Sit Happens K-9 Academy LLC

06/13/2026

Goose graduated his off-leash program today! 🎓

Over the past five sessions, we worked on stay, down, sit, and place with duration, moving away when asked, leave it, drop it, long-distance stays, leash walking, neutrality around dogs and people, and most importantly, recall in real-life situations.

Draco came along today to help provide some distraction, and Goose handled it great.

He is now off to live his best off-leash life! 🐾👏

06/13/2026

One of the biggest red flags I see is:

“Not looking to spend a lot”“ISO free dog”

And honestly? That mindset alone tells me you probably are not financially prepared for a dog in the first place.

Dogs are expensive. Even a “free” dog is not actually free. Vaccines , flea/tick prevention , heartworm prevention , quality food , emergency vet bills , grooming , training , spay/neuter , supplies etc all add up VERY quickly.

If paying an adoption fee or breeder price already feels out of reach , what happens when your dog needs a $3,000 emergency surgery? What happens when your puppy eats a sock? Tears a CCL? Gets parvo? Needs allergy medication for life? Needs training for behavioral issues?

People will spend more researching a TV than they do researching where their dog came from.

A well bred dog from a reputable breeder costs money for a reason. Health testing , temperament testing , titling , proper puppy raising , quality food , vet care , prenatal care , early socialization , stable genetics — all of that costs money. Ethical breeders are not getting rich breeding dogs. Most barely break even.

Same with reputable rescues and shelters. Adoption fees help cover vaccines , medical care , spay/neuter , food , transport , staffing , behavioral care etc.

And another harsh reality? “Free” dogs often come from backyard breeders , accidental litters , or poorly bred dogs with zero thought put into genetics , health , or temperament. Not always — but VERY often. A lot of these dogs end up being genetic nightmares with major behavioral or health problems because nobody did the work beforehand to produce stable dogs.

The cheapest dog often becomes the most expensive dog long term because people are getting from backyard breeders , puppy mills , Craigslist ads , or random accidental litters with zero health testing or thought put into genetics and temperament.

Life happens and finances change. But intentionally seeking out “free” while ignoring the actual lifetime cost of ownership is a huge problem.

A dog is a 10-15+ year commitment , not an impulse purchase.

06/12/2026

Violet is a 4-month-old Rottweiler puppy working through some very normal puppy behaviors—jumping, being mouthy at times, and learning impulse control.

Today we introduced:
✔️ Marker words
✔️ Place
✔️ Thresholds
✔️ Structured tug work
✔️ The importance of follow-through and accountability
✔️ Appropriate chews and enrichment
✔️ Decompression and learning how to settle

For such a young puppy, she did fantastic. She is incredibly smart, eager to learn, and picked up on concepts very quickly. The biggest thing now is creating productive outlets for all that puppy energy.

I’m excited to watch her progress over the next few weeks! 🖤🐾

06/12/2026

Well, as you all saw… we added to the pack. ❤️

I’ll definitely be posting updates on Atlas, but they may be a little slower than some people expect. I want to use this as an opportunity to educate people on long-term shelter dogs and what realistic, successful decompression actually looks like. Something I’ve seen in the shelter world quite consistently is Dogs just being thrown into life and then being returned a few days a week or a few weeks later because they do not know how to do life and no one taught them to.

Atlas will NOT be going out in public anytime soon.

He will NOT be meeting my pack anytime soon other than Lana but even that may not be for another week maybe 2.

He will NOT be sleeping in bed with me anytime soon.

He will NOT be given free rein of my house.

He will be crated when unsupervised, and honestly, probably quite a bit even when supervised in the beginning. He will be fed in his crate, which is in the room with all the other dogs, and they also eat in their crates so he will learn to be with the pack without actually meeting the pack. Right now, my focus is building a better relationship, creating clear communication, and teaching household expectations.
And the leash will be on him inside and outside until my words mean something, and I could fully trust him.

Atlas just spent 953 days in a shelter. The human equivalent would be spending years in prison and then being expected to immediately walk back into society and function perfectly.

This is where so many people go wrong with long-term shelter dogs. They bring them home and immediately throw them into every aspect of life—dog parks, family gatherings, public outings, sleeping in bed, meeting every dog in the house, free roaming the home, free access to toys and bones and food and endless stimulation. This is especially important because as I’m reading through his file, his previous owner actually wrote a few notes on his intake form about his separation anxiety and how he’s never been crated and he’s never been able to basically to self soothe on his own. This is super important especially in my house It’s the first thing I teach every dog.

The reality is that decompression is not exciting. It’s actually pretty boring.

It’s structure.
It’s routine.
It’s management.
It’s rest.
It’s building trust.

Atlas isn’t going anywhere. We have all the time in the world.

My goal isn’t to rush him into life.

My goal is to set him up to succeed in it. ❤️

t

06/11/2026

Trying to tire atlas out before the storm . Went for a long walk and played fetch and tug along the way . Made it home just in time for the rain !

06/11/2026

CLASS IS FULL
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A CLASS OR INQUIRED ABOUT THIS ONE OR SENT OVER A FORM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND WE CAN CONTINUE WITH YOUR EVALUATION. I WILL BE DOING ANOTHER CLASS.

Only 1 Spot Left !

📣 GROUP CLASS DATE CHANGE 📣

Due to scheduling conflicts, our upcoming Basic Obedience Group Class has been pushed back to new dates.

🐾 New Class Dates: July 19 – August 23
🐾 No Class August 2nd
🐾 Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
🐾 Location: Creekside Park, Factoryville

If you were already planning to join, don’t worry—your spot can be transferred to the new classes.

This 5-week class is designed to help you build a well-mannered, confident dog in the real world around people, dogs, and distractions. We’ll cover leash walking, engagement, sit, down, stay, recall foundations, leave it, drop it, proper socialization, and more.

⚠️ Only 1 spot remains! ⚠️

A prior evaluation is required, and a $100 deposit secures your spot.

If you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the time. Once these last two spots are gone, the class is full!

📩 Message me to schedule your evaluation and claim one of the final spots.

🐾

06/11/2026

She is an incredibly sweet girl . HIGHLY trainable

Syrah is a 3 year old, 40 pound Jack Russell /maybe Beagle mix , she previously lived with another dog and gets along with children.
She has been in the company of children 3+ at her previous home. She also lived with cats.

She’s was very good when the owners left her home alone , she doesn’t get into anything.

Syrah was recently adopted and returned within a short time frame due to issues with fear and lack of confidence around new people entering the home .

A trainer fully assessed Syrah and gave tips and guidance to help Syrah with the transition in her new environment, unfortunately her owner was unable to provide assistance.

We can provide the assessment to her new family as valuable guidance toward her future success.

The end thoughts of the trainer were this “At this time, I believe Syrah’s behavioral concerns are manageable and highly trainable with appropriate structure, communication, confidence-building exercises, and consistency.

Her behaviors appear to be rooted primarily in insecurity and uncertainty rather than a desire for conflict. With clear expectations, proper management, and a structured training plan, I believe Syrah has a strong potential for significant improvement.”

We are looking for someone to help her find a family so she doesn’t have to stay long, she seems to be stressed being left behind at the kennels.
It’s just a more difficult adjustment for some pups.

She would love to have some room to run and play, a walking partner or someone to toss around a ball for a game of fetch !

Please give Syrah a chance at success because the kennels are only going to set her back.

-If you would like to learn more , apply today :
https://www.cognitoforms.com/griffinpondanimalshelter1/griffinpondanimalshelteradoptionapplicationfordogs

Griffin Pond Animal Shelter
967 Griffin Pond Rd
South Abington Twp Pa 18411
Kennel License #2236

06/11/2026

🐾 "It's All How You Raise Them."One of the biggest myths in the dog world.

Yes, training matters.Yes, socialization matters.Yes, environment matters.

But genetics matter too.

As a trainer, I see people blame themselves every day for issues that were brewing long before they brought their puppy home.

The reality is that every dog is a combination of genetics, environment, training, and life experiences. Ignore any one of those pieces and you're missing part of the picture.

Unfortunately, many backyard breeders are producing puppies with little to no consideration for:

Health testing

Stable temperaments

Breed purpose and structure

Genetic compatibility

The long-term success of the dogs they produce

The result?

Dogs struggling with:

• Fear and anxiety

• Reactivity

• Aggression

• Hyperarousal

• Separation issues

• Orthopedic problems

• Chronic health concerns

And when those issues become overwhelming, the dog often pays the price.

I've seen it hundreds of times.

The "cute puppy" becomes the adolescent dog that is bouncing from home to home, sitting in a shelter, entering rescue, or facing euthanasia because nobody prepared the family for what they were getting.

This isn't a post against responsible breeders.

In fact, good breeders are part of the solution.

They health test. They temperament test. They carefully select breeding pairs. They stand behind their dogs for life. Many have waiting lists because they're focused on producing the best dogs possible—not the most dogs possible.

This is also why shelters and rescues are overflowing.

Many of the dogs filling kennels today are not there because someone didn't love them. They're there because genetics, unrealistic expectations, poor breeding practices, and lack of education created a situation the average owner wasn't equipped to handle.

And yes... this is and was the reality for Finley

This is exactly how they get you.

Look at that face. Who could possibly say no?

But behind every adorable puppy should be a breeder who has done everything possible to set that dog up for success—not just someone looking to make a quick dollar.

Before you buy a puppy, ask questions.

Ask about health testing.

Ask about temperament.

Ask what happens if you can't keep the dog.
MEET THE PARENTS

Ask why those two dogs were bred together.

Because the choices made before a puppy is ever born can impact that dog for the rest of its life.

🐾 Genetics matter.🐾 Breeding matters.🐾 Responsible ownership starts before the puppy comes home.

06/10/2026

📣 GROUP CLASS DATE CHANGE 📣

Due to scheduling conflicts, our upcoming Basic Obedience Group Class has been pushed back to new dates.

🐾 New Class Dates: July 19 – August 23
🐾 No Class August 2nd
🐾 Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
🐾 Location: Creekside Park, Factoryville

If you were already planning to join, don’t worry—your spot can be transferred to the new classes.

This 5-week class is designed to help you build a well-mannered, confident dog in the real world around people, dogs, and distractions. We’ll cover leash walking, engagement, sit, down, stay, recall foundations, leave it, drop it, proper socialization, and more.

⚠️ Only 2 spots remain! ⚠️

A prior evaluation is required, and a $100 deposit secures your spot.

If you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the time. Once these last two spots are gone, the class is full!

📩 Message me to schedule your evaluation and claim one of the final spots.

🐾

06/10/2026

Atlas has no idea that this is the beginning of the rest of his life. .