Ridgeside K9 Tidewater

My beautiful 3 year old German Shepherd died after a 4 day board with Ridgeside k9 Tidewater on Penniman Rd. On his last day there, 10 minutes before my scheduled arrival, I received a phone call telling me I needed to take him straight to emergency vet. He died the next afternoon at Coastal Animal Referral Emergency. I was in touch multiple times during those 4 days. Never at any time did they mention he was unwell. He was barely hanging on to life when we got to the clinic, so dehydrated they couldn’t draw blood, and heart rate so faint no blood pressure could be taken. My dog would still be here if I never came across this facility. Adding for context since you mentioned it: I was never informed that Jackson tried to bite anyone. In regard to the bath, you only said you tried to give him a bath but “he wasn’t having it”. Also should note: I was told prior to boarding and daycare that biting towards a staff member would be the only thing (other than obvious illness) to cause a dog to have to leave. Why wasn’t my contact called? Jackson didn’t get a chance to go home.

Buckle up - this is a long one.... I am honored to share my experience with Ridgeside K9, specifically with trainers Matt and Morgan G. My two young rescues came to me with a bit of baggage from their prior lives – a shepherd mix from another home and a terrier mix from the hard streets of Texas. They could be playful and loving, but also exhibited significant insecurity and reactivity, toward dogs and people, including several aggressive episodes of resource guarding and otherwise harmful behaviors towards other animals, which led to several visits to the ER for the other animal. As a result, I changed my home situation. I had worked with other trainers over the years for some of my previous dogs, but none of my previous pups needed this level of rehabilitation so I also felt it was important to enlist a professional to help me define a new baseline for them. I spoke with Matt at Ridgeside K9 (RSK9) at length a couple of times before I finally decided to work with RSK9. A former military K9 trainer, Matt and his wife Morgan (M&M) have an extensive history of training dogs and training people (who work with dogs). Matt picked up my dogs, and true to form, my insecure terrier nipped Matt. Matt didn’t react but he let my terrier know that wasn’t appropriate. I was half-certain my girls would be returned in a few days because they were so fearful and reactive. But each day M&M would send positive reports and a couple of photos showing me that they were hanging in there and making progress. M&M had their hands full with my two and their other trainees, but if I wanted to speak with one of them, they’d do their best to fit a call in. Frankly, after the first call, I didn’t need any reassurance that the pups would be ok; it was more about being excited about their progress! Turnover was a huge deal. SO much great information from M&M. They spent hours with me but it went by so quickly. The entire time, M&M helped me begin to understand how my dogs think, and showed me how to observe and learn how they communicate with me and one another. It was truly fascinating and eye-opening. M&M are SO knowledgeable and want us all to succeed. They were so proud of my girls and how far they had come from that first nip 8 weeks before. I know my dogs will rely on me to continue to build on the strong foundation that M&M built. It won’t be easy to incorporate the information and practices into daily life - it is literally learning a new language that I need to practice every day. But I committed to my dogs that life with me would be as secure and free as possible. I believe, as M&M do, that this is just the beginning of amazing. At the end of two months, my pups came back with new confidence and a strong baseline that would open doors that I was sure would never be opened. Ridgeside K9’s M&M are two badass, compassionate, and thoughtful dog and human trainers who want their 4- and 2-legged clients to succeed. Thanks to Matt & Morgan G at Ridgeside K9, I have no doubt that we all have the tools to make that happen.

Very pleasant and professional staff! My puppy can't wait to get there! He runs out of the car directly into the office, giving the staff hugs and kisses!!! He doesn't even say goodbye! I've seen other dogs do the same thing! This tells me my puppy is in the right place! Veteran and family owned, which is always a plus! Please keep in mind they value the animals, so no one is at the front desk full time. It is advisable to schedule drop-off and pick-up times for smooth transitions.