To Whom This May Concern:

I write this letter to tell of my experience with Cathie Sabin and B. C. Dog Training in Mundelein, IL. Cathie saved my dog and saved me from a potential lawsuit.

Canon, my Doberman, has always been highly reactive to strangers. Even at eight weeks old, he would bark and lunge at passing strangers as we were out for potty breaks. At ten weeks, Canon began full-time (5 days a week) daycare and training (2 sessions daily, 5 days a week) at XXXX in Chicago. XXXX worked on basic obedience and although Canon’s "issues" were known, this facility did not address them and advised that Canon be kept away from people -- even on walks (not practical in our Chicago neighborhood). By the time Canon was six months old, he was quite the puller and although I did not like the thought of a prong collar, I had to resort to one to be able to handle him. Canon stayed at XXXX for a year and a half at a cost of over a thousand dollars a month (more than $20,000.00). At the age of a year and a half, Canon bit a jogger and I turned to XXXX for help addressing the issue. XXXX advised that Canon be kept away from all people – even if it meant putting him in an outdoor kennel with other dogs. Frustrated and disillusioned, I thought the best option for Canon might be placement in a new home via IL Doberman Rescue. I drove more than thirty miles to see Cathie Sabin. I assumed she would place Canon for adoption. Instead, she set up a situation in which Canon lunged at a "stranger" – nipping her in the belly. Immediately, Cathie took control of Canon and had him obediently and playfully involved with her and the "stranger" within minutes. Cathie assured me Canon’s issue was typical adolescent Doberman behavior and could be addressed easily with an electronic training collar. I was reluctant. After all, I had been reluctant to resort to a prong collar. So, Cathie said, I had two choices: correct the inappropriate behavior or place Canon for adoption. She also pointed out that if the e-collar didn’t work out, we could still place Canon. I figured it was worth a try. Almost three years later, I am happy to say Cathie was right. She identified the issue and gave me a relatively simple way to address it. The e-collar allows me to communicate to Canon what is unacceptable behavior. It also allows me to take Canon to large, open areas for play and training – knowing I can get him back very quickly using the e-collar. For anyone hesitant to resort to the e-collar training method, I understand. But, if you find yourself frustrated to the point of considering placing your dog in another home or with a rescue agency, I believe e-collar could offer you another viable option. Canon is still Canon and I work to ensure he understands when he’s doing the right thing (treats/praise). The e-collar affords me an opportunity to correct him quickly when he’s doing the wrong thing. I continue to be grateful to Cathie Sabin for helping me to help Canon. We are much happier these days!

Sincerely,

Judie Garcia
WGN News Reporter

 

Hi Cathie,

How are you doing? Wanted to say hello…

We just visited your website and had some very fond memories. You were so instrumental in our lives with Mac n Tosh. Tosh was 13 years old this week and unfortunately we had to say Good Bye to Mac last year… he had cancer and in his last months was also blind and deaf.

The 2 years we spent with you and your team was so special to us. Our kids, Mac n Tosh were always well behaved everywhere we went. They always get along with people, kids and other dogs and we credit so much of that with our time with you.

We moved to St. Louis temporarily the last couple years and recently moved to the High Country or the Mountains of North Carolina. Tosh likes it because it is a little cooler than St. Louis.

Both Mac n Tosh enjoyed traveling with us through the years and we felt confident that we could walk the halls of any hotel and they would be well behaved. They have stayed in many La Quinta’s, as well as on special occasions the Four Seasons Hotel and a couple Ritz Carlton’s. They saw both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and they were never in an airplane (still don’t believe airplanes are safe to fly our best friends). They were/are great travelers in the car.

We are doing great… Mac is in our memories every day and Tosh is still a princess. This has been an unbelievable experience for us and we owe so much of our enjoyment to you. Wanted to say THANK YOU!

We miss seeing you and hope that all is super with your health and happiness.

Remembering you always!

Our best,
Allyn, Cathy and Tosh (and Mac) Stanton

 

The instructor and assistant were extremely helpful. We would will not train our anywhere else again. We love BC and look forward to taking advantage of many more programs here.

Amanda and (Rook) Snyder

 

Hi, we are the Murphy's. We attended BC classes for about 9 months with our Dobe, Payton. We have now moved to Arizona. Although it took Payton about a month to figure out there is NO grass, and never will be any grass, he is doing just fine. He has a great respect for all the cactus on the property. I am writing, because wherever we go with this dog, not one day goes by that someone doesn't ask how he was trained. Our daughter, Karry, was his handler at the classes and although just a "kid", she did an excellent job with him. Payton will be 3 years old in June, and is the best dog. We know we owe it all to Cathie and the other instructors who helped us through puppy stage and later. People can not get over how he behaves with one command, and never jumps or barks at anyone. Our old neighborhood was in tears when we said we were leaving Illinois. Not because the Murphy's were going, but because Payton was leaving!!! Our new neighborhood loves him just as much. The Fed EX and UPS delivery people stop by even when they don't have a package just to see Payton, who greets everyone with a shaking butt and kisses. I know in his soul Payton is a wonderful dog, but without the knowledge and instruction from B.C., I'm not sure he would have been such an obedient dog that everyone just wants to be around. So, we just wanted to say thanks again for all your hard work and for all the care the staff puts into your programs. We miss you all, and hope to visit soon!

Dan, Rozanne, Karry, and Payton

 

Hi Everyone!
I received a message from B.C. yesterday and wanted to send an email letting you know Zepp and Hope are doing great. Last August I was relocated for my job and we moved down to central Illinois which is why they have not been in for a long time. It was kind of a hurried process and in all the commotion we forgot to let you know.

They've got a big yard to play in now and plenty of room to hunt. We took them out pheasant hunting a lot last fall and they did great. Hope especially, for being a rescue dog she is a very passionate hunter! She is also come a long way in learning to trust people she doesn't know and warms up to strangers quickly. Zepp is still his same old lovable self. He gave us a little scare over Christmas when he came down with a case of bloat one afternoon after a long morning of hunting. Luckily we noticed it right away and got him to vet immediately and he came through the surgery with flying colors. It was hard to keep him down during recovery after the procedure but now you would never know it happened.

We haven't found any daycares down here that compare to B.C. We, and the dogs, absolutely loved being able to take them there. We still have a lot of friends up the NW Suburban area and if we get a chance we will bring them in to say "Hi" to everyone.

Attached is a recent picture of them - Zepp on the left and Hope on the right - they are inseparable!

Thanks for checking on them.

Dale and Stacie Payton

Cathie, I thought you’d like to know that a few weeks ago a woman stopped me in the park to let me know that Kundry was the best mannered dog she had ever seen. Last week my vet’s receptionist offered to keep Kundry, letting me know that she seldom had such a well behaved dog. If you remember, it wasn’t that way a few short months ago. Instead, Kundry was a biting, pulling, howling ball of energy that had no idea what housebreaking meant and really could think of nothing that was more fun than leash grabbing, unless it was jumping up and grabbing me. To add to my worry, every book I read on training a Siberian Husky basically said “Good luck!” Fortunately, I knew my limitations and brought Kundry to you. After three weeks of board and train, Kundry was a new dog. She was always sweet, but now she actually listened, walked calmly, no longer jumped on other dogs or people, and, thank you Cathie, understood that her bathroom was outside the house, not inside. The follow-up classes that Kundry and I are taking are truly training me. I now understand so much more about why Kundry responds as she does and how to communicate with her to keep her on the straight and narrow. What a pleasure to share our house with a dog like this! I can take her anywhere; I can trust her with our cats! Thank you Cathie, for the work you did with Kundry, you’ve really helped to add a true companion to our lives.