In July 2012, I adopted a senior dog, Jessie. Her story was that her owner had died suddenly and her companion dog had been sold. Jess, as a Rotti mix, was considered surplus to her owner’s family, who suggested to the two ladies who were looking after her that she should be euthanized. It had been in my mind that I needed an older dog to get me back out walking and to be a companion when my husband was away looking after ailing relatives in Ontario. Unfortunately, although Jess and I became attached to each other, she bit my husband when he came home from Ontario and he chose to correct her physically. I was very, very upset. My new best friend bit my oldest best friend.

I had heard about Duke Ferguson and his training skills from a colleague and when Ted, the UPK9 trainer in Halifax, recommended board and train with Duke in PEI, it was clearly an excellent way to find a solution. I had decided that, should Jess be unable to be trained, she should not be passed on to become someone else’s problem. Jess spent 5 weeks with Duke and has been home for several weeks. She is a calmer, more settled animal and I have learned how to be a better dog manager. Our walks are delightful. She occasionally will bark to greet other dogs. She no longer reacts to people, joggers, cyclists or vehicles on our busy street where it seems the world and his neighbour all come to workout! She walks to heel very well, with the occasional determined sniff at something in the leaves too tempting to pass by. She and my husband are still wary of each other but I am sure that, given time and due care by myself to avoid a recurrent conflict between them, we will all settle into a nice blend of pet and people. She is a great companion, saw the election results out with me and my little cat last night. Thanks to Duke and his staff for teaching both Jess and myself how to conduct ourselves in a safe, non disruptive way as we share our home and surroundings with others!

- Fiona and “Jess”