Desperate Dogs

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Our Story

Desperate Dogs is a luxury dog boarding hotel and a specialist residential rehabilitation center for dogs with issues like socialisation, fear, aggression and separation anxiety, to name but a few... Run by experienced canine behaviourist Penny Miller and her husband Peter, the dogs enjoy hours of off leash activity in the three acre fenced meadow and the swimming pool; they sleep, as all dogs should do, on a couch!!! Decorated just like home, the Desperate Dogs experience is unlike anywhere else in the Southern States...no concrete runs, no kennels, no cages unless we are potty training, dogs here quickly get to feel at home and to feel very relaxed. This relaxation and comfort bring about a state of mind where learning can take place, and so dogs always return home calmer, happier and more able to cope with life at home. We use no shock collars, pinch collars, choke chains or any other torture techniques and do not work with people who do....all of our work is relationship based and instills trust in the dog so that he will not fear humans ever. So, whether you have a problem dog, or you just want your dog to have the time of his life while youre away so you can have a guilt free vacation, give us a call and arrange a visit. Penny Miller took her first foray into the world of dog behavior eighteen years ago while living in Trinidad and Tobago where she and her family rescued and fed street dogs to teach her children value and compassion for all living things. Upon the family's return to Britain, after an introduction to dog behavior through British behaviorist Kendall Shepherd, she formally studied dog behavior and earned professional diplomas in Canine Behavior and Psychology, studied canine nutrition, wolf behavior, worked with British obedience and hunting dog trainers and studied the Amichien Dog Listener methods under Jan Fennell and Tony Knight. She has continued her education with distance learning of international dog behaviorists and attending seminars and workshops both here in the US and the UK. This provided the foundation of the work she does today, but nothing impacted her knowledge as much as the hands on work that she has done with shelter and rescue dogs. To date, Penny has worked with literally thousands of dogs, many of them last chance dogs that the shelters had deemed unadoptable, unmanageable and unplaceable. It was with these dogs that her most intense learning took place, and continues to do so. To date, she and husband Peter have fostered over 120 'problem' dogs, each of them with unique issues and thus a wealth of learning opportunities. Over the last seven years in the US, Penny has worked with countless rescues, including Alcovy Pet Rescue, Gracie's Place, Atlanta Lab, Gwinnett Humane Society, Hall County Humane Society to name but a few, and all pro bono........ Desperate Dogs gives a minimum of 20% of its time, talent or treasures every year to local and international dog charities and it is the goal to continue this mission that drives this unique business. Last year, Penny was approached by the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Department to work with their incredibly successful Jail Dogs Program, to work hands on with some of their aggression and fear cases. She now advises regularly at the jail on their problem dogs and provides free rehabilitation work on an ongoing basis. Penny is not a dog trainer, and doesn't pretend to be....her speciality is seeing life from the dogs perspective and solving dog problems using the dog's unique psychology and drives. This work is completely instinctual and differs from dog to dog, as no two cases, just like no two dogs, are ever alike. Whether she is working with a 120 pound German Shepherd with severe aggression issues or a tiny Maltese with fear issues, she works every case herself, hands on. Her belief is that if she can't handle your dog, then how can a client trust her to fix the problem? Plain speaking, to the point and with a very British sense of humour interwoven into everything she does, Penny has become well known for fixing the cases that others can't.....the Desperate Dogs Ranch has successfully rehabilitated hundreds upon hundreds of dogs that were otherwise destined for rehoming or euthanasia. This is achieved by a combination of instinctual dog handling and the building of close relationships with both the owners and dogs that continue long after the consult has ended or the dog has left the facility. The Desperate Dogs mission is to find simple solutions that are workable for both the human client as well as the dog, as continuing compliance with any methodology is only going to be achieved if the human client can find time and enthusiasm to follow it. Instinctual Dog Handling is a completely different approach....it's hands off, gentle and does not require mountains of food to be administered to the dog every second to get the required result. It does not allow for choke chains, shock collars or pinch collars and does not require dogs to be so called 'calm submissive'. It's about empowering the dog to find confidence and happiness within itself, and setting the dog free from the its own pain and fear.