Trainer in Residence

by Syd Sullins

For three months this summer, we were so fortunate to have a dog trainer practically in residence at The Ranch!

I first met April Yamaichi three years ago during the pandemic. She had come to the Lakeside area for an extended visit and like most of us found herself in a difficult position when things shut down. She found a great outlet by visiting The Ranch and we all were so happy to have her!

She returned this summer and offered her help with our dogs - and boy did we need it! Back in California, April is a dog trainer and dog walker. She knows how to handle a bunch of puppies for sure! She also really feels that for pups in a shelter, they really benefit just from being handled, held and cuddled. When it came time for leash training, April would leash up the entire litter (up to 7 dogs!). All of us watched in amazement and she patiently headed down the path with all these silly puppies jumping on her, nipping at her pants and rolling over instead of walking. And after an hour with April, this group of pups came back much more adjusted to a leash and sometimes even showing off some simple commands like “sit” and “look at me''.

We were all sad to see April go back home, but she promises to visit again. And we are still reaping the benefits of all her hard work. The other day, I took out one of our puppies that she had really focused on and I was so thrilled to see how much the pup had retained! He walked like a well trained adult.

Thank you April for all you’ve done for us and The Ranch dogs!