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Social Sniffers Fear Free Certified® Professional | Karen Pryor Academy Puppy Start Right® | Pet Professional Guild (PPG) Member | Puppy Development Specialist

Kimberly Rubadeau
Canine Development | Puppy & Adolescent Focus
Fear Free® Certified Professional
KPA | PPG | IAABC Supporting Member
📍 Short Pump • Richmond, VA

RVA pet sitter friends: I’m looking to connect fairly quickly with an experienced pet sitter who may be able to help wit...
10/05/2026

RVA pet sitter friends: I’m looking to connect fairly quickly with an experienced pet sitter who may be able to help with my three dogs, potentially as soon as next week.

They each have very different personalities and needs, so I’m looking for someone experienced, dog-savvy, and comfortable with sensitive dogs. A force-free, low-stress approach is really important to me, as all three can be sensitive in different ways.

Because of some uncertainty in our family schedule right now, flexibility is especially important. Plans may come together on fairly short notice, so I’d love to find someone (or possibly a couple of people) I can get to know and have the dogs become comfortable with ahead of time.

I’m open to different care arrangements depending on the situation, staying in our home, care in the sitter’s home, or potentially separating the dogs between caregivers if that ends up being the best fit.

If this sounds like something you offer, or you know someone wonderful you’d trust, please PM me. Thank you so much! ❤️

I learn a little more about Buford every session. ❤️Today’s discovery? Give this guy some sunny grass and he’s perfectly...
09/25/2026

I learn a little more about Buford every session. ❤️

Today’s discovery? Give this guy some sunny grass and he’s perfectly happy to settle in and watch the world go by.

Getting to know what each dog genuinely enjoys is part of the process, too.

Our dogs don’t have to understand what’s happening to know that something has changed.They notice the unexpected visitor...
09/24/2026

Our dogs don’t have to understand what’s happening to know that something has changed.

They notice the unexpected visitor.
Someone leaving who is usually home.
The change in our voices and movements.
A disrupted routine.
The room that suddenly feels different.

And they may respond in ways we don’t immediately recognize.

One dog may press their body against you and stay unusually close. Another may retreat to a quiet room. Another may seek out the bed, couch, or belongings of someone who isn’t there.

We sometimes expect dogs to respond to difficult moments the way we would, to go to the person who is visibly upset and offer comfort.

But dogs have their own ways of processing changes in their environment and in the people they live with.

They may not understand the story.

But they know something is different.

And sometimes the best thing we can give them is what helps us, too: familiarity, predictability, choice, and a safe place to land.❤️

Session with little Teddy(Ted Ted)💙
09/23/2026

Session with little Teddy(Ted Ted)💙

Happy 1st Birthday to sweet Paisley girl💕
09/22/2026

Happy 1st Birthday to sweet Paisley girl💕

Lovely session with Allen today! We worked on check-ins, and navigating the very tempting world of sticks, acorns, and p...
09/21/2026

Lovely session with Allen today! We worked on check-ins, and navigating the very tempting world of sticks, acorns, and pieces of bark. 😂

But does he?We’ve all seen the “guilty look.”Head lowered. Ears back. Looking away. Those puppy dog eyes. And it’s easy ...
09/20/2026

But does he?

We’ve all seen the “guilty look.”

Head lowered. Ears back.
Looking away. Those puppy dog eyes.

And it’s easy to think, He knows he did something wrong.

But those behaviors aren’t evidence that a dog understands they’ve done something “bad.”

Dogs are incredibly sensitive to us, our facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and even subtle changes in how we interact with them.

The behaviors we interpret as guilt are often appeasement behaviors, an attempt to avoid conflict or reduce tension.

So that look doesn’t tell us, “I know I broke the rules.”

It tells us something about how our dog is responding to the situation.

Instead of focusing on whether they “knew better,” I’d rather ask
What led to the behavior, and how can I set them up to be successful next time?

Sometimes a “guilty face” says a lot more about what we’re communicating to our dogs than what they’re confessing to us.

09/16/2026

Social dogs can have BIG feelings about people. 💛

Lily LOVES people and sometimes all that excitement can be a lot to manage.

Yesterday we worked on helping her move through those big feelings without letting frustration build.

By the end of our session, she was calmly lying down with me in the room.

Big feelings AND the ability to settle. That’s progress.

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Richmond, VA
23233

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18042737746

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