How Do I Adopt a Trained Rescue Dog?
Ken and Lisa Baechtold share a passion for rescuing dogs. They foster around 40 “death row” shelter dogs each year, boarding and rehabilitating up to four at any given time. Ken and Lisa call it their “Philanthropuppy" work.
Each dog spends at least 4 weeks – often longer – learning basic manners at the Gentle Dog Training facility. Please consider welcoming one of our trained fosters into your home.
We train our foster dogs to look to their new owners for loving leadership and guidance. They:
Walk politely on a leash
Come when called, on or off leash
Respond to basic obedience commands
Are remote collar trained
Are kennel trained
Have stopped problem behaviors
Have good house manners
Are socialized to interact appropriately with people and, usually, with other dogs
Our foster dogs undergo intensive training, preparing to live in forever families. Adopt one and receive our complete Foster and Train Package at no additional charge!
What’s Included in the Foster and Train Package?
Gentle Remote Collar Training, which teaches your dog to obey off leash. Before you take your dog home, we’ll show you how to use a remote collar effectively. We’ll also explain how to develop a close, trusting relationship by skillfully managing your dog with loving leadership.
A gentle remote training collar, transmitter and charger
1 year of follow-up: as many private lessons, refreshers and phone or email consultations as you need
For 1 year, an opportunity for Leadership REFRESHER Camp, where your dog can brush up on his basic manners training during a stay in our kennels. You pay only for boarding; we refresh your dog’s training at no additional cost.
With prior approval, an opportunity to return for Leadership BOARDING Camp in our kennels, even after a year – a fun, safe play for your dog to stay while you vacation.
As you gain confidence working off-leash with your dog, the opportunity to visit our training yard. Schedule time for your family to run alone with your dog in our secure, 2-acre, fenced field.
How Much Does It Cost to Adopt One of Our trained Foster Dogs?
You pay only what the local shelter or rescue group is charging as an adoption fee.*
In return, you receive a trained dog, with all the benefits of our Board and Train for Special Needs package - over a $2,000 value – at no additional charge!
*Adoption fees vary from group to group. They offset the cost of veterinary exams, vaccinations, parasite treatments and preventatives, spaying or neutering, micro chipping, other medical care, etc.
How Do I Start The Adoption Process?
Check out our foster dogs. We post pictures and videos to show their personalities:
On our website: Our Foster Pups
On our Facebook page: Gentle Dog Training.com
On another Facebook page: KC Trained Dogs for Adoption
2. Call to discuss our foster dogs and the forever home you can offer. Talk to Ken or Lisa, at 913-909-9609.
3. If there’s a match to be made, schedule a meeting at our facility to see if our foster dog is a good fit for your family.
4. We may request a follow-up visit to your home, to be sure you can provide the physical environment the dog needs.
5. Everyone still excited? Write a check to cover the shelter’s adoption fees, and then take your new dog home!
6. Keep working with your dog. A well-trained dog won’t stay trained unless a calm, firm, responsible leader consistently manages him.
7. Have questions? Need more help? Call us! We’ll help you become the capable, confident leader your dog needs – with an entire year’s worth of follow-up.
Does Gentle Dog Training.com Really Follow Up for an Entire Year?
Yes. But don’t just take our word for it.
Here’s what one of our adoptive “moms” says about her family’s experience:
Ken and Lisa set us up to succeed as dog owners. It’s been 4 years since we adopted, and I still feel I can reach out to them.
In 2013, we lost our 14-year-old German Shepherd. We loved her - and the breed. So we contacted Missouri German Shepherd Rescue about adopting.
In less than a week, we heard that MOGS had matched us with Stella. She was being trained and fostered by Ken and Lisa Baechtold, at Gentle Dog Training.com.
The MOGS representative told us Ken and Lisa were Stella’s last hope. They’d been working with her for 12 weeks. If they couldn’t retrain her, no one could. We didn’t know what to expect when we made the appointment to meet the Baechtolds and this troubled dog.
Ken and Lisa immediately impressed us. So did the immaculate grounds and facility they kept. They were very honest about our potential new family member, and about the obstacles we’d face with her.
After our initial meeting, Ken and Lisa brought Stella to our house to see what we could offer her. We all decided she was here to stay! Ken and Lisa kept working with our family. They visited from time to time over the first 8 weeks, just to check in. We had them on speed dial; they quickly responded to all questions. It’s been 4 years since we adopted Stella, and I still feel I can reach out to them.
We knew how to handle German Shepherds, but we didn't know how to train a neglected and abused rescue dog. Ken and Lisa coached us to provide Stella structure and firm, continuing guidance. In the beginning, we didn’t understand the strict guidelines they suggested. Soon they made all the sense in the world.
Ken and Lisa believed Stella could be a great family dog if we all worked together - even though our children were then very young (ages 4 and 8). They were right. No one who meets Stella today would guess the hardships she faced as a puppy. Or all the training involved in her transition. She’s a typical, fun-loving German Shepherd.
Stella would have been euthanized without Ken and Lisa’s intervention. We would have failed as owners if they hadn't “trained” us to handle a dog that needed more than a warm bed and a little love.
We’re so thankful. Ken and Lisa have a special gift and a passion for what they do. They generously give a second chance to dogs that made a terrible first impression on the world.
They're not just dog trainers. They’re people trainers, too. Ken and Lisa set us up to succeed as dog owners.
I highly recommend them.
- Terri H.
Have more questions about bringing a new dog into your forever home? Talk to Ken or Lisa: 913-909-9609.