Our two dogs had a blast with Katie and her dogs. Thank you!

We met Katie when my daughter began taking horse riding lessons with Katie Dodson over five years ago. Since then the family got to know Katie well and her love for animals - horses obviously, and with dogs (we love her dog Oliver, what a sweet boy!!!) .. bringing him to lessons to love on the children/parents, and playing with the other dogs who come to the barn! Katie spends time with my own dog too, who is significantly smaller than Oliver but pretends to be so much more fierce than she is. Never a worry though, as Katie watches out for my little Penny dog making sure Oliver doesn't push her around :D Katie's even spent time with our cats - one who's shy and the other who would jump on your lap if you sat still for 20 minutes and love you forever; she makes sure Oliver doesn't over-step his bounds around them too. Beyond the love for animals I want to mention Katie's ability to teach, listen, her patience and the relationship she built with my daughter. Experiencing too much 'life trauma' at a young age, my daughter would hardly share her feelings or personal wants or even minor physical pains during a riding lesson years ago. Katie took time to learn how she ticked - while my daughter was riding from a young age and other instructors initially who pushed her to grow and excel her skills, Katie is the one who figured out the joy my daughter got from riding after taking her through both group and private lessons, helping her self-advocate and grow over the years. I’ve seen this same thing translate to how she handles pets – she’s got photos upon photos of herself with a host of dogs she’s been caring for, all playing together (or her playing in the middle of them!). I've left my home with pets under Katie's watch, and will certainly do it again!