Bark & Birch

AWFUL EXPERIENCE!!!! I rendered no type of service from them but still want me to pay the money for the training! I don’t recommend. They said I had to give a 14 day notice in order to cancel or else they will be keeping my money. So basically I gave them fricking $1500 for free.This is the most stupidest thing ever because they switched stories so many times. I wish I could have given a zero star but I couldn’t. Because they for sure deserve a zero star. Please stay away from them. Not worth it.

I was excited to use Bark and Birch for my 7 month old pit bull mix. However, after making payment my family was displaced due to Tropical Storm Henri last Sunday morning. Me, my twin 7 year old boys and our pup lost the entire first floor of our home and are now relying on friends, family and strangers to stay afloat. Needless to say, the large amount of money I planned to spend on dog training is not very high on my list of current priorities. Ensuring I provide food and shelter for my family is of the utmost importance. I reached out to Bark and Birch to see if we could please cancel the service so I can use that money toward paying down my $5000 insurance deductible and food/shelter for my family, but they said there is nothing they can do and that the only option would be to reschedule the service. I am obviously very disappointed that they are not willing to cancel the services, especially since no work has been done yet - we hadn't even scheduled a start time for the training! I understand that there are terms and conditions when signing a contract, but I find it hard to believe that they are not able to make an exception here. I could see if we had already fully scheduled the start time and I began communicating with the actual trainer, but I literally just paid the invoice to begin work... hoping this reaches someone higher up to see if there is something that can be done.

My girlfriend and I sent our 5month old pitty/chi mix, Birdie, to Lauren for a 2 week board and train program in LA. Birdie is a rescue who had a questionable past and was found in a field in rural California/Mexico border. We suspected she had some neck/back trauma as she came to us with some scarring. She is truly the sweetest, most mild tempered dog, but would turn on a dime when someone came up from behind her, or tried to put a harness or collar on her. Seriously at points she would go from an angel to a demon, and it started to really worry us. The sudden and unpredictable aggression was really hindering our training with her and general interactions with family, friends, and groomers, and worried us about developing into something where someone could get hurt. When we sent Birdie to Lauren, she knew some very basic training like "sit" and could do OK with "down." Her potty training was a 3/10, and walking her on a leash like pulling along a rock...LOL. During the two weeks, Lauren sent us in depth, adorable videos showing her progress and pics every single day without fail! She answered us quickly and was perfectly communicative. After two weeks, she came back to us knowing sit, down, place, and many other commands almost seamlessly. She could heel like a pro, and her potty training improved tremendously! Best of all...no longer was the harness or collar a nightmare...she was EXCITED to see it! We were floored. Her demeanor was completely different. She came back more loving, confident, and loyal than before (which we didn't even think was possible!) Obviously a dog can't fully be trained in 2 weeks, but Lauren built the strongest foundation with Birdie that we could ever imagine. She has a very intuitive, strong talent for understanding dogs, and we would recommend her to anyone. Thank you, Lauren! You've changed all (three!) of our lives, truly! :)