Melinda Ponting-Moore
Immersion Program Graduates
“Isabelle saved Charlie’s life.
My partner and I felt like we were in an impossible place.
We have two female dogs (Charlie, a shepherd mix, and Aero, a border collie mix), who lived together since Charlie was a puppy. Charlie was 3 ½ and Aero was 5 ½ at the time when Charlie, a much larger dog, attacked Aero and she required stitches. Many. The next time they met, Aero needed stitches again.
We were at a loss. Charlie is a sweet dog most of the time, and although we were not blind to how she could be with other dogs, this was a level of violence we had not seen from her before. We also feared how easily this attack could have been directed at a human (or our child).
We took her to the vet and she was put on medications (which was not a good fit). We took her to specialists including a veterinary behaviouralist (which may have been an even worse fit). We were presented with the option of putting her down… which we hated. We investigated the option of rehoming, which we were advised many times against. And in the end, we felt at a complete loss. Our dogs were separated, and we lived in fear of Charlie; treating her like a ticking time bomb while we feared we were just delaying the inevitable of deciding to put her down.
Somehow we discovered Isabelle and reached out to her. Thankfully she called us back and gave us the first sense of hope we had since the attack happened.
We put Charlie and Aero through the Immersion Program, which was an incredible experience. Isabelle sent us constant updates showing their progress and the fun they had. She was transparent about triggers she discovered with both (turns out that Aero has a lot going on too and is a bundle of nerves).
When we got the girls back, Charlie was incredibly obedient and Aero had more confidence and independence. The ongoing maintenance training with Isabelle is still helping my partner and I understand how to work with our girls and to predict their behaviours. Isabelle has given us trust and positivity in our household again.
Isabelle is honest, fearless and so invested in the pups and people she works with. I honestly cannot imagine a person better suited for cases like ours. Charlie and Aero light up whenever they see her, and definitely get spoiled with snuggles and attention when they vacation with her whenever we go away. Isabelle’s group classes are fun for all of us, great bonding time with our pups and keep us accountable for their ongoing progress.
As hard as it is to believe today, I truly believe we could have made the call to have put Charlie down if we hadn’t met Isabelle, and I can’t think of a decision I would have regretted more. Isabelle saved Charlie, and she has given us the tools we need to manage our home safely and from a position of knowledge and confidence.”