Pacific Paw - Santa Cruz, California

Christine Burdick

Michelle is a VERY good dog trainer. She came to our house for all our sessions with our 17 month old King Charles cavalier spaniel, Nikki. Michelle has a calm, consistent approach to her training. Our little one was very responsive. Most importantly, Michelle is really good at teach the humans how to follow through with the training exercises, leaves you with written instructions and follows up between training sessions. Unless the human is trained, the dog can’t be trained. Nikki was able to learn all the basic commands and address some specific behaviors we wanted addressed. Without hesitation, I would recommend Michelle for trying any dog.

Genavieve Pain

I can’t recommend Pacific Paw enough!! My pup Lulu is always soo excited to see them in the morning and comes home a tired happy pup. Some of the things I love about them - positive training techniques, all the staff is smiling and happy when they pick up the pups. Love the pictures and emails with notes of how the day went. If you want a happy pup check them out!

Davink Photography

We recently attended a puppy class at Pacific Paw with our 7-month-old puppy, Sunny, and we couldn't be more pleased with the experience! Working with the owner, Michelle, was an absolute delight. Her expertise and passion for dog training truly shine through in every session.

Both my partner and I learned a tremendous amount from Michelle. Her approach is not only effective but also incredibly engaging, making the learning process enjoyable for both us and Sunny. Since starting the class, Sunny has shown remarkable improvement. He listens to us more attentively and has mastered new tricks like laying down. Additionally, his interactions with both humans and other dogs have significantly improved, thanks to the socialization skills he picked up during the class. We are excited for more classes in the future with Pacific Paw.

I would highly recommend Pacific Paw to anyone looking for a puppy training experience.

Lauren Fulton

Pacific Paw welcomed us into their family 9 months ago, and I am so so happy to have met these wonderful women. They give 10,000% to the doggos daily, rain or shine. They are filled with love, patience and all speak dog fluently. I have a 90lb timid boy and they took the time to make sure he was always comfortable and loved and having a grand ol time back at day care. We call them the aunties and they truly are that to Otis. He loves them, and the whole dog crew there. Every day I get a full report on all the happenings, with occasional dress-up moments included :), and their instagram also keeps me constantly up to date if I need some dog space out time during my day. Doggie day care is so much more than just your dog getting exercise. It's about community, it's about teaching your dog independence, it's allowing them to have a stable group of friends to feel comfortable with outside of their nucleus family. Raising a dog can take a village, and I'm so grateful to have this amazing Pacific Paw community as Otey's village.

Kira Hannele

Michelle is a top tier dog trainer! She is gentle and compassionate toward the animals' experience, and is effective in her training. I truly can't say enough good things. I trust her more than anyone I know or any trainer on the internet. I know she will always go above and beyond to understand why my dog is acting the way she is and help me gain understanding and compassion for the 'bad' behavior. She truly cares.
Not only is she comfortable and skilled with animals, she's good with humans too, and is a joy to communicate with and learn from. Highly highly highly recommend Michelle to anyone looking for dog and puppy training; she's the one I turn to personally and recommend to friends and family. Thank you Michelle!

Sarah Brooks

Michelle, the owner, and all of the Aunties at Pacific Paw are the absolute best and I can't recommend them highly enough. They are deeply knowledgeable, professional, caring, kind, and flexible. They send a detailed report (with the best photos ever!) after every daycare session and regular newsletters, always taking care to ensure the safety and comfort of the pups. We're so grateful that we can feel confident that our pup is living her best life during her days with Pacific Paw.

Glenn Kleiman

Michelle and her team are wonderful! Dog lovers all, and all loved by our dog Topsy who is so excited each time they pick her up and she joins the pack for the ride to their morning walk. She then loves to stay and play with her friends for the afternoon session. They are always reliable, great communicators, send wonderful pictures each day. We are so glad we found this well-run dog care service with such wonderful people. They are the best!

Sammy Clifton

Pacific Paw is amazing! Penelope loves the gang. She gets to spend a lot of time with Michelle -her favorite dog walker EVER. She's excited every time we drop her off. Highly recommend, woof!