06/16/2026
Rolf and Kim Kuchlenz will tell you they barely recognize their dog, Madeline, after she completed weeks of Confident K9 classes and training. That’s a good thing because Maddy was a problem.
“She had so much anxiety, so much stranger danger, and fear of everything in the world,” said Kim.
They understood that Maddy's fear of strangers was fairly well-founded. Path of Hope rescued her and her eight siblings after someone dumped them alone in Texas. No one knows what happened to their mom.
Maddy got a second chance at life when Dog is my CoPilot flew her to Spokane. Rolf
and Kim fell in love and took her home. But what they found was that her rough start
colored all her interactions.
They couldn’t take her places without worrying she’d bolt, bark aggressively, or nip
someone. Then an internet search for solutions led them to Confident K9 and Kass, the business owner and dog trainer.
“Kass is very knowledgeable,” said Rolf. “The Doggy Day Classes are very immersive.
We would drop Maddy off in the morning, two days a week, and pick her up in the
afternoon. We also did group classes in the evening. The program has been perfect for us. We’ve definitely seen the results for Maddy. It’s been a night and day difference.”
Rolf and Kim learned new techniques and how to use training tools. They cannot
believe the change in their dog.
“She is a totally well-behaved, very much more confident dog,” said Kim. “She doesn't
bark at people. Everybody loves her at my work, and they even noticed that she isn’t the same dog anymore.”
That makes all our work worthwhile. Maddy is a reminder that every dog, including one frightened of everything after being tossed away like garbage, deserves a second
chance.
