Thank you for the great work you did with Bandit. Bandit was a stray dog in our new neighborhood that got along great with our Jack Russell Terrier. When it came close to winter, we decided to take him in.

Things were okay for about four months. Then Bandit began showing a domineering side of himself to me and any other stranger in his territory. We simply ignored the issue for a year, since everyone in our house appeared to be able to handle the situation. We thought it would just take time for him to feel at home and to become a nice family dog. Also, Jackie (our other dog) didn't need much attention from us, so we were working hard to make Bandit feel at home. Jackie and Bandit got along great because Bandit felt like the favorite dog.

Things suddenly changed when Jackie got a bacterial infection that destroyed much of her small intestine. Jackie became very weak and was the center of attention, causing Bandit to attack her one day. I was able to stop the fight, but seeing what Bandit had done made me feel afraid of him. Now the dogs were constantly trying to fight with each other. Tom and I would pick Jackie up so they couldn't fight. The dogs always had to be separated... and we also had a baby on the way!

When the baby arrived, we knew your training program was the only answer. Our house was a hazard to the baby, but we didn't want to take Bandit to an animal shelter for fear that he'd be put to sleep. Bandit was too dangerous to ask anyone else to take him in, so we brought him to Stonehearth Kennels.

During the eight weeks of your program, our house was back to normal. Even though I stilled cared for him, I would still think of all the bad times we had with Bandit, which made me not want him back. But we still would not consider an animal shelter. You let us keep Bandit in your kennel for an extra two weeks and helped find a home for him. I could see that you really cared for him.

Tom was thrilled to learn that his brother and his wife had agreed to give Bandit a try on their farm. Your program seemed to turn Bandit around so it looked safe to me.

You'll be glad to know that things on the farm appear to be going great. The first week they had Bandit, they wrote us a letter daily telling us exactly what Bandit's been doing and how well-behaved he is. They have another dog as well and the two dogs haven't had any problems. We can't say thank you enough for making it possible to find Bandit a nice home where everyone feels safe!