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Another day at the office with a pack of my students up in the catskill mountains on a training hike. All putting their best paws forward on their group stay on what we refer to as Pride Rock.

My beloved Maya, my ever so amazing Maya— passed away on Thanksgiving night, formerly my favorite holiday ….  Many of you know that this dog was my world.  I love all my dogs so much, so much — I would die for anyone of them. But this dog was truly extra special. She was, is, and will be the most incredible dog that I ever have had the pleasure to care for. Maya was the anchor of our pack and all of us will be truly sad and lost without her for quite some time. She was the one dog of the pack that every other dog in the pack without question would protect and that was clear. It had nothing to do with her social status, as she had a live and let live attitude. It had everything to do with the pack knowing that she was our precious gem.

Thanksgiving morning, Maya was happy and running around. She ate her breakfast and then hung out with me while I did home chores for the better part of the day. Come 3 pm, I took a shower before heading off to dinner at my aunt’s home. Jana commented that Maya seemed kind of bummed, and I agreed. Because she knew we were leaving?? We wanted to feed the dogs on the early side, before we left  And Maya — who has a ravenous appetite — was uninterested in food. I knew then that it was the beginning of the end. I’ve always joked the day she doesn’t eat is the day she’ll die. Terrible fore-shadowing.

Instead of going to Thanksgiving dinner, Jana and I went to the emergency clinic. Upon getting there they did an x-ray and an extensive blood panel. The x-rays showed a large stomach with some unknown stuff inside. The rest of the x-ray looked clean, but showed that there was nothing passing in her intestine — indicating a blockage around the stomach. Knowing Maya and her endless appetite, I thought perhaps she had ingested some bedding material that had dog food residue on it. That’s all I could think of, but???  All the blood work was all right, except her white blood cell count was thru the roof at over 51,000 (normal is 5,000-11,000) and a few other enzymes showed up that indicated infection. The only option was to do exploratory surgery.

So the doctor boosted her up supportively as much as she could prior to surgery. When the doc opened her up she couldn’t believe that the dog was still alive, let alone had walked in the door of the clinic and behaved normally all day. Maya had gone totally septic  and there was a lot of necrotic (as in dead) tissue that had to be removed. In addition, there was a small sized mass tucked up near her stomach that had ruptured and that was what apparently caused her to go septic.

The vet did all she could, and did a wonderful job. She couldn’t believe that Maya survived the surgery, and couldn’t believe she would live another 8 hours after that. I said to her, “Well you don’t know Maya and her iron will.” The vet called me at 2am to give me the update that she was not improving, and that they hadn’t had a blood pressure reading on her in hours: it was so low the machine would not register it. I knew I had to go in and spend time with my love. Upon sitting down next to her, and placing my hand in front of her to sniff (though in all other regards she was non-responsive), her heart rate and blood pressure rose immediately. I stayed with her  for a couple hours, and during that time her heart held strong. But her blood pressure was up and way down constantly. The doctor said she has never seen this before — strong heart rate, non-existent blood pressure!

Maya wanted to stay with us, she was a Lionheart. But sadly, around 4:30am she just couldn’t hold on any longer. I held her close and for the millionth time told her that she was truly the dog-love of my life. And that’s how the life of a dog deserving to be honored on all levels ended her very short life of 6 years.
For those of you who knew Maya, you knew what a primal joy she was for all of us. And you know the bond I have with this dog. In my entire career of breeding, raising, training and owning dogs, I never thought it possible to accomplish with a canine partner what I accomplished with her. Her talent in search and rescue trailing was admired by so many of us. She never gave up, no matter what the weather conditions, no matter how long the search. She truly had the heart of a lion. Even when I wanted to give up she wouldn’t let me.

Maya defined survival to me. She represented life. I  learned as much from this dog about life as I have from all dogs and humans combined. She certainly was my most spoiled and privileged dog (as many of you know). She was a force of nature, and a spirit that wouldn’t be tamed or molded. And though being a trainer and loving it,  I loved her wild spirit and the respect she demanded from me in a completely non-violent way. She would voice her opinion every time she felt I was wrong. She made sure that she gave me respect and so clearly in return wanted the same from me. Most of the time this was such a mutual relationship that this dog made me melt. She was daddy’s girl no doubt about that.

She was so soulful, so connected, so….. My-My as I always called her. I believe that dogs are an extension of our souls and today certainly mine is faded and broken. This dog changed my life, made me grow and words cannot describe how sorely missed she will be. I just have to believe in what I always tell my students and friends when they lose their loved ones — time heals.

I love you Maya and though gone you will always be remembered and loved.

Kyle, Hamish and Flora on a nice summer walk

Hamish came to me when he was 11 months old.  I believed he was housebroken, leash-trained and liked to ride in the car.  I soon discovered he had never been in a house before, he had spent his 11 months in the breeder’s kennel, and he was totally out of control.  He had never heard the words “Sit”, “Stay” or “Come”.  He didn’t like riding in the car, was terrified of the crate, and soon jumped over my very sturdy fence.  The day we got home, I called Kyle!  He came the next day.

It is now two years later, and without Kyle, I don’t know what I would have done, but Hamish is now a fine dog with a great temperament.  I have had to be more patient, more consistent, and more willing to keep at it than I might have wanted, but it is paying off!  Flora tries to help with his training because she knows just what to do, but she isn’t as patient as Kyle.

We are presently in group classes and in the varied settings, Kyle’s knowledge of each dog’s individual personality and needs strengthens their socialization and their behavior. Hamish is developing an understanding of boundaries in the fields and woods as well as learning to walk on leash in the village.  Watching him overcome his developmental delays has been both a challenge and a joy, and I could not have done it without Kyle!

Sandra Scheuer   West Shokan, NY

Barb and Tom Raffaldi   Hurley, NY

Champ on left, Quax center and Noble on right. Sons of Quax.

We want to tell you how very grateful we are for your terrific help with Champ, our wonderful German Shepard.
Not only were you the major reason we were able to get him, but, without a doubt, he would not be as good as he is and we would not enjoy him as much as we do were it not for the terrific ongoing training that you do with him.
We truly love Champ but it would be unfair to him(and frankly to us) for him not to get the proper guidance in all areas of proper behavior and your input has been invaluable.
You really “connect” with Champ and,again, we can’t thank you enough!
Jody Soltanoff and Peter Schwalbe    Woodstock, NY

When I brought Honey Bunny home to my unsuspecting family, there was no question that she was going to “my dog”.  She is a Havanese/king Charles cavalier spaniel mix, not exactly the macho dog my hubbie was hoping for.  But she really is the perfect dog for a family with 3 young children. The reason I sought out Kyle Warren for Honey Bunny, was because I don’t have experience with dogs and this was my project.  She had problems with peeing around the house and needed to learn commands to keep her out of danger.

When I met Kyle, I realized that this is one of the most professional people I have ever known, in ANY profession.  He keeps a tight organized calendar which is pretty booked up.  This is not a hobby for him.  It’s his passion, his trade, his living.  He makes a very impressive living doing exactly what he loves to do.  I admire that in a person.

He is 100% alpha dog, yet in such a calm collected demeanor.  He is completely confident in his understanding of dogs.   But I also realize he is just a great judge of character.  Human nature and dog nature alike.  So, this is how he gets the results.  He is to be trusted.   He teaches about trust and relationships.  This is the foundation of his training with dogs. The dogs have respect for him.  His word is THE Word.  The dogs feel it.  I felt it.  He is a very exceptional person to have such a talent, and it makes him seem wise beyond his years.

What you are learning from him  are life skills that will make you feel good about yourself and how you interact with your dog.  It will enhance your relationship with your dog.  I cannot say enough about Kyle, his skills, and the whole process.  Well worth every penny.
Jodee Keller
Kingston, NY

Our first note of gratitude for Kyle Warren is for the privilege of being the proud human parents of the handsome Noble vom Schutzberg, a pup from the Maya/Quax litter.  This beautiful, intelligent, sweet, engaging and oh so precocious shepherd is truly the light of our lives.  Though little did we know the icing on the cake was yet to come….having the venerable Kyle in our lives, a true “alpha” in the dog world.
As I write this note, Noble is coming upon two years of age, and so it’s almost two years for us as students under Kyle’s tutelage.  I say student(s) plural because my husband and I are in training just as much as Noble.  And somewhat embarrassingly, sometimes Noble even outperforms his two-legged caretakers, as we continue to learn not only the nuances of canine behavior through Kyle, but also a lot about ourselves and our relationships to each other.
I am no stranger to obedience training with dogs before Noble; however, Kyle educates us in a style like none other. He truly understands the canine instinct, as though he has a direct intuitive link into the dog’s mind – and ours too for that matter! Our weekly lessons are always a fun family affair, and no one looks more forward to spending an hour with Kyle than Noble.  Kyle’s expertise and diligence along with our homework has helped Noble evolve into a well-adjusted and well-behaved member of our family and very social lifestyle.
Kyle’s group lesson is always a favorite time for Noble and I to socialize with other dogs and their owners as well as hone our field skills.  We can’t say enough how grateful we are to be part of Kyle’s “pack”, knowing he’s always available to help us through a challenge, consult on a health issue or help us understand our people/dog interactions.
Kyle, we love you!
Pat, Karen & Noble
Gardiner, NY

Two Christmases ago my partner Monica and I picked up our little puppy Athena and six months later we went over to Kyle Warren’s house to look at his new litter of pups. Kyle told us not to get too attached to any one puppy because we could trust him to pick out the one best suited to us.
He was absolutely right – Zeus is the perfect companion to Athena and the best dog ever!
But, of course, even with the best German Shepherd dogs, much training is necessary, so Monica and I embarked on 2 years of weekly training sessions with Kyle. However, we didn’t anticipate that   dog training could be so much fun. Then again, we never imagined we’d learn so much about ourselves and  and our dogs while training with Kyle.
We also eagerly look  forward to the twice weekly group dog walks where the dogs socialize and we hone the training skills we are learning.
Kyle Warren, along with his pack of 9 dogs and his extended family pack, is not just a dog trainer, but teaches people how to communicate successfully with their dog companions to get the best out of the relationship. His intuitive teaching skills have taught us a lot about ourselves and he is also a good friend to us.
Athena, Zeus, Monica and I are proud to be members of “Kyle’s Pack”!

Kate Pierson & Monica Coleman

Woodstock, NY