Dear Antje: I can’t tell you how grateful our entire family is for all your incredible help with our sweet little yorkie, Gilbert. He was a challenging puppy, with a lot of energy and many issues with house training. Being a single parent and extremely busy, I was very stressed with this challenge. You stepped in and changed my life, daily. Gilbert became part of your walking group and blossomed. His behavior and demeanor improved immensely. You were able to make it possible to crate train Gilbert, socialized him with other animals, and greatly changed our house training issues. Antje, you became instrumental to our family and truly a friend. Your advice with training, help with training treats, pet soaps, and supplies was always so welcome. You are one of the people we miss most after moving away from Kent and we know Gilbert misses you too. I would recommend your pet services to anyone who asked. Sincerely, Christina Frankel Grateful Pet Owner ----------------------------- Antje of Smiling Dog has been walking my two miniature dachshunds once a week for almost two years and it has been wonderful for both them and me. The dachshunds have abundant energy and it was impossible for me to provide them with enough exercise and stimulation during the work week. Antje takes them on about a 5 mile walk which is just right for them. They come back every time clean, dry and happy. I don't know how she does it but even if they encounter rain and/or mud those little dogs are always dry and clean when delivered back to me. Antje invited me to join her on one of the walks after she got to know me and I was able to observe her rapport with all of them and how the dogs interact with each other. She knew that my little dogs delight in climbing onto logs and walking along them and she knows where all the fallen logs are located and gives them plenty of time to explore. She also displays incredible patience - teaching my dogs how to walk across open slat bridges which scared them at first and how to safely ford streams. Of course those "streams" are nothing for the bigger dogs and people but Antje understood the challenges these "streams" presented to short little legs. The payoff for my husband and I has been that when we take them hiking they are much more confident and creative in problem solving how to negotiate obstacles in their path and I know it is due to her patient teaching. Antje is trained in first aid and cpr and I trust her with my dogs completely. I also trust her to come into my house when I need to leave them home and let them out to go potty and to pick them up or drop them off. In addition to all of the above services, Antje makes the most wonderful products for dogs. I use her soap to bathe my little ones because it is the ONLY soap I have found that does not leave them itching and scratching from dry skin. It cleans them and then rinses out completely which store-bought products never seemed to do. I use her salve to soothe odd bumps that appear when they have dragged their chests over irritating brush or grasses and it removes the bumps and stops the itching practically instantly. I use her paw salve for their feet if we are on a long hike or hiking over rough ground. All of the products work well and do not product reactions in either of my dogs. All of our lives have been enriched by our association with Smiling Dog and Antje. Lucy M. ---------------------------- I am so thankful for Antje/Smiling Dog. I have a French/Brittaney Spaniel. I had a hard time taking her for walks as she would pull on the leash and run to people and other dogs. It was a real chore taking her for walks. She had tons of energy, was destructive in yard and ate her beds! Her only toys that were not completely destroyed was a blanket that she slowly ate and pooped and a very hard solid plastic chew toy. Prior to Smiling Dog, we enrolled Kayden in basic training that helped somewhat. We discovered that she was very smart, alert and food motivated. Very trainable.....yeah, if you spend the time! So, when I returned to work full time, I was worried about Kayden. At the time she was about 2 years old and full of energy. Plus, she became destructive when she had too much energy to burn. So, I set out to find a dog daycare/walker for my Kayden. I happen to come across Smiling dog on-line. From the get go, we were so pleased with Antje's service. She has a natural way that the dogs LOVE her. Kayden gets tremendously excited when Antje comes. I had the pleasure of accompanying Antje on a dog walk at Lake Sawyer. I was amazed at how well the dogs were behaved, they all got along and had a blast! I tell everyone about Antje and Smiling Dog. The rates are very reasonable and Antje is a gem to work with. Patty Christiansen ---------------------------- THANK YOU!!!!! Airplane is sacked out on the couch next to me sleeping HARD! She also smells really good from the bath I gave her with your soap. I have to say the soap was awesome to bathe her with. It was easy to hold on to, lathered her up quickly with lots of bubbles, she smells good and her coat is really soft now that she is drying. Just thought I would give you a better review than "thanks, I like it". I tend to have too few words sometimes and others too many but never in the right amount :) Thanks again, have a wonderful weekend! Jennifer N. ---------------------------- I am a dog owner who has used Antje as a dog walker. I have the highest amount of respect and appreciation for what she does with dogs. She takes them into the woods on trails where dogs can be dogs. She has found areas with trails that consume hundreds of acres for the animals to run. She has a way with animals that borders on dog whisperer status. I have the utmost trust and confidence in her abilities as a dog walker. I met Antje through my brother who hired her to walk his high energy Brittney Spaniel. She took this dog that pulled on leash and would run as fast as she could to get away if she ever got off leash and trained her to walk on leash without pulling as well as hiking with the group without running away. My dog is a Siberian Huskie. These are beautiful dogs with a tendency to run away. Knowing this I kept my dog on a tight leash while growing up. I bordered on paranoid behavior my fear of losing her was so great. The first day I met Antje she taught me more about dog behavior than I had learned in my entire life. She observed my dog in a fenced, off leash, park and watched my dog’s behavior. She assured me my dog would not run off, if I learned some basic skills. She then proceeded to teach me these skills. Now I’m the owner of a dog that I take out in the woods regularly and let off leash while we hike. My dog gets the pleasure of freedom and I get the freedom from fear of losing my dog. I have gone on many walks with Antje while she was working with multiple dogs. I am always impressed with how the dogs behave so well. She assures me it is simply telling the dogs what’s expected of them. I have learned that while this is true, I find it much harder than she makes it look. I have seen her take other dogs besides mine, runners who would just disappear if they got out, and she trained them to stay with the group as well. There is nobody I trust as much with my dog. Sincerely, Patricia Christiansen --------------------------- Antje has taken care of my two cats on different occasions. I was confident to go on vacation and know my cats were in good hands. She fed them, emptied the cat box and played with them. She even offered to water the plants and pick up the mail. I will definately call her the next time I am out of town. Nancy..... ----------------------------- I have been applying it [herbal salve] on her belly and paw that she got a sore on. I put it on while she's zonked out otherwise she thinks it's a delicious treat. It seems to be helping. Thank you. Bonnie ------------------------------ If a high energy workout for your dog is what you are after, Antje would be my number 1 choice to accomplish the task. She takes off leash dog walking to a new level with her hour long excursions on local trails, rain or shine. With her calm, assertive energy, she is totally capable of handling a pack of goofy, fun loving dogs out for an adventure. Her experience and dedication come from walking her own dogs every single day , because all dogs thrive on daily exercise. I feel very fortunate to know someone like Antje and am very happy to entrust my own dog to her services when I am out of town. She is always reliable and on top of every situation. I really appreciate having someone who loves walking with dogs so near and available to me. She even cleans up my dog when the weather is wet and her paws are muddy before she lets her back in the house! On or off leash, my dog loves going for a walk with Antje and the rest of the gang! Suzan ------------------------------------ I have known Antje for several years and believe that she truly enjoys the company of dogs. She has helped me out many times by taking my dog, Zoey on off-leash adventures when I am out of town on business. By transporting the dogs to different outdoor parks and trails, they get to enjoy a variety of scenery and smells, which is all the more exciting when accompanied by a few doggie friends! After a few hours of supervised dogwalking and playing, Zoey is all tuckered out and ready to come home and settle down for a nap. And I have the pleasure of knowing that my dog gets to keep her busy schedule of fun and exercise while I am. Great job Antje! Thanks from the both of us! Sue Wadaga ----------------------------------- I just wanted to take a moment and tell you “Thank You”. I know I tell you, but I want you to know how much I really do appreciate it. I wanted you to know how happy Mickey and Brandy are when they return from a walk with you. They are both tired and happy all at the same time. When I first got Brandy at the age of one year’s old, she was a wild child. But with engaging walks which help to release her exuberant energy, she has calmed down significantly. While Mickey’s energy level has gone up with the additional walks, he (at over 12 years old and going strong) is now able to keep up with his girlfriend (Brandy). Kris Mason ------------------------------------ Thanks Antje. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have such great service. It can be difficult to find individuals who take pride in their work and who have a real connection to what they offer in the area of professional services. I am grateful for your ability to connect with the animals in your care and the people you provide services to. Thanks again for everything. Gary Mason ------------------------------------------ Thanks for the great care for our cats while we were away. They were relaxed and content when we got home – a great sign that all went well. Thanks so much, Betty ------------------------------- |
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| licensed, insured, and experienced Pet First Aid & Pet CPR certified |
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