Success Stories

- When my wife and I decided to move out of the United States to a country in the Caribbean we were very concerned about having to put our Bernese mountain dog mix under the plane in cargo.

We reached out to Kathlyn and team, who explained the entire process including government regulations, leaving the US as well as our requirements for entering into the new country.

Despite having a dog that was 8 years old at the time of training, the public access training program we went through was very well structured. The training program for what to teach our dog at home as well as the live coaching that her team provided helped us feel confident that able with some good focus from us we can get our dog certified. 

After a few months of training at home and Three in person training sessions including the final test, we had a fully fully certified public access service dog.

Luckily for us the help did not stop there as the team helped us get all the required paperwork, vaccination knowledge, and immigration resources needed to successfully relocate to our new home.

The partnership and passion from Kathlyn's team was exceptional. They were invested in both our success in the move as well as dogs success in the program. They invested themselves beyond just checking a box to pass the test but also improved our dog's overall behavior... And she had a great time doing it!

-Will H .

2023

-To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to provide you a very positive endorsement for Kathlyn Ross in her work with children and young adults.

We have worked with Kathlyn since the fall of 2019 after we were provided a strong referral to her by my daughters middle school special education teacher.  We were looking for someone to help us find and train a service dog for Chrissa.  We needed someone who had a great deal of patience, kindness, and positive encouragement to work not only with the dog, but also with Chrissa who has an intellectual disability and anxiety/uncertainty about trying new things.  Chrissa is now 19 so she was 14 when we started working with Kathlyn.

Kathlyn has been amazing in helping Chrissa learn to lead and manage Gnocchi, who is a 75 pound golden doodle and Chrissa is a mere 4' 8" tall young lady with fine and gross motor challenges.  After Kathlyn and I taught Gnocchi how to do commands, she would come to our house or go in the community to show Chrissa how to lead and command Gnocchi. 

When Chrissa would be anxious and afraid, Kathlyn was very patient with her. She would demonstrate what Chrissa would be doing in small steps. She would have her encourage Gnocchi with treats and tell her that she knew that Chrissa could do this. She would use the new and positive things that she had seen Chrissa learn and accomplish at the middle school to remind her of things Chrissa said she couldn't do at school and then learned, like going to her classes on her own, using the stairs during busy passing periods without feeling pressured by the other kids, learning to speak up for her needs, etc.  

Also, Kathlyn was more than willing to repeat lessons and she made video recordings for us so Chrissa could rewatch them when Kathlyn was not there.  Chrissa has a short attention span so Kathlyn was always willing to work a little, then joke and goof off a bit until Chrissa was ready to refocus on what needed to be learned.  ONce Chrissa gained a small measure of confidence with Gnocchi due to Kathlyn's confidence in her, Chrissa would get very excited every time we got to see Kathlyn, even if she was nervous about learning the new skill with Gnocchi.  They became good friends.

Also, Chrissa and Kathlyn's daughter knew each other as they were in the same grade. Kathlyn saw that Chrissa often would do things more easily for her peers than for the adults at school so she had Coral come help with some of the lessons and to encourage Chrissa.

Both Chrissa and I were sad to learn that Kathlyn moved away as I called her to see if she could do some refresher training with Chrissa and Gnocchi. And even from afar, Kathlyn researched some local trainers that she sent over and we are considering using.  She has offered to get on a group call to help us interview the possible trainers to find the right match to take over with Chrissa and Gnocchi, knowing the type of support and encouragement Chrissa will need to work with someone new out in the Colorado Springs Community.

Kathlyn Ross is a gem!  

Missy"Be kind, everyone is fighting a hard battle." -2022

- I am the Volunteer Lead for the Pet Therapy  Program at our local hospital.  I met Kathyln Ross a little over a year when she was training a Service Dog.  I asked her if she would be interested in helping with our Therapy Dog program she enthusiastically agreed.  Her knowledge of dogs and insistence on using only positive reinforcement training is impressive.  Because of her skill I recommended to the CEO of the hospital that she train and be the primary handler for her dog Franny, which she is now doing.  Kathlyn has also trained six other therapy dog teams which are soon to join the hospital program.  I would unequivocally recommend Kathlyn to anybody who is in need of help to help modify their dog's behavior or just to assist them on how to train and be a responsible dog owner.  Rick C. 09/2014

~ I want to thank Kathlyn Ross for being not only the most amazing trainer, for picking out our amazing service dog Hope.  People stop and tell me Hope is a gift from god, as she is so calm, well behaved, and well trained.  If it was not for Kathlyn I would not have a service dog.  Kathlyn cares not only about the dogs she trains but the people she trains the dogs for.  She like our dog is now part of the family!  I just referred her to a good friend whose daughter has diabetes.  Maddie is 13 years old and will be taking the dog to school, the dog will be able to alert the parents if her blood sugar is low, etc.  It is amazing what Kathlyn can do to improve the life of people with her training.  Thank you Kathlyn we are forever grateful!  Hope says hi!!!  Devon G. 02/2013

 ~Contacted them Friday evening for issues I'm having with my dog since moving.  Kathlyn called and was very understanding of my situation.   She gave me instruction for what I could start doing immediately to help the issues.  She said she'd follow up in a couple of days and if I have questions in the mean time to feel free to contact her.  I can not express my gratitude for how quick, compassionate and helpful this experience has been.  Knowing that I'm not alone and have Kathlyn's expert support gives me a much better sense of confidence that this is something that be overcome.  I'm very grateful for the help! Dana A. 03/2016 

(dog training testimonials rescue dogs )

~ I met with Kathlyn Ross today to evaluate my service dog in training and I am very impressed!  She put me right at ease, was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful.  Our first session yielded some wonderful tips and I look forward to my remaining sessions with her to fine tune my dog's training and working abilities!  Meg H. 09/2023

~I had the pleasure of working with Kathlyn Ross. She helped me through the whole process of finding the right dog and training him for my needs. She is great with dogs, she understands them and also understands the clients needs. She is a great person and such fun to work with. Kayo loved training with her and the sessions were more like playtime rather than boring training sessions. Thank you Kathlyn!  Nazenin G. 09/2014