What Richard and Karen want you to know about us

Here at Just Happy Dogs, our Mission is simple:

To provide a best in class, Fear Free certified, and cage free environment for dogs entrusted to our care in the Peekskill area and surroundings. We use only positive methods in our own home or yours. We are glad help pet guardians live their busy lives with the knowledge that their pets are safe and secure. We are committed to helping our community by devoting some of our revenue and our time for those less fortunate pets.

Richard & Karen each each have over 20 years of experience in taking care of dogs.

Karen started in the breed-specific rescue industry in the early 1990’s when she volunteered for Internet Miniature Pinscher Service (IMPS), the largest min pin rescue service in the world. She was eventually asked to be their New York State coordinator and currently sits on he board of that organization. She has also been a volunteer for the Westchester SPCA as well as the Portchester Obedience and Training Club (POTC), the oldest such club in the nation. While at POTC, she took numerous classes in dog agility and scent work. She is currently involved in tracking. Karen has taken classes with some of the leading training and behaviorists in the world and is Fear Free and CBATI certified. She has also taken many courses in Tellington Touch, a technique that combines gentle strokes, vibrations, and sound on the face and body with slow, rhythmic movements to calm and relax an animal.

Richard was also involved in IMPS and transported many dogs to volunteers across New York State. Of course, he helped foster the many dogs that we were fortunate enough to help throughout the years. When Richard & Karen stated an ecommerce business selling dog supplies, Richard used his extensive business experience to help make that business a success and handled all operational functions.

Since all of our dogs have been rescues, we have experience in dealing with all types of dog personalities and behaviors. We have come to learn the subtle — and sometimes not so subtle — ways dogs communicate with their humans, have shared many joys and developed many happy memories of those we adopted and, like any pet parent who has had many dogs in their life, have intimately suffered greatly when their time has come.

We currently have two miniature pinschers (Alex, who is 18, and Buddy, who is 14. We also have a six-year-old GSD, named Kali.

We love everything about dogs. If you said our lives revolve around dogs, you’d be 100% right!

At least one of us is usually home so we can take care of your furry friends on most schedules.

We have a fenced-in yard and live right across the street from a huge park with a pond and trails. We are minutes from the Blue Mountain Reservation Westchester County Park where we hike and walk with our dogs. We always put your dog’s needs first and will treat your dog as part of our family.

We live in a “gated community” meaning we have gates throughout our home. So, if your dog needs to have a place to retreat for some rest and relaxation we are able to accommodate them. We also have doggy stairs to help dogs get up on the furniture and bed, if they need help.