Last Chance Ranch dog rescuer saves unlovables

One of Sutton's specialties is Tellington T-Touch, a positive reinforcement training method that uses light, circular hand motions on an animal's body, as well as supportive tools like the wraps and scrunchies. The thinking is that the gentle motions help an animal relieve stress and increase body awareness, said Sutton, who by day works as a dental assistant in Atlanta and trains animals across metro Atlanta on nights and weekends.

"We realized that if we can get the body under control, we can get the mind under control," she said, explaining that the ACE bandage can help a dog feel support in places of stress.

Using T-Touch in combination with other behavioral conditioning methods, Sutton has helped dogs -- and their owners -- overcome their fears.

Sutton said the tactile method has helped rehabilitate animals such as Newton, a 7-year-old Catahoula mix. Newton's owners, Michelle and John Kabashinski of Brookhaven, quickly realized their rescued dog was highly reactive to other dogs and people, so much so that they were resigned to only walking him at night.

"He would lunge at other dogs and pull so hard that it would hurt ... to the point that we couldn’t control him on walks," Michelle Kabashinski said. "[His reaction] was immediate. There was no sign, or growl. It was just boom."

Sutton employed T-Touch and a method called constructional aggression treatment (CAT), which helps desensitize a dog to its fear responses, Sutton said.

Here's how it works: when Newton reacts at the sight of another dog, Sutton stands calmly with her training dog, Penny, until Newton gives a relaxing signal such as turning his head. At that point, Sutton rewards him by walking away.

Eventually Newton learned that what scared him wasn't really a threat, and that the stressor would leave if he remained calm.

"Now he has a best friend in a neighborhood, a little Shih tzu, and they run to each other like ‘Lady in the Tramp,' " Michelle Kabashinski said.

Sutton is quick to say that there is no quick-fix, or one-size-fits-all training method.

"It depends on the dog, the situation, the behavior goals and levels of reactivity," she explained. "The method I pick depends a great deal on the owner. ... So, in talking [to them] and working with the dog, I have to figure out what is best for both."

Sutton said she continually learns new ways to reach out to the region's toughest dogs. To help realize that goal, she founded "Last Chance Ranch" in Waco, her 10-acre home and facility with agility courses and lots of training grounds. There she boards 18 dogs, the kind of dogs that could easily be discarded, such as a half-German Shepherd and half-coyote she was asked to train by a German Shepherd rescue program.

"I will say I never give up on a dog. Sometimes the owners do, but I never do," she said.

Among Sutton's most challenging cases is Magnum, a 2-year-old German Shepherd once aggressive toward most everything, save his owners Heidi and Michael Coble.

The Cobles began working with behaviorists at the University of Georgia when Magnum was just six months old, but with little success.

“They basically told me in January that there’s nothing else they can do for him,” Heidi Coble said.

Then they found Sutton, who assessed the immediacy of the problem -- Heidi Coble is pregnant, and family is expected to stay with them upon the baby's arrival.

By the third session of using CAT, Magnum accepted a few new animals, a sign he was overcoming his destructive fear, Sutton said. And recently, he confidently walked with a new dog trainer, a notion that once seemed impossible. The Cobles still have work to do, but said they finally feel there is hope to live peacefully with Magnum and their expanding family.

That said, Sutton knows dogs like Magnum may never be fit for romps in the dog park, but that wasn't her goal. She aims to help owners find a way to help a dog overcome its fear, and make the family's life better as a whole.

"I've had every bad dog with every bad problem that has hit this earth," she said. "I honestly feel my goal in life is to communicate that you don't have to put animals [with behavioral problems] down."