them that is why there are so many incidents. read more

I have a Vizsla puppy that requires a lot of exercise and was recommended to Elly by another owner who spoke so highly of her. Boy am I glad I listened and called. Other than myself, Elly is the only one who can tire my dog out and the fact that she comes back a little better trained every time doesn't hurt. I would not think of using anyone else - ver highly recommended. read more

Elly is great! Every time we bring shadow over to play he comes home happy and tired. I absolutely love that they don't crate and he gets all the playing time he wants. Don't hurt your dog by taking him/her to a place like petsmart where they sit in a tiny crate all day We wouldn't take him any place else! read more

My sincerest thanks to Elly and her staff on providing loving care day in and day out. Regardless if it's rain or shine, hot or freezing cold, they ALWAYS show up. I can leave for work knowing my boy will be taken care off and not forgotten. After a negative experince with another Doggie Care Business in May 2009, I needed care for my boy on very short notice. I contacted Elly and thankfully she had a spot available for daily hikes, Monday through Friday. Best move ever!!! We have been with her ever since. She is always there when we need her even in, last minute situations. Pork Chop's Way is my boys' second home, his aunties and uncles are always there for him. He gets to do what he loves most and for my peace of mind it is done with lots of love, structure, training and of course, some cookies :) read more

Elly took care of my dog, a small poodle mix, for about five years until I moved out of her area. At the time I had a busy schedule and it put my mind at rest to know that Jimmy was with Elly getting plenty of exercise. She was completely reliable and very thoughtful about keeping me informed about how Jimmy was doing, sometimes even sending photos to my cell phone. Jimmy loves people but was shy with other dogs; Elly worked on this issue and regularly reported on his progress. She's one of a kind, and I have really missed her. Were I living closer to her service area I'd be back with her in a heartbeat! read more

I have already rated Pork Chop's Way, but I wanted to once again now that my husband and I have moved away from Maryland and have not had the luxury of having Ellie near us. We now live in Washington and after 7 months of researching all over the state we have not found anything like Pork Chop's Way. We eventually had to settle on a day care that is generally okay, and does treat our Siberian Husky very well, but we will never board with them so luckily we have family near us. However this place still in no way compares to the love and compassion Ellie gives each and every one of the dogs she watches. We most likely won't find ourselves living in Maryland ever again, but when we move to New Jersey in a few years we will no doubt make the trip down to Maryland, no matter how out of the way it may be, to use Ellie's boarding services again. She has helped form Shadow into a wonderful loving carefree dog and we will be forever grateful for her. read more

We are so thankful to have been referred to Elly at Pork Chop's Way. Elly truly is the dog whisperer. We have taken advantage of many of the services Elly offers: board and train, basic boarding, and doggy day care. We have a very energetic puppy and Elly has helped to train our puppy and family. She has been patient with our many questions and provided us with such great tips that our 3 year old is able to help with the training. Elly's training tips are sound and effective, and she has such a command of the puppy's attention that is amazing. After our puppy has gone on a hike or swim (Elly taught her to swim!) or spent the night at Elly's, she is exhausted and happy. We feel good about leaving our puppy with Elly because she re-enforces her training, provides her with the opportunity to socialize with other dogs, and showers the puppy with affection. It is clear that our puppy knows and loves Elly too. read more