Jane Beal
To Whom It May Concern (and their dog):
What can you say about a person who saved your dog and – in the process transformed your life? Can any turn of phrase do them justice?
Marjie Alonso is an extraordinarily gifted trainer. One hopes to find someone who can speak “dog” – reading their body language, expression and intentions – but it is actually rare that you meet someone who is fluent. Marjie knows in the first 30 seconds of meeting wo/man & dog the short story version of their tale, the nuggets that tell the essential truth.
She is also deft at the delicate task of training the human – the secret to success in dog training. Truth is, humans are so mired in how to relate to other bi-peds, they have to unlearn all the ways of greeting, communicating and relating in order to work with their dog. Marjie is great at seeing the subtle ways that miscommunications happen and in providing clarity.
So 10 months after my anxious, concerned 17 month old dog met Marjie, he has settled into a happy life of greater trust – where strangers are not scary, men may approach without barking, loud noises are not necessarily incoming mortars, and maybe his human knows a thing or two and should be the leader.
And she does it all with humor and a wealth of human kindness, which every owner needs in buckets when struggling to forge a solid and healthy relationship.
If you are reading this letter, you should immediately hit the “Contact” button and arrange to have Marjie meet you and your dog. That is all it will take for you, too, to become her devoted admirer.
Jane Beal
Cambridge, MA