TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is a reference letter for Ms. Lisa Skidd, an experienced and extremely competent and compassionate dog behavioral specialist. While Lisa has been handling, training and caring for dogs for many years, our personal experience with her over the past two (2) years has been unique.

We rescued a small but strong pit bull terrier/lab mix over a year and a half ago from a Hernando County rescue organization. Lucy had been severely abused and was afraid of people and noises and difficult to handle. We used Lisa’s training program to get Lucy to learn basic commands and discipline and continue to attend her group classes today.

Lisa is an astute behaviorist in that she recognizes people need as much, if not more, training as the dogs! Her insights go far beyond just instilling discipline in the dogs she handles; she cultivates the relationship between the dog and his or her owner. She explains the meaning behind the training rules and techniques and relates the meaning to animal and human behavior. This has allowed my wife, Linda, and me to develop a close connection to our rescued pet. And it is significant because Lucy would only bond with Linda at first because she was so afraid of men.

In addition to her expertise as a behaviorist, Lisa is a very compassionate person. Eight months ago, Linda broke her leg and arm while playing with Lucy in our backyard. She was in casts from her toe to her hip and from her wrist to her elbow. We had to move to a friend’s home in St. Petersburg which was on one level. Lucy would not leave Linda’s side and Linda had no way of handling her and I had to work. Lisa offered to come to our rescue. She took Lucy to her own home for the eight weeks we were away. When Linda was able we visited at Lisa’s home. When Lucy came home she was much more comfortable with me. Without Lisa’s intervention, we could not have kept Lucy. Now that is a dedicated trainer!

Good people make good professionals. Lisa Skidd is good people. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone who needs special attention to their dogs and wants to learn about dog and human behavior.

Sincerely,

Jeffery L. Myers

RE: Lisa Skidd Referral

To Whom It May Concern:

I have worked with Lisa Skidd in what I call “Dog Class”, in both private and classroom scenarios, and have found her to be professional, effective, results-oriented and a strong educator.

“Dog Class” is a tern that I use to describe something more than a traditional obedience course, because Lisa uses a holistic approach to enabling a dog to be a better-behaved, mannered and socialized family member.  She can, of course, teach a ‘sit’ and ‘stay’, but for a more advanced approach, she also educated the owners on why the dog acts a certain way and how to get a better response from them.  She also suggests other tools, such as collars and leads, which lead to further improvement.

Lisa appears quite knowledgeable about reading reactions from a dogs behavior, and then, while putting her students and their parents at ease, makes the learning experience enjoyable.  It’s easy to see this by the way the dogs respond to her and her fondness for them.  It’s a fun and positive experience that keeps several of us returning – even once we’ve learned new behaviors.

I would highly recommend Lisa for anyone with a dog, and I have, – whether they want to learn basic commands, social skills and manners, or the correction of problems.   The kennel where I keep my bulldog mix while away suggested Lisa and called her the ‘Other Dog Whisperer’.  All I can tell you is that she’s truly provided a very enriching experience for us.

Sincerely,

Judy Safer

Hi,

This is the story of Ben.  He is a black shepard/lab/dane mix, about 110 lbs.  I adopted Ben from a shelter when he was 11 months old.   It was his second time there.  I don’t know what he had been through but he didn’t know how to play.  Jumped and chewed on people and was very aggressive to other dogs.  The first trainer I took him to would not put him in  a class with other dogs because of his size and aggressive behavior.  After several private classes she advised me that he was totally untrainable and I should consider putting him down.  She said I would have to keep him in a fenced area and away from other people and animals.

THEN I was referred to Lisa.  She took Ben into a class with other dogs and she has worked wonders with hem.  She would not give up on him and helped me through some really rough times.  I am so happy to say now Ben is everything I wanted him to be. I can take hem anyplace with me.  We go shopping, to the park, and to craft shows.  He is very friendly, people can pet hem and he even plays with other dogs.  I can even let him play with my 3 yr old grandson.  If we hadn’t found Lisa, I probably would not have him.  Angels are all around us!

Thank you Lisa.

Phyllis Akers

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter on behalf of Lisa Skidd.  We had the pleasure of meeting Lisa approximately 7 months ago as we embarked on a mission to train our 6 month old Newfoundland puppy,  Amadeus.  It was love a first sight.  Almost immediately, Ami felt the love and compassion that Lisa shared.  That was our indicator that Lisa was the trainer for us.  Beyond her compassion she is extremely knowledgeable and informative as it relates to her training skills.  She worked diligently not only to train Ami, but to train myself and my husband to become more disciplined with our pet.  Working with Ami was a challenge as he had 6 months of some bad habits to break and we accomplished most.  Still working on some and getting better!

Additionally, Lisa has been extremely supportive of our personal needs.  Both my husband and I travel frequently and are in meed of someone that we feel most comfortable with taking care of our dog.  Lisa has graciously accepted Ami as an extension of her family where he will live with her when we are on travel.  He loves her children and they love him back.  It is a win-win for all.

Lisa offers me peace of mind when training and caring for Ami and there is nothing more important to both my husband and I.  I would highly recommend Lisa as a trainer and a friend to all.

Kind regards,

Annamarie Alleva and Anadeus