"If you're in Astoria or LIC and need a dog walker - especially if you have a reactive dog - reach out to Kayla. I co-foster a very sweet but leash-reactive dog, and there was a weekend when both sets of fosters were going to be out of town. I reached out to shelter volunteers, and they recommended Kayla.

We met in advance, and from the jump, our foster felt right at home with her (pulling toys out of her bin, flinging them around her apartment while we laughed about how cute he was). I can't emphasize enough how relieved we were knowing he was in her caring hands. I've had to drop off fosters temporarily during a trip and it was so painful - I was glued to my phone worried about them. I was considering cancelling until we met Kayla. Within minutes of dropping him off, Kayla was sending us photos of him with toys and cuddling her. He knew he was in a good place. And it meant the world to us to know he was with someone safe and understanding.

In short: message Kayla. She'll love and care about your dogs like they're her own, even and especially if they have reactive tendencies (because she's parented her own reactive dogs)"

Kayla is a shining example that a compassionate approach to dog training can work. I’ve worked with several trainers for my anxious dog. While she has come a long way, there were still some things my Zoe just has not been comfortable with. One of them is going outside which can make potty time difficult and has meant I don’t have an option for a dog walker. Working with Kayla on this has been amazing for Zoe bc of her understanding of dog body language and her willingness to be flexible and creative. Her recaps of Zoe’s progress help me learn so I understand how to set Zoe up in the future for success.

She also has so much patience. She continued to work with Zoe and respect when Zo was too scared to go out. On those visits, she still gave Zoe and enrichment indoors, and even taught her a trick! Her kindness and love of dogs makes her so well suited for this work and I’d highly recommend her for any walks, training or drop ins. She is a true gem- kind, trustworthy and communicative.

We feel so lucky to have Kayla walking our dog, especially with her training expertise! We’ve been hybrid working for the past few years & with a change in our schedules finally had to commit to finding a dog walker for Nola - we’re blessed to have found Kona & Co. !

As the other reviews say, Kayla just understands the psychology of dogs. Our dog is one of those that needs mental stimulation just as much (or more) than physical play. Kayla is so sensitive to his mood, the weather, the overall vibes of the day and adjusts to giving Nola what he needs in the moment, day to day.

If they’re not walking, they’re mentally engaging, or most importantly - cuddling! Kayla gives my pup the love he deserves in the middle of the day. The kind of attention I wish I could be there to give!

Beyond trusting Kayla to care for my dog, I trust her judgment as an animal caretaker. If and when Kayla expands her quickly growing business, I would trust anyone she suggests or brings aboard Kona & Co. :)

After trying multiple trainers who didn't connect with my high-energy Labrador puppy, Jemma, we found Kayla-and everything changed. Kayla's unique blend of scientific precision and intuitive artistry transformed our home. She channeled Jemma's exuberant energy into calm focus, easing her anxiety while amplifying her natural charm. Now, Jemma greets people and other dogs with friendly confidence instead of nervous chaos. Kayla taught me to read Jemma's cues and build trust, so both of us are learning naturally. She's hands-down the best trainer we've ever experienced-miracles, honestly.

“Kayla is a phenomenal trainer with a wholistic approach of teaching the human(s) of the household as well as the dog ! She helped us with our new adopted German Shepard named Scout who was 6months old when she arrived and have no training. We learned as much as if not more during our session than Scout and are continuing our exercises and thriving in our ability to work together successfully with our dog using the tips, tricks, and techniques that Kayla taught us ! Would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a truly positive experience.”

"I am so grateful to have met Kayla. I have a reactive pup with fear based anxiety and aggression so it's hard to find appropriate care for him. Kayla is amazing with Rocco! He loves her and I feel at ease when he's with her."

Kayla is so great with my reactive, big, boy, Jerry. She’s patient and very loving. Jerry loves her so much and has grown tremendously in her trainings. I highly recommend Kayla for both her dog walking and training services.

"We are so happy & grateful for Kayla's dog walking service! She is patient and hyper focused on the comfortability of our anxious little dog. Our dog has shown dramatic improvement with his problem behaviors (fear of home visitors and random objects on the street) over the last 7 weeks of her 1-2 a week visits. Bonus is she takes the cutest pics of our pups!!"

"Kayla is the best! I know that my pups are in good hands when she is around. She wants all pets to be happy, comfortable, and treated with respect. She is incredibly knowledgeable about pet body language and fear free training and wants to set you and your pup up for success. One of my dogs is slow to trust and needs someone understanding of that. After only a few visits Kayla is now someone my nervous girl is so excited to see!!

"We had been looking for a dog walker for a while but were hesitant until we met Kayla! She was everything we could have dreamed we wanted and more. Kayla is friendly, dependable, and compassionate. And most importantly our dogs adore and trust her! Kayla always puts that bit extra in with them and we cannot rave about her enough. Highly recommended!"

“Kayla is amazing! She just gets dogs. She really understands their behavior and meets you and your dog exactly where you're at in your training journey. She's super kind, easy to work with, and I completely trust her with my dogs anytime. She’s helped me work through some training blocks I was stuck on, and I’m so grateful for her support. I can’t recommend her enough! She’s a fantastic trainer and just a great person to have in your corner.”

"I can’t say enough good things about Kayla! My dog (Brian) is a 4 pound chihuahua and can be very aggressive if someone doesn’t understand him. Kayla was able to slowly build trust with Brian overtime and became one of his best friends — to the point where I became very jealous witnessing his excitement to see Kayla during drop off at her house. A good problem to have! Most importantly, I trusted Kayla to care of Brian. She was very knowledgeable in taking care of teacup dogs and also was able to administer his medications twice daily for him. I was able to leave on vacation without any worries knowing Brian was safe and very happy! Brian and I were very thankful to have Kayla!"

“Kayla is one of the extremely few people I would trust with my dog. She is extremely knowledgeable about dog handling, behavior modification, and body language! Besides her obviously lengthy education and experience, she also has a great energy that my dog is instantly attracted to. I love her dedication to fear free and low stress handling - she really looks out for your dog in the best way.”

"I couldn’t recommend Kayla enough! She is an amazing pet caregiver and I trust her with my girl any day. She has years of experience between her own dog and volunteering at various shelters. She has become quite a pro at reading dog body language. My dog Kona is a bit hesitant with new people and needs someone to be patient with her. Kayla knew how to read her cues - when to pet or give space. Safe to say she quickly became a trusted friend to Kona."

"Kayla is THE person to trust with your dog. Her expertise is unmatched and knows more about dogs than any other person I know. She is equipped to handle everything from reactivity to separation anxiety. She has taken great care of my own dog who struggles with separation anxiety himself. Even with his extensive list of demands and strict schedule, she handled it with no problem. There are very few people I trust with my handful of a dog, and Kayla is one of them.”

"Kayla is the definition of a dog lover. She’s attentive, caring, and responsible. She watched our fur baby on our wedding night and I was so fortunate to know our dog was in excellent hands. She truly loves all dogs like they’re her own.”

"Kayla is the biggest dog lover I know. She's a huge advocate for compassionate communication and understanding what a dog really needs. She's dedicated, loving, kind, and thorough. You can rest assured that when your pup is with Kayla, they are well loved and spoiled and might even come back home having learned a new trick or two. Kayla will become your dog's (second or third) favorite person very quickly!"

"Kayla is friendly, warm, and wonderful with my corgi, Darren. Highly recommend her for any and all pet care needs"

"Kayla is our favorite dog sitter (and we have used MANY over the years) for the following reasons:
- she takes time to understand the dog, its specific needs, and continues to learn the dog
- she communicates openly w the owners and always asks about scenarios and how to handle them - even situations we have never had to think about!
- she sends the best pictures and videos, and frequently! But also asked for the frequency we preferred and I opted for frequent updates.
- she adapts to the dog and lets them meet her at their pace
- she treats each dog like her own in the best way possible, so much so our pup didn’t want to leave her place

Truly, you would be hard pressed to find someone more considerate and caring to watch your pup while leaving you with peace of mind that your pup is so well cared for and thriving."