About a year ago FEBRUARY 2025, our daughter died of an accidental overdose in Calif. Her unruly and very scared little dog, Sasha, a mixed Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua was in the car with her and was terrified. Good friends were allowed to pick the dog up to foster until we could go to claim Sasha. Many trial adoptees reneged on offers for Sasha just too defensive & often bites handlers.
On arrival to California from Salt Lake City UT, our other daughter contacted CSADA for help in seeing if Sasha could be calmed and helped to adjust to a new safe home with 2 seniors in their 80s. There was talk of having to put Sasha down if not adoptable and continued self-defense of biting!
Our good fortune, Margaret at CSADA referred us to Springdale Pet Ranch for dog training. Though Sasha had learned to trust me only, I needed her to behave with my husband, our family and many friends (staff in an independent senior living center where we live.
Jack Balster with Springdale came to our home in Nipomo for a remarkable 1-hour session to work with me alone in our California house. Jack is immensely wise and skilled in conveying tactics learned in dog science, in college. He also brought a car restraining collar and offered many tactical suggestions for daily help in building Sasha’s trust and ability to bond with new people without over reacting with fear and
ferocity.
Amazingly after a month or so using jacks training protocol: avoid eye contact, toss a few treats and ignore the dog, to let the dog slowly gain TRUST BY SMELLING newcomers.
Jack said a dogs’ smelling is as beneficial as walking a dog for 20 minutes. Using Jack’s tactics, Sasha slowly came to accept my husband Mark immediately upon
arriving in Salt Lake City and us as her new family as well as others in our lives.
It was a slow process of consistency in applying the learned training. Most importantly, Jack advised that our new little “biter” dog mostly needed to feel secure and loved in a safe home. DON’T WE ALL! So, we wish that for all of us in 2026.
Please if you can add your Support along with ours to CSADA in its mission on behalf of senior dogs & their people.
Our sincere thanks are extended to Margaret at CSADA and Jack and the staff at Springdale Pet Ranch in Arroyo Grande, Calif. We animal lovers unite.
Sincerely, Fredrica (Freddie) & Mark Nebeker