Hi, my name is Bitsy Dog Walker but everybody just calls me Bitsy.  I was born on Thanksgiving Day in 2007 and came to live with my human family when I was 7 weeks old.  My Great Grandma was a Cocker Spaniel and my Great Grandpa was a Poodle and that makes me a Cockapoo.  The first time Dad took me to the doctor she said that I was so smart and confident that I needed a job.  That was a polite way of saying I had waaaay too much energy.  Anyway, Dad started taking me to school and I loved it!  When I graduated I heard that people said I was the youngest dog that they ever knew to graduate from dog school.  I didn’t know what I wanted to do  when I grew up but Dad knew I liked people so after a while he took me to another school where I learned to be something  he called a therapy dog.  After I got out of that school we started going to places where people sit around and wait for me to come visit them.  Boy, that’s cool!  People talk real sweet to me and hold me and rub my fur and I show my appreciation by doing tricks for them. A little later we got into a program called “See Spot Read” where children read to a dog named Spot.  Spot must be real busy because he never has shown up so the children read to me!  That’s like heaven because children are my favorite people!   And that’s how I came to have my job!   

My favorite pastimes when I’m not working are spending quite time with Mom while she reads, taking long walks with Mom & Dad, playing games and doing dog agility training with Dad at Superior Dog Training. 

Here is Sonny, when we first got him, I couldn't even breathe. Suzanne and I had met a couple of years before when I went and rescued a dog that was brain damaged (though we didn't know it at the time) Suzanne came out and was so helpful and supportive and we developed a great friendship. When it came time to put Baby Puppy down due to her mental retardation, Suzanne cried right along with me. She had been a great support to me during that emotional time. Baby Puppy is in heaven now and Suzanne has moved away from where I lived, however, I called her when we got Sonny and even though she could not be with me face to face to train, she helped me for hours over the phone and sent me various instructions and again gave me the confidence to train Sonny with her help over the phone. Suzanne has a love for dogs that I have never seen before, but it's the love for the dogs owners too that make her exceptional and above all the rest. Thank you Suzanne for not only being my dog trainer long distance, but also being my friend.

Guinness is a 7 year old Jack Russell terrier we adopted from the Durham Animal Shelter two years ago. He was a wonderful, sweet dog with one major issue: he was aggressive towards other dogs which made walking on a leash in areas where other dogs would be difficult and having visiting dogs impossible. After working with Guinness ourselves for awhile, we decided to see if a trainer could help. Suzanne was willing to work with us, but honest that getting Guinness to even tolerate other dogs around would be very difficult. After only a few sessions, Guinness was like a new dog! It’s truly amazing that Guinness can now walk on leash past other dogs without a problem, and we can even have other dogs in our house without an uproar. Thanks again! Alana and Glenn

On a cold January night we lost one of our best friends, a 14-year old chocolate lab named Dan L. Boone. A few weeks later my husband was ready to look for a new puppy, however for me the heartache was too fresh and I did not want to hear anything about a new dog. However, my husband paid no attention and started calling around to find another lab with a good bloodline. He called people from all over the country, traveling, looking at puppies but nothing felt right.“. “ Just not what I’m looking for” he would say.

Then one day we were able to locate a former employee who raised labs. She just happened to have a litter of pups almost ready to go. Three of the puppies were not spoken for and we were welcome to come see them. She also mention a one-year old male that had been in training for the New York Port Authority and had just been returned to her because he did not like heights and was going to be cut from the program.

After spending 3 hours trying to decide which puppy to bring home (they were all so cute) I asked if we could see the one year old. My husband took him outside in a snow-covered yard while I watched from the window. We fell in love with him and decided he was the one for us.

The challenge started immediately. “Ben” (short for Bentley) would not get into our pickup truck. My husband had to lift him in and he laid on my lap and did not move for the next hour as we drove home. When we got home he was really, really scared. For days he kept his tail pulled under and showed no signs of affection. We then realized that we needed to un-train everything he had learned.

We spent hours sitting on the floor, talking softly to him, giving him massages and playing music, he especially liked classical.

He would lie on the floor and be very relaxed. After a few weeks I enrolled him in an 8-week basic obedience class. He was very apprehensive but loved being around other dogs. Making progress I signed up for another 8-week session. Wanting to go onto more advance training I searched the Internet for a trainer. I found Suzanne and couldn’t believe she was only a few miles away!

From the moment “Ben” and I met Suzanne I knew this was going to be a great experience. She looks at each dog as an individual and helps to build the relationship between the dog and owner. Suzanne is soft spoken, does not show partiality to one breed over another and knows what the owner needs to do to correct the dog’s bad habits. I relate her to a “Dog Whisper” she knows how to read dogs and their habits.

“Ben” loved Suzanne he relaxed and was willing to do what was asked. With Suzanne’s help Ben received his Canine Good Citizen Certificate and a few months later passed the International Therapy Dog test.

Today, thanks to Suzanne’s help, “Ben” is a very spoiled, very happy, and very well behaved pet. He loves when we visit retirement homes and even has his own fan club. As soon as the residents hear Ben is in the building they all come looking for him. What a joy to see the smiles one everyone’s face, including Ben.

When we first brought our puppy of 7 1/2 weeks home, we knew we needed help.Neither of us had raised a puppy before and our frustration levels were rising fast. Through word of mouth, from 3 different people, we first heard the name Suzanne. Everyone talked so highly of this person and we knew we just had to call her. In such a short time we realized we had made a perfect choice. Suzanne gave us the tools necessary to not only co-exist with our new puppy, but also helped us become the family we are today. What attracted us to Superior Dog Training was Suzanne's obvious love of her job and of animals.

We especially love the way she personally greets each dog at every class and takes time to get on the floor and interact with them. She is commited to address every issue, large or small, and offer many soultions to try. We attended her beginner puppy class and are curently signed up for her intermediate class. Thank you Suzanne for being a great resource, a dedicated professional and a wonderful friend. M&S M.