Milo…

Milo, our American Pit Bull Terrier, was found emaciated and abandoned in a Los Angeles park. A month later, Milo was adopted by my partner Kjell.  Kjell and Milo immediately became soul mates, but Milo and I had issues with each other when I came home from Denver.  Having seen Rita’s success with other dogs (and, most importantly, their people), I suggested that Kjell bring Milo out to Denver to train with Rita.

Rita was able to communicate to Milo that he was safe, and she taught Kjell and me how to communicate with Milo.  Over the course of the next ten days, Milo, Kjell, and I worked with Rita almost every day.  Each day Milo made great advances in his training – following verbal commands and hand signals, learning to be comfortable around many dogs and people, and learning to trust me.

Kjell and I have continued Milo’s training using the techniques and philosophy that Rita taught us.  Today Milo is an extremely happy, confident, well-adjusted dog.  He is well socialized with people and with dogs, and we are able to take him anywhere with us.  Best of all, Milo and I have a fabulous relationship!  When I come home to Los Angeles, I am greeted with a doggy hug and a big, happy pit bull smile.

If it wasn’t for Rita, I wouldn’t have the joy of having a fun, healthy, trusting relationship with my dog or the piece of mind that comes with knowing that Milo feels safe and loved.  Thank you, Rita!

Leah O.  Los Angeles, CA

Milo when rescued



Milo today!

Little did we know when we chose our Shiba Inu puppy that the Shiba Inu breed is one of the most difficult breeds available, and are definitely not recommended for first time dog owners.  Our Shiba’s name is Sheba (as in Queen of Sheba), and of course, she is our first dog! 

By the time we discovered that Shiba Inu’s can really be little terrorists, we had already fallen in love with the little fur ball.  Our only option was to have a trainer work with her.  Thankfully we knew Rita.

The first thing Rita did was explain that she’d be training us as well as Sheba.  We didn’t realize that Sheba saw us as her “pack”, and would gladly play the role of alpha dog if we didn’t make it clear that we were the pack leaders.  We had to learn how to speak “dog” while Sheba learned to speak “human”.  Rita also made it clear that socializing Sheba early on by having her interact with as many different dogs and people was also key to helping her become a well rounded dog.  Rita and her pack came to our home for sessions a couple of times a week.  After our sessions, she gave us homework so that we would also be actively training Sheba and helping her see us as the Alpha dogs in her pack.

Rita also helped us realize that Sheba had hip problems.  After our vet verified the problem, Rita was able to help Sheba offset her disability through rehabilitation.  She will still have to have surgery eventually, but will be much more comfortable and heal much faster because of her conditioning.  Most people would have had to seriously consider euthanizing a dog in Sheba’s condition, but Rita has really helped save her life.

With Rita’s instruction and guidance, Sheba knew 45 commands and could easily interact safely with all types of dogs and people by the time she was 6 months old!  We could never have achieved these kinds of results through generic training programs at pet stores.  I am certain that without Rita’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to keep Sheba.

Because Rita helped us have such a great experience with Sheba, we decided to get a second Shiba Inu!  Now Rita helping Dexter learn how to be a great dog just like his big sister.

I’d recommend Rita and B.A.D. Dogs Welcome to anyone who is having a challenging time with their dog.  She truly speaks “dog”, and can help you understand why your dog does what it does, and how to change that behaviour!

- Jane L. & Karen M.