Dear Rachel,

I really appreciate the excellent service you have provided with Trinity’s vest.  Whenever we are traveling and she is not in her full harness to assist my husband, Trinity wears her bright red Har-Vest.  I don’t ever want the risk of having her separated from us without adequate identification.  On the outside in the clear-view pocket is a duplicate Certified Assistance Canine Team card with her picture.  In one of the zipped pockets is a laminated card I created with our name, her name, her description, emergency contact numbers (including her vet), and her microchip number. There is also plenty of room in the zippered pockets for her to carry her own “doggie-bags” for good citizen clean-up needs!

Because we live in a very rural area, she is well known. However last Christmas when we drove nearly 2000 miles to visit our daughter, it was reassuring to know that she was adequately identified. Because it was very cold she wore her insulated coat whenever she went outside.  It was so convenient to adjust the handy elastic belly straps on the vest so it fit over her coat! Wow, she was stunning in her deep forest green coat with her bright red vest on top! In addition she was very visible and easily identifiable. We absolutely cannot travel anywhere without her Har-Vest—and she loves it! All I have to say is “Get dressed” and she runs over and puts her head through the strap. Rachel, I want to thank you again for an excellent product and for your service. 

"Rachel is a wonderful trainer and a great source of support and knowledge. I did both private lessons with her when we first got our puppy, Dexter and then took the 'puppy next steps' class when Dexter was 6 months old. Rachel is an incredibly talented trainer. (after taking a class with another trainer I appreciate Rachel all the more!) Both Dexter and I learned a great deal in Rachel's classes. Even outside of class - Rachel has also always been available to answer training questions and to provide support and advice in general. She's a wonderful resource. I'm glad we found her!"

Dear Rachel, It has been nearly one year since we got our puppy, Lucy. If you will recall when you first came to our home, I was not a dog lover by any far stretch. Your fabulous training ideas and inspiration to work with her helped us in an unbelievable way. The information you gave us (though it seemed like a lot at the time) helped us reinforce the good behaviors in Lucy in a positive way. We are grateful to have exposed Lucy to so many different things via your "puppy scavenger hunt" and we think she truly benefitted from your suggested experiences. Following up with the dog training classes was also a great help to remind us how to work with her to get the best results. We appreciate your willingness to help us get results on specific behaviors with Lucy and we appreciate your patience and willingness to accept our occasional SOS phone calls asking for help). One year later, we are grateful to have such a well behaved, wonderful dog that has changed all of our lives for the better. If you can make me into a dog lover, surely you can move mountains. Thank you!

The Stewart Family

Shaker Heights, OH

"Rachel came into our home when our puppy was 4 months old. Either he was a really quick study, or she really knows her stuff. Okay, probably a great combination of the two. We (husband and 2 daughters) learned so much during the 3 hours in our home and continued to practice what Rachel preached..."only say it once!" We had some training issues along the way and Rachel was available by phone and email when we needed some encouragement and or advice. She got our dog hooked on the "bully sticks"...what a great chew. They are a tad on the expensive side, but we'd rather have him chew the sticks than chew our shoes! I would highly recommend her services!"

      When my twin daughters were 5 years old, our family decided to get a dog.  We felt it was very important to be raised with a pet and to learn the care, responsibility and compassion that goes along with it. Our old family dog had died when the girls were a year old and they, of course, had no recollection of him. We felt it best to choose a dog who would be good with children, gentle and easygoing.  We initially attempted to adopt a three-legged shelter dog whose picture had been in the shelter newsletter.  He was very sweet, but, it turns out, not at all socialized, and Rachel helped us determine that it would be best to return him.  (It was a no-kill shelter, and an employee there later adopted him, for which we were so grateful.)  Our family felt badly when this dog did not work out and, quite frankly, I didn't quite trust my judgment after that in picking out an appropriate pet. For one thing, when I visit a shelter,  I always want to take ALL of the animals home, and it's hard to try to think clearly about what behaviors to look for and what breeds might be better for young children.
      Rachel accompanied me to two shelters, and ultimately brought out a dog we had barely noticed. She pointed out his tolerant, good-natured personality and demonstrated how he did not get upset by all of the commotion with other animals, loud barking, etc. in the Animal Protective League (APL) shelter waiting area. Turns out, the very behaviors that contributed to us walking right by his cage without a second glance were the very traits that would make him ideal for our family!  In fact, he and a number of other shelter dogs had been chosen to march in the University Heights Memorial Day Parade that same year, as had our elementary school, and he had been right behind us in the parade two weeks before, marching quietly along, unruffled by all the noise and chaos. We hadn't given him a moment's notice. ... more

I had tried several different types of harnesses on Forrest. He’s a large dog and I use a power wheelchair. The Har-vest is perfect! He doesn’t pull and stays with the chair. It also gives me some room for a leash and a couple of other items without large packs interfering with his path. Great product!

Jacki (Jack) Pearce-Droge
Tacoma, WA

I was made aware of Rachel Friedman when a routine trip to the vet in the cool of late fall left me covered with sweat and dog hair. After wrestling with the emotions of a two hyper terriers, one a plump 35 lbs., the other a mere 5. I realized I was powerless over my dogs and my life had become unmanageable. There was no 12 step program for my problem but my vet, having witnessed the chaos, gently advised I may want to consult a behaviorist. I thought it was too late and had uneasily accepted my destiny. I had 5 and 6 years respectively of having sent the wrong message to undo. Not so, says Rachel who came to my house and had my dogs quickly doing her bidding.

Having been as Rachel puts it , 'A well intentioned but clueless owner' I had and have a lot to learn. The fee I paid is an investment in the future of my, Olive, Milo (and any other 4 legged beast of my future's) happiness. Rachel has been welcoming, prompt and non judgmental of my many emailed questions and her fee comes with a lifetime retainer which I take full advantage of. She is a veritable wealth of knowledge and resources.