We hadn't had puppies in MANY years, when we decided to get two 16 week old labradoodles. So…read moreadorable. We had never had a dog trainer in past but knew we wanted very well behaved dogs in our future. After a fair amount of research, we called Alert Canine Training and spoke with Matt. We liked him instantly and began working with him right away. He has the patience of a saint with our puppies, and with us humans too! He understands the dogs and has a way to get them to do what is expected. His price is reasonable, and he worked around our very busy schedules. Our puppies are awesome, and very well behaved. Thanks Matt, you rock! W&D Poughquag NY

Absolutely highly recommend ACTS -Matt takes time with both you and your dog-its obvious at first…read moremeeting that he has experience in training. He really takes time to help you and gives easy at home training techniques for you to follow. He has motivated me to continue with training-seeing the results with my year old golden is a good feeling- a trained dog is so enjoyable!!! Matt is great, you will not be disappointed-also, he extends himself as a constant resource to you even after your training- genuine person clearly in the right line of work! - Maura E.

James is incredible. We sent our 7 month puppy to James for four weeks last year. We were, and…read morecontinue to be, so happy that we did. She did not have any problems (and continues to be a wonderful dog and that's probably because we sent her to James). She had basic commands down. After James, she became excellent at multiple commands. She would sit at her bowl for hours if you don't release her (by verbal command). You can leave her with steak in the next room and won't eat it if you don't release her. You get the picture - James knows what he is doing and will set you, and your pup, up for success. He was very thorough in explaining what to expect and how to continue her training at home. We could not be happier. Our pup is also happy, and she loved James. When we brought her back for boarding a couple nights she couldn't wait to hang out with James. We had to save up to send her, and it was worth every penny. We would do it again. Highly, highly recommend. For any pup!

We got a deaf Miniature Bull Terrier @ 13 weeks old that after 6 months, seemed hopless to train,…read morejust basic commands. As a last ditch effort we called James @ Empire K-9 2.5 hrs away from our home. After 5 weeks of training with Ross he was transformed into the best dog we have seen anywhere. James spent a whole day with myself and my whole family to train us on how to handle and communicate with our new family member. Here we are over a year later and if we call James with a question he is quick to respond back with a helpfull answer. When we need to board Ross we drive him down to James @ Empire K9 2.5 hours away because he is the only one we trust with our Ross. Thank you James for this gift of being able to communicate with our deaf dog, you have no idea how much joy this little Miniature Bull Terrier bring to our family now.

My little mutt, Ziggy, is as sweet as can be with people and his dog buddies at the park, but he…read morerecently developed some bad leash aggression habits and had become increasingly territorial in and around the house with regard to strange dogs walking by, etc. It was all becoming kind of stressful for me so I contacted Renee to get some professional help. Renee was very informative and extremely helpful with the situation. We did a private session where she showed me various methods that have proven very effective in helping him with his issues. I also signed up for two leash aggression group sessions, so I could see how he did with other dogs in the class. Renee explained to us how important it was to get the training method right and be consistent for as long as it takes. Zig is doing much better. He has his moments, but many times it's because I didn't catch and correct the behavior in time and I know we are still at the beginning of our little journey. I am confident in Renee's advice because I've seen it work and I know that eventually, with time, Ziggy will be as confident as I am. My favorite thing about working with Renee is that it is obvious she knows and understands dogs and she shares her knowledge in a very unique, funny manner. It's also obvious that she cares. After both the private session and the group sessions, Renee was wonderfully responsive to emails/questions, always inquired about Ziggy's progress and offered additional suggestions if certain things didn't seem to be working. Ziggy and I are both thankful we found her and will definitely be in touch with her for some of the other doggie classes she offers!!!

We had such a good experience working with Jessica. She was responsive and helpful every step of…read morethe way, both in our three training sessions and via email. She was instantly in tune with our dog but _also_ really great as a collaborator with us humans, as we worked through our dog's issues with leash reactivity. She really listened to what we were going through, and she helped us with concrete action steps, resources, and a calming, fun presence. Our dog has become a completely new pup in the past three months, and he is so much better behaved now when we walk him, which makes our lives less stressful. I also feel comfortable reaching out any time with questions, as we continue working with our dog. Thank you, Jessica!

Fantastic experience. Thank you for making Eli happy and safe and comfortable! In home stay was…read morewonderful and easy for us and our loving little guy!

I couldn't recommend this business more! Cipriana communicates effectively and provides…read moreincomparable care. My dogs have never been in better hands.

My husband reached out to Paul when our new golden puppy was becoming a tyrant. Paul started…read moretraining literally as soon as he walked on our porch and our puppy excitedly piddled all over Paul's boot (which he handled with great humor). He handles the dog with authority, but great kindness. He doesn't use a treat reward system, it's al based on verbal commands and encouragement. Odin responded right from the start. When he showed the stubborn side we mentioned, Paul gave us several easy techniques we were all comfortable using. After our first session, he called mid week to see how things were going and to offer a few new techniques. It only took two sessions to get us back on track. He's worth every penny!

Paul is the best!!!! We have two wonderful beagles. After Paul spent time with my wife and me in…read moreour home and around our neighborhood, we now have two wonderful beagles who are also well-trained, calmer, and happier. Paul helped us become the kind of dog moms we always wanted to be. We can't speak highly enough of Paul and his training methods-for both dogs and their humans.

It's really nice to have a place I can leave my dog and not have to worry or feel guilty. He has a…read moregreat time and is well taken care of.

Samantha is a wonderful trainer and took extremely good care of our dogs when they spent a few…read morenights at the camp. she even called me to let me know she suspected that one of them had an ear infection. She did. it's a very calm and fun environment for dogs. I highly recommend trusting your dogs to Samantha.

We adopted our puppy from here at 11 weeks. She had been brought up from a kill shelter down south…read morewith her brother and had been with them for about 2 weeks prior to adoption. They did a wonderful job with socializing her and starting her off on training. The facility itself is beautiful. It's very clean and well staffed. We were able to spend time with different puppies out in the main area, which gave us the chance to see how they did with other dogs, people, etc. We probably spent two hours there and never felt rushed into making a decision. Highly recommend!

Awesome experience. We adopted 2 brothers. Brianna was helpful and available to answer any question…read moreI had. The staff was very friendly and attentive. This is the place to go to adopt some awesome pets

WARM & WONDERFUL!! I would recommend Virginia Dare to anyone who has any type of dog training…read moreneed. She is professional, warm, easy with pets and children as well as adults. Virginia is non-judgmental, patient, attentive and truly loves animals. Her pricing is reasonable and if I have any future needs, I am going back to her! There are levels of training - even if your dog is already good with basic commands, she can get him/her and you to the next level. I have a rescue who had a number of behavior problems (jumping, nipping, uncontrolled enthusiasm) - much of this is related to his age, but Virginia gave us tools that reduced and even eliminated his poor behavior. Training approach - Rewards-based (although there are alternative methods she will work with you on if you'd like) Technique - Praise / non-responsive to poor behavior (no military-style approach!) Responsiveness & Availability - Any question I had I was able to ask her either during the training session or in follow up (email or phone). Virginia's goal was to ensure we were getting the behavior we wanted to see. Whenever I had to reschedule a training session, she was very flexible and understanding. Overall character - Virginia is someone I'd love to call a friend - she is warm and friendly and is kind and consistent with everyone! I'd though my children (both 9) would be 'in the way', however, Virginia included them in the training sessions and it was great! My daughter became very skilled in training our Ivan. Virginia is very gentle with everyone and has a refreshingly open view of living with dogs. Follow-up - Virginia always followed up after each training session to ask if there were questions. She provided detailed reference for us that we could review and more deeply understand the 'why' of the training. She did explain everything during the training, but it was very helpful to have written material to refer to afterwards.

From the owner: North Star Canines provides private training lessons for good manners and obedience skills, and…read morebehavior consultations to resolve a large variety of problem behaviors. Training techniques are very effective, humane, and based on positive reinforcement. Certified trainer Virginia Dare has over 30 years of experience in the field. Serving Scottsville, VA and surrounding areas in Central Virginia.

The store has a wide variety of reptiles Danielle is…read more a friendly helpful part of the staff willing to take time to show you the animals I give her the 5 stars for a nice tortoise I purchased

I adopted my formerly feral cat, Snickers, in 2020 from the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA…read more When I took him home, he was up to date with his vaccinations, medical checks as a healthy neutered 9 yr old DSH. I sang 'You are My Sunshine' while driving back to Kingston to his furever home. He looked at me as if his Birth Mother had finally found him. In 2003, I brought him to my local Petco for his next Rabies vaccination. The visit went well. He has a laid back, friendly personality. He was comfortable around new human friends. We visited the same Petco on March 27, 2026 for another Rabies vaccine after I made a same day appointment with Ayha at the front desk. We got an appointment mid-afternoon. When we checked in I asked if Snickers' nails could be clipped as well. He's a strong cat. I feed him raw chicken breast as it is less expensive than a 3.5 lb bag of Science Diet for 11+ Seniors. After introductions with Snickers, Ayha and Dr Kristen Erickson, I also noted that Snickers appears to have ear mites. He was whisked away to the treatment room for about 20 minutes. When I was called to join Snickers and the medical team in the treatment room, Ayha was cradling Snickers in her arms. Dr Erickson reported that Snickers, in fact, had an ear infection. His ears had been cleaned. No more black gunk. There's a liquid medicine to drop into each ear. Snickers' behavior during his nail clipping, vaccine injection to his thigh and various poking around with the stethoscope for his heart beat and lung sounds was reportedly uneventful. Snickers does not cooperate with me when I attempt to clip his nails. He wriggles out of my arms and walks away. I'm grateful to the staff at Petco for maintaining my cat's trust in them. He was tired when we got home after thoroughly cleaning the area on his leg where he received the injection. He flinches when I administer his ear drops.

Great local spot to get high quality pet foods. Basically with pet stores, this is what I have…read morefound: your toys, dog beds, crates etc are probably going to be cheaper online. My dry dog food is sometimes cheaper online. But wet food is almost never cheaper online. Having had my pup for three years, I have figured out exactly where to shop for what, and whether you are a new pet owner or old pet owner you are likely figuring that out. SO all that to say, the people complaining about prices either don't understand certain items that are way better to buy online, ones that make more sense in store, or possibly are feeding their dog lesser quality food and so are used to rock bottom prices. I go here to get wet food for my dog, and occasionally get a toy or other treat. I have done extensive research about pet food, wanting to avoid many chicken products and anything not truly made in the USA, so when I shop for food I know exactly what I am looking for. Their prices for wet food are the same or better than most online outlets I have found for the brand I am currently using (Fromm). It's a no frills pet store that the benefit is selection, so much is here! The pet store in the village, Dexter's, is very specialized but they really have the most quality items, so if you have a bigger budget then their food is great (also a lot of Fromm's and Zignature, two top quality brands), as well as locally made treats. I would recommend this place for having a local source of the exact brand of food you are looking for, or to try out a can or two of something new!

I agree with all the one star reviews, and wish that there was a zero star review. I have tried…read moreover the years to buy my Maine Coon cats food there. They are rude, could care less, whether you buy anything or not, I have no idea how they have stayed in business. I prefer to drive 15 miles out of my way to get cat food, or order it online. I hope they go out of business. They seem to hate what they're doing, what a horrible atmosphere. And yes, the food I did buy was expired by about three or four years. Great.