Furry Addition Training for a Special Family

We recently purchased a mini labradoodle puppy for our son. He has an ASD diagnosis and frequently struggles with mood regulation. I'd read and heard good things about the work Valerie does with her dogs, so we decided to go have a look at a pup from one of her July litters. We fell in love with our little fluff ball immediately, and were reassured by the obvious care Valerie takes with her dogs. They are raised in a beautiful home, acclimated in a family environment, and trained with great care. We brought our pup, Harper, home just over a week ago and have been thrilled with her temperament, house manners, and her attentiveness to our son. We are so glad we decided to purchase our puppy from Valerie and even happier we had her put in the extra training time that we didn't have time to do from the beginning. I would highly recommend Mindfulness Therapy Dogs to anyone looking for a companion or therapy dog.

Eight Week Old Puppies

When my husband and I decided to bring a puppy into our family we had no idea what to expect. I sifted through countless Michigan breeder websites. My experience was largely the same – I would have to complete an application, make a deposit, and wait for someone to call me back. I didn’t feel comfortable making such a huge life decision through what felt like a “mail order“ process, so we took a step back.

Then one day I had the great fortune of coming across Valerie‘s website. Valerie not only answered the phone right away, she asked me if I could FaceTime with her on the spot! I was surprised and thrilled to hear an actual voice on the line! She introduced me to all of her dogs, showed me where they lived, and walked me through the steps adopting a puppy into our family.

Over the next few weeks, Valerie’s attention to detail and interpersonal relationships continued! She took the time to answer all of our questions, and to learn pertinent details about our family. She sent us photos of the puppies at birth, and videos of the puppies going through early socialization exercises and developmental milestones.

When we finally met Valerie for puppy selection day, she and her husband were warm, inviting, and patient. They guided us through the selection process with joy and encouragement.

We brought our puppy Roo home about two weeks ago. From the very first day, we were able to see evidence of positive early socialization. Roo is a delight when meeting new people, children and pets. She is self assured - happy in her crate napping or playing, and equally happy being handled, cuddled, and played with. She is also incredibly smart! At 10 weeks she’s already tolerating her collar, walking nicely on a leash, and responding to commands like “sit” and “drop it”. She is absolutely beautiful too with her stunning soft black coat! She is very strong and capable, already outrunning us in the yard and becoming an energetic jumper! She is the family member we never knew we’ve been waiting for.

I can’t thank Valerie enough! I highly recommend Mindfulness Therapy Dogs to anyone looking to bring a new furry family member into their home.

Reviews from Schools

Fowlerville School District, Valerie is currently working with our Dog, Jagger. He will be a therapy dog for Fowlerville Schools. I was in awe of her. Jagger has come so far and it has only been 6 weeks. He is a completely different dog. She has gone above and beyond the requirement to make sure we are knowledgeable of how to work with Jagger when we get him alone. She has met with us several times. It is obvious she loves what she is doing and that she loves the dogs she trains. Her home is like a doggy spa. Fields upon fields for the dogs to run and play in. She has a beautiful set-up where the dogs can go outside or come in when they want. She allows them to walk around her home with her family. I am beyond impressed with Kawah Farms.

Brighton School District, Valerie's follow through and communication has been nothing but great. She always has the dog's best interest at heart.. As a educator, with kids I have been able to work with Val easily and she is open to suggestions and ideas. As we all know education is very unique and there are a lot of things that you have to consider that maybe the business world does not see.

Reviews from Schools

He (Teddy) gives the best cuddles and my students adore him. He's done amazing work during a crazy school year. Thank you for all you did to get him ready! We are so thankful for him and the joy he brings to everyone.

A Therapy Dog Host

Valerie is a true professional who knows what she’s doing when it comes to training dogs. Valerie is sweet, personable and most importantly, knows how to work with dogs and communicate proper training techniques effectively to their owners. Valerie has allowed myself and 9 year old son to come to her house, so she could train us to work with Henry. Her training techniques are easy to learn and anytime I have a question I just give her a call or text and she helps out. Henry is trained so well that the transition has been very easy and smooth. Henry has adjusted to my home as if he has lived with me since a young pup. We love Valerie and her training style! I would highly recommend her to train any therapy dogs.

A Friend for Your Special Needs Family

Hello, I am very excited to give a reference for Valerie. I have one of her wonderfully trained dogs. Mocha transitioned well and has been a wonderful addition to our family. She gets along great with the children and even lets them literally walk all over her. If I have any questions, Valerie is always quick to respond and helpful in any situation. Mocha is well trained on a leash, great with other people, obeys commands and an amazing family dog. I would not hesitate to get another dog from Valerie.

See me at work

Richardson Elementary School

This week RES celebrated Chester's 1st birthday. Students were able to purchase a puppy paw to write Chester a Happy Birthday message. Today Chester wore his birthday shirt and saw all of his messages.

Happy Birthday Chester!

Richardson Elementary School

Chester has been a phenomenal asset to our building. It is very heartwarming to see all of the love that the students have for him. He had a terrific first week in the classrooms!! He did great and is already picking up on which students really need him. Some of the teachers were in tears seeing who he really connected with.

What Our Important Clients Are Saying

Helping students is our goal:

"Thank you for coming to our school. We loved that you showed us your beautiful dog named cooper. Thanks again,"

-Mr. Takach's Class

Our dogs are socialized in classrooms from as early as four months old.

We prioritize training our host families to increase the success of our dogs:

Dear miss Vairie, Thank you so muth for lettiag us come see Cooper. We are so excited to get him. He is going to help so meny kids at my dads school. You are a really good trainer. Cooper is going to be the best thiag in the world for us.

-Host Family, 6 year old girl

We work with you to teach you how to build trust and communication with your new social emotional comfort animal:

I Just wanted to tell you how much we love Henry. Henry is a good boy when he is here.

-Host Family, 9 year old boy