Bruce is an amazing dog. He’s sweet and kind, he comes when I call him, he listens well. His favorite thing is a car ride, he loves to stick his head out the window; and he loves to cuddle.

We found Bruce online, he was listed for sale with no picture and very little background information. Despite this, we were drawn to him and felt that he belonged with our family. We were given a lot of very conflicting information about his previous family and the life he lived, so to this day, I really don’t know where Bruce was before he came to us, or what kind of life he lived. What I do know is that he is like a big, goofy puppy, and my life wouldn’t be the same without him.

Three days after we got Bruce, this story was almost stopped in its tracks. Two days before, my daughter Victoria, who was 4 at the time, walked up to Bruce while he slept and he jumped up, growled, and ran away. I thought she had startled him, and talked to her about being careful not to sneak up on the dogs. Two days later, while Bruce slept on my bed, Victoria walked into my bedroom and approached my bed. Bruce lunged slightly forward and snapped at her. I was shocked, Victoria was terribly upset, and afraid. I removed Bruce from my room, and put him in the living room.

This is one of those moments that I will never forget. I was devastated, completely heart broken. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like a failure. I had failed my new dog and I had failed my daughter. After everyone was calm, I went to the living room and sat on the floor. Bruce came over to me and put his head against mine and I cried. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, but I didn’t want to lose Bruce. I didn’t want to be another home that abandoned him.

I shared my story, asking for advice, in a mastiff group on facebook. Amongst the comments about rehoming and those offering to take Bruce off my hands, somebody tagged Roman, and he reached out to me. He called me the next morning and told me that I could calm down because I would not have to rehome Bruce. And he kept his word. I had to relearn what I thought dog training was, and I am so glad that I did.

Bruce has been with my family for more than two years now. He is an absolute light in my life, he brings joy to me every single day. There will never be words for me to express just how grateful I am to Roman for helping me learn how to be the best caregiver that I can be for Bruce.

Melissa W. - Canada

Roman Gottfried is an internationally renowned Holistic Dog Trainer, behaviorist and Dog/Human Relationship Coach. He works with dog parents worldwide via video conference to help their dogs reach their full potential, by teaching them the holistic philosophy of creating a healthy relationship with their dog. He sees clients both online and in-person.

Visit www.holisticdogtraining.org/onlinetraining for more information or to schedule an appointment click on the button