Testimonials — Dr. Terry Marie Curtis

“Dr. Curtis transformed life with my 2-year-old Australian Shepherd. Although my girl had received extensive and consistent positive training and lived with a dog trainer, she continued to exuberantly jump on people, especially when out for walks, despite otherwise good behavior and multiple titles. Dr. Curtis created an extremely successful plan, using positive techniques to break this habit and set my dog up for success. The consult was the best money I have ever spent. As unexpected mobility issues started to limit my life, my dog stepped up to assist me. With the help of Dr. Curtis, my girl stopped the jumping and has become my service dog. I take her everywhere – restaurants, museums, stores, hotels, art shows, concerts, you name it. My wild child has become a trusted companion, able to assist me in a number of ways and expand my life. Strangers often come up to us and compliment her good behavior. She has enabled me to live life more fully, and for that, I can never thank Dr. Curtis enough.”

~Deb

“What a difference Dr. Terry Curtis made in our lives! Through her expertise, we learned new ways to interact with our dog, Emma. Using a preventive and positive approach, Dr. Curtis decreased her aggression and anxiety and helped us to form a positive bond! Thank you Dr. Curtis for changing Emma’s life!”

~Maureen C.

Left to Right: Foo Foo, Romeo and Zorro with Indi [dog] up  on the couch! — Left to Right: Foo Foo, Romeo and Zorro with Indi [dog] up on the couch!

“We have been consulting with Dr. Curtis the past several months regarding 3 of our male cats spraying. We have a total of 6 cats and 1 dog. They were spraying 15-20 times per day. Our primary veterinarian recommended her after he was unable to mitigate their spraying through several different methods. Dr. Curtis came to our home to meet our cats and to look at the environment they live in. She took her time getting to know the cats and what their personalities were like. She also answered all of our questions thoroughly. At the end of the first meeting she gave us several different methods to use to help mitigate the spraying. We incorporated all of her new suggestions and the spraying did go down, but did not stop. She then recommended giving the cats meds to help ease their anxiety. Once we started to pill the cats the spraying stopped within the first week! Dr. Curtis has been great at follow-up and continuing to answer our questions. We are so thankful she has helped us have a happier home with our fur babies!”

~Andrea & Marty

“Dr. Terry is the best. I consulted Dr. Terry because my dog Henry is extremely sensitive to noises he hears outside of the house, especially thunderstorms and fireworks. Her in-home evaluation was invaluable. She observed Henry (and me!) for several hours, including during a well-timed storm, and she wrote up an incredibly detail report of her recommendations. She knows everything about canine medications and she also knows everything about every product & device ever made to help anxious dogs. In addition, she gave me lots of practical suggestions for changing my home environment to reduce Henry’s barking triggers & she’s advised me on how to change my behavior to help him. In less than a year, Henry’s changed from an anxious dog who alerted at least a couple of times an hour with barking & restlessness to a relaxed, happy dog who sleeps through storms & is much more able to focus and learn.”

~Amy B.

“Dr. Terry Curtis saved our family when she came to our rescue in 2015. Our Bear (mixed 65lb dog) began to attack the neighbors’ dogs for no apparent reason. We dreaded the consequences set by local animal control agencies. Our only hope was Dr. Curtis who spent several hours with our family ascertaining Bear and our concerns. Her recommendations were successful, and our Bear has become a tranquil and loving pooch. Dr. Curtis has been gifted a ‘third ear’ in comprehending and resolving a dog’s (and family’s) battles with aggression. Dr. Curtis in her pleasant and ‘take charge’ demeanor gave our Bear a second chance and gave us the wonderful life with Bear. We are ever grateful to Dr. Curtis!”

~Barbara & Charlie B.

“When we first reached out to Dr. Curtis we were a family of five, 2 adult humans, three dogs - a 6 year old male, Boxer and two adolescent females - Sydney age 2.6 years and Peanut about 1.4 years. After a particularly nasty fight between the two females, our local veterinarian suggested we call Dr. Curtis. The fight occurred a couple days before Thanksgiving 2006 and by that Friday afternoon Dr. Curtis was sitting in our living room. Our recollection of this first meeting was that she was a very good listener with a no nonsense approach. Dr. Curtis helped us understand our particular doggie dynamics and prescribed behavior modification techniques along with doggie Prozac for the instigator, Syd. After Syd’s first week on Prozac, she became a much more manageable dog and, over time, we learned to read Syd’s signals and how to redirect her aggressive behavior. We reached out to Dr. Curtis many more times as our doggie problems required time and effort to resolve. We are forever grateful to Dr. Curtis for helping us manage an unmanageable situation that allowed us and all of our dogs to live out happy lives. Thank you, Dr. Curtis, for everything!”

~Lisa and Miriam

“Dr. Curtis was recommended to me by my veterinarian. Chloe had been a wild child since she was a kitten and I thought she would grow out of it. But at two years old, she had gotten to the point where she was attacking me almost daily, leaving me with large bruises and many bite and scratches. All unprovoked and occasionally while I was asleep. The solution sounds easy but when Chloe wasn’t attacking me, she was the sweetest and cuddliest cat I have ever met. I was determined not to let these brief but violent attacks define her nor determine her destiny, although I was approaching the end of my rope and full of despair. Then, we found Dr. Curtis. She was easy to reach and instantly assured me that we would find some solutions. Dr. Curtis came to my house and assessed Chloe. Meeting her was like meeting an old friend; she was there to help and was not at all judgmental. She went through our routine, looked at the spaces where Chloe stayed most of the time, looked at her toys, where she ate, litter boxes- no stone unturned. She came up with a formal treatment plan and that gave me so much relief that there might be hope. Dr. Curtis checked in monthly and we tweaked the plan a few times, as she explained would be expected. Dr. Curtis was very receptive to my ideas as well and I felt like we were a team! What a relief! Chloe wasn’t the only one that had to change though, I also had to learn to read her body language and change some of my own behaviors. Some things worked, some things didn’t, but together we got Chloe to the point where she is a well-adjusted, almost typical house cat. Chloe is unique and just like all of us, she has her triggers, but 8 years later and many moves and family additions, Chloe fits right in. We are so grateful for Dr. C!”

~Kelli

“Lifesaver! After losing two female American cocker spaniels in 2006 I decided that I would begin the search for a new puppy. I found a breeder in Michigan and she had a male available (I really wanted a female, but I was desperate for a pup). Romeo was flown via cargo (never again) and arrived at midnight at the Orlando International Airport – cutest little thing. Fast forward about two months and Romeo attacks a dog being walked on a leash. I was traumatized as having been a dog owner my entire life I had never had a dog do this. The dog being walked posed no threat at all. After several more incidents like this I spoke with my local veterinarian and he suggested a dog behaviorist who worked with the University of Florida in Gainesville, her name was Dr. Curtis.

If I hadn’t reached out to Dr. Curtis, I really don’t think that Romeo would have made it. After the first display of aggression many more followed, including biting me more than once. I knew I had to do something, I called Dr. Curtis and we scheduled an appointment. She came to my house to observe Romeo (and I think me) and she wrote up a treatment plan. The plan was for me and Romeo. You obviously can’t start to fix an issue without participating in the treatment plan. I needed to learn how to manage my life with a dog like this as I had never owned an aggressive dog. I would NEVER have known what to do if Dr. Curtis hadn’t helped us. This has been a journey and learning how to make the house more harmonious was difficult at first. I eventually added two female cocker spaniels to the group and for the most part everything was pretty good. Dr Curtis also helped me with how to add a new dog to a household with one “special needs dog”, Romeo, already in place. Over the years issues would arise and I knew I could always reach out to Dr Curtis for guidance or for a house call. I remember one instance in particular. Romeo had bitten me, and I had had enough. I let her know that I was going to put him down as I thought I had tried everything. She told me that I would probably never forgive myself, so I listened to her and we changed his medications. I started this recommendation with “lifesaver” and Romeo is now a ripe old 14 years and four months (they count now) old!

Dr. Curtis is professional, compassionate and available. In the beginning I made several panic calls to her and she was always able to calm me down and offer possible fixes and/or solutions. I would recommend her to anyone who owns a pet that is displaying some sort of unwanted or unusual behavior. She is not a dog trainer; she is a dog behaviorist. She helps the owner to learn to use new techniques to help neutralize the unwanted behavior of the pet. I think she is a genius! Romeo and I are growing old together… I never thought he’d make it. Thank you Dr. Curtis!”

~ Janet