"Doooo yyouuu wannna goooo toooo PAWTROPOLIS?"

You ask Kyli these 6 words and she KNOWS exactly where you are talking about!

And her little nub for a tail starts going CRAZY!! 

When we get closer and closer, she starts "talking" and carrying on like she's saying, "Whoo hoo!!!! I get to see all my friends now!" She KNOWS where she is about to be! And I've gotten a little taste of what it must be like for Kindergartners who run down the hall to their class without the parent even getting a little goodbye! She flies down the hallway talking the whole time! 

And what is Pawtropolis you ask?

It is "The city that's gone to the dogs... and cats, too!"

Pawtropolis has many services to offer, like, Doggie Boarding, Doggie Spa, grooming and training, but I started taking Kyli here for the Doggie Daycare. There were days I couldn't make it back to Athens from work to let her out and this was the PERFECT place for her to get out all her HYPER ENERGY, (for those of you who know her best know this is probably an understatement), it's also a great place to help her be more social, :-D, and the staff here are absolutely wonderful! 

 (Reppin' Athens! Go Dawgs!)

(SO SWEET!)

(Kyli & Roscoe! One of my favorites! Teehee)

 You see, Kyli, was not around a lot of pups when she was young and I guess you could say I spoiled her a lot, too, so she needed a little working with.

"A little working with", isn't even the half of it.. she needed a knot jerked in her tail. 

And here is where Mrs. Miracle-Worker Tamela comes in.

One long day after work, I went to pick up Miss Kyli from her new favorite place. When you get there, they call to the back where their play area is and a staff member walks them to the front for pick up.. (They now have VALET pick-up which is TOTALLY awesome!!)

 First, I can hear her before she even makes it to the hallway, and then here she comes-- RUUNNIINNNGGGGG down the hallway, choking herself with her collar because she is pulling on the leash so hard, (I mean at this point people are looking), squealing that high pitch-ear piercing noise she makes.. she gets to me- jumps up on me barking and acting like she has NEVER seen me before!!

Does that description give you enough of a mental picture?

Talk about EMBARRASSING!! Since every other dog I watched, walked BESIDE and not in FRONT, and POLITELY greeted their owner. Yeah, they did that.

So, Mrs. Tamela is behind the counter and without hesitation says, "We are starting a Basics class next week if you want to sign Kyli up."

Huh? Are you talking to ME?? My precious, sweet, mannerly pup needs to join a training class that just walked down the hallway like a million bucks???! I mean, I know she's a little ADHD but, really?

Well, let me just tell you, it wasn't even 3 days later and Kyli was signed up for that Basics Training class... And the next week, you guessed it.. we started class.

Let me just say, when I said Miracle-Worker, I meant it! Kyli didn't know what she had walked into when we walked through the door, and, I seriously think that first night we were there together, she would have given me a little sign language with her paw if she could have. 

BUT, to make a long story short, Tamela worked her miracles on Kyli, and ME, (yup.. you read that right!! You didn't think it was ALL the dogs fault did you?), and now Kyli KNOWS how to walk on a leash BESIDE me and SIT when I stop walking.. She learned how to sit-stay and down-stay.. she learned to WAIT at doors instead of trying to tear through them.. She learned to come or "front" when I told her to.. And to be calm when she wants to be petted-- you don't reward them when they are acting like fools! 

Then, we GRADUATED and we started the Advanced class!! Whoo hoo!!!

Now, this class gets fun. "Clicker" gets introduced and you can capture 'moments' that your dog performs that later can become tricks on command. Kyli LOVED this. Did I mention how ADHD she was? Holy moly.. Soo, you start the clicker exercise by counting out 10 treats. Now when I do this, I can hardly get to 2 and she is FREAKING OUT!! 

"OKAY.. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO??! HUH, HUH, HUH??!!!!"

Soooooo, now Mara has followed suit behind her. We did the basics class and now just this past Monday, we started the Advanced class as well!

Now, Mara is DEFINITELY different than Kyli.. You can look at her in a scolding way and she knows you mean BUSINESS! She is so laid back and is the 'easy' dog I get to take to class now!

We had so much fun and I can't wait 'til she finishes to see what moments we can 'capture'!!

On the way.....

(She pretty much sat like this the whole time too)

Here are a few pics from our first class! 

Now, let me get back to Mrs. Tamela. 

I really do NOT know what kind of state me and Kyli would be right now if she had not mentioned her class to me that day, oh so long ago. 

(Let me just warn you, if you are thinking of getting a Min Pin, you SERIOUSLY need to think about it. A few, and I mean a FEW, may be so laid back and mind you without even thinking about it and be a breeze. BUT, I was sooo lucky to get one that is STUBBORN and truly TESTS me more times than none. You really have to be dedicated and patient to train this breed. I wouldn't trade Kyli for anything in the world but I just want you to be READY and KNOW what you are getting yourself into! They can be HIGH STRUNG!)

Tamela is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. She has not only been a huge help in the Basic and Advanced classes with Kyli and ME, but she has also helped me with one-on-one private training when Mara came into the family AND has since helped me when we our Two-Pack became THREE with Sox. :o) (As we all know, girls can be a little catty at times and my precious lil gals were becoming jealous of each other!)

I LOVE, LOVE taking Tamela's classes at Pawtropolis and I was so glad she let me know about this Advanced class that started Monday! She definitely makes it fun and I crack up at they way she gives scenarios of what the dogs would be thinking in their heads.. HILARIOUS!! (you seriously just have to hear her.. they are right on target and I can just get the mental picture!)

Tamela knows exactly what you need to be the Alpha of your pack and get CONTROL of situation(s), to help you have a more pleasant environment for you and your 4-legged babies.

AND, I hear she is performing her miracles on a few Pups in my hometown.. ;-)

Who wants chaos when they come home? NOT ME!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TAMELLLAAAA!!! 

YOU ARE THE BEST!!! LOVVVEEE YOUUU!!!!

Now, if you want to see more of what Pawtropolis has to offer CHECK THEM OUT!! 

They have a lot of AWESOME stuff on their website to look at!

One of my favorites is the blog where you can view pictures of your pups AND you can WATCH your pup playing while he/she is at Daycare!!

I mean how COOL IS THAT?!

They also have ADOPTIONS 

for dogs and cats! PLEASE take a look at these precious ones if you are considering getting a dog or cat! I know I am a huge dog lover, but it was such a GREAT feeling rescuing Mara out of the road. She is such a JOY to our family! 

Sox is a rescue, too!!

We'll be checking back in when Mara graduates from Advanced with her Diploma!