Gail Skee

Gail is the General Manager. Mis Amigos Pet Care Center has been open since 2005 and has been a steadily growing business. She has always shared her life with animals, and today lives with three Arabian horses, two dogs, and three cats. For more than three decades, she has lived in southwest New Mexico where she also raised a human family. She now enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.
Gail has been able to devote time to showing her dogs. She has competed successfully in conformation, obedience, rally obedience, and agility. She has also trained and handled therapy dogs. She is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy and been a member of this organization for over a decade. She has attended many conferences, seminars and workshops; read many books, and continues to look for ways to advance her knowledge and experience when working with animals. She loves working with animals and has had the opportunity to train with chickens, goats, alpacas, cats, horses, as well as, dogs. She delights in helping to improve the relationship and mutual satisfaction of owner and dog.

Training Philosophy

Gail's training philosophy is based on inviting the dog to offer the desired behavior and reinforcing that behavior when it happens. Being patient and understanding the dog's point of view are her "secret weapons."

Services

Gail offers a variety of training services that can be customized to suit your dog's needs. Her training focus is on the use of positive reinforcement and strengthening the relationship between dog and human. Her training methods are science-based, effective, dog-friendly, and best of all, fun for both dog and handler. She offers group classes, private lessons, board & train, and day training for your convenience. She can help you determine which is right for you and your dog. Her group classes are offered in 1, 2, 3 and 6 week increments. See below for class descriptions and schedules.

• Puppy Start Right Preschool
  Prepare your puppy for a lifetime at your side. This class is for puppies 8-16 weeks of age. Early puppyhood is a critical time for socialization and learning. Experiences during this time set the stage for the rest of your puppy's life. Learn what proper, safe puppy socialization looks like. Puppy preschool includes an orientation and four classes with your puppy. There is a required book, Puppy Start Right Foundation Training for the Companion Dog. We have them available in our office for $25. This course has a rolling enrollment, meaning puppies age in and out of class as we go. We have a different "theme" each week as well as short, supervised puppy play time.
• STAR Puppy (formerly called AKC STAR Puppy)
  This class is for puppies from 4-10.5 months old who have had their second puppy shots. Socialization, Training, Activity, Responsible owner is what S.T.A.R. Puppy stands for. This class focuses on all the things every puppy and owner need to have a great start together.
• Teenager Not Tyrant (TNT)
  Adolescence is a normal and necessary stage of your dog's development. That does not mean we are always ready and well- prepared for it. Usually, we are caught off guard. Our lovely, well-behaved puppy seems to have forgotten everything (or almost everything) he/she has learned. They have morphed into a tyrant, seemingly overnight.
• Good Manners
  The goal of this class is to teach dogs and their owners/handlers a foundation of skills and behaviors which will enable a lifetime of successful learning. We will use behaviors to build and strengthen these skills for both the dogs and their people. The specific behaviors taught in this class teach your dog how to learn from you.
• Good Manners Next Step
  This class builds on the skills and behaviors learned in Good Manners Foundation. The objective of this class is to work on training new behaviors and adding distance, duration, and distractions to existing behaviors.
• Canine Good Citizen (formerly called AKC CGC)
  The Canine Good Citizen Program is for dogs around a year or more old and teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners. The 10-step CGC test is a non-competitive test for all dogs, including purebreds and mixed breeds.
• Intro to Companion Events
  Have you ever thought that your dog would be really good at agility or nosework or was a candidate for conformation? This class will give you the foundational skills needed in Competitive Sports as well as some of the specific skills and exercises used in Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Nosework and Agility. It will also include how to register with AKC in order to sign up for and participate in trials.
• Sports Dog/Agility Foundation
  This class is a great introduction to Agility, Rally and Canine Freestyle. It takes everything you and your dog have already learned together and shapes it into a fun context. Progress is quick and recognizable, which makes it even more fun, and provides positive reinforcement for you and your dog!
• AKC Rally Novice
  Rally is a companion sport to AKC Obedience. For more information visit AKC Rally. Teamwork and performance skills are developed in the class, often accompanied by laughter and fun! Should they desire to do so, participants will be prepared to enter AKC competitive trials.
• AKC Rally Intermediate
  Rally is a Companion Sport to AKC Obedience. Visit AKC Rally for more information. Teamwork and performance skills are developed in the class, often accompanied by laughter and fun. Should they desire to do so, participants will be prepared to enter AKC competitive trials.
• Agility Training
  In Agility competition, dogs race against a clock as they navigate an obstacle course with strong concentration and speed. Whether you just want to have fun exercising with your dog or want to go further and enter an Agility competition, this class will teach you and your dog the fundamental elements of Agility in a fun and relaxed setting. The first class is a specialized orientation without the dog.
• Reactive Dog
  All prospective students will need to fill out a Behavior Evaluation Profile and schedule a personal interview before being accepted into the class.
• Trick Dog
  Would you like to know some tricks to do with your dog, or already know some and would like to learn more? Teams can learn the tricks just for fun or may complete the paperwork and pay AKC to earn a title. To learn more about Trick Dog titles or see some of the tricks that will be taught, click here. A variety of tricks will be presented during each class. Please Note: Dogs should already follow basic cues such as sit, down, come, wait/stay as well as walk on a loose leash. (Each series of three can be taken in any order and multiple times - they do not build upon each other.)

Certifications

Gail is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy and been a member of this organization for over a decade.

Specializations

Gail has competed successfully in conformation, obedience, rally obedience, and agility. She has also trained and handled therapy dogs.

Training Methods

Gail's training philosophy is based on inviting the dog to offer the desired behavior and reinforcing that behavior when it happens. Being patient and understanding the dog's point of view are her "secret weapons."

Customer Reviews

Susanne B. - I have had Nicki for over a year now. He has been quite a pawful! I began to bring him to Mis Amigos last winter. Nicki was displaying behavior he had as a new puppy but becoming much more pronounced as he got older. I believed was aggressive towards strangers. I began to leave him for some time at Mis Amigos during the day in their great play area. I hoped playing with other dogs, as well as exposure to the staff at Mis Amigos, would help Nicki. And to some extent it did. But he was still aggressive towards any people he did not know. I love Nicki with all my heart, but he was getting close to 70 pounds and becoming very difficult to control. I was actually considering if I would have to give Nicki up, and it was heart breaking for me.
Then I met Gail Skee, the owner and head trainer of Mis Amigos. Gail told me she very much wanted to help and began to work with Nicki and me. I learned Nicki was not presenting aggressive dog behavior, but frightened dog behavior. And sharing what I knew of my shelter puppy's first days, much became clear regarding his behavior. I also began to work with Erin Bibles, the other incredible trainer at Mis Amigos. I worked with Nicki as they taught me, and the results are wonderful beyond words.
I continue to work closely with Gail, Erin, and the staff of Mis Amigos; Nicki continues to learn and so do I! They all saved my dog Nicki and me, giving us a life together. They gave, and continue to give, me tools, knowledge, trust and joy! This is a quote I believe is the heart of Mis Amigos which is written in the training area; "Beneath every behavior is a feeling. And beneath every feeling there is a need. When we meet that need rather than focus on the behavior, we begin to deal with the cause not the symptom". Gail, Erin, and the wonderful staff at Mis Amigos, CARE ABOUT EVERY SINGLE DOG, and they want to do all they can for our dogs and us. I cannot recommend Mis Amigos highly enough.

Sue C. - Since getting our first dog after moving to New Mexico fourteen years ago, except for veterinary services, Mis Amigos has been our go to place for our dogs needs: boarding, day care, training and especially grooming.
All of our dogs have loved it there, and big Emmett, who has been with us the longest, eleven and half years, has pretty much grown up in and out of Mis Amigos. Day care and play time there did so much for his socialization skills and he still loves it even though he is now a senior citizen. One of our females who is not so easy with other dogs, always got extra care and attention when she was introduced to a play yard with others, just to be sure that she was introduced slowly and did not feel threatened by the other dogs. That's a skill on the part of the staff that is beyond measure.
And the grooming services.....attentive, loving groomers who give us back sleek beauties. Emmett has grown up with Teresa and I think that she loves him almost as much as we do!!! So big thanks to Mis Amigos for being there for all of the beloved dogs of the Silver City area.....and especially our two!!!

Lori L. - Great pet care and super friendly staff!

Roxanne R. - Friendly and caring staff.

Janet W. - Very friendly and good with animals.

Samantha S. - Boarding my buddy Maximus while visiting family here in NM. Amazing staff and great customer service. Enjoyed watching him play with other dogs. Thank you so much Mis Amigos! Will be back in April!

Lauri Y. - Day care at Mis Amigos is Roadie's favorite place. He comes home tired and happy every time. Staff are attentive, and called me right away when they realized he wasn't himself, recognizing his behavior change as pain. He's fine now, and will be joining his buddies there again soon.

James O. - Amazing place. I took my over active dog for some training and it helped a lot. Honestly wish I had done it with my previous dogs.

Shawna W. - I have been using Mis Amigos for occasional boarding for many years and have always been very happy with their service. Recently I have been taking my English Bulldog for daycare, he loves it so much he doesn't want to come home! Everyone that works there is so good with animals (and people too).

Kathy R. - If you want to be able to enjoy your time away…knowing your fur baby is well taken care of…this is the place to go.

Judy M. - This was the first time I had taken Carrie in to be groomed. Hillary did a great job. I will return.

Wendi M. - These folks are the best. They clearly love dogs and treat mine like gold. Training classes are also available with some extremely talented instructors. I highly recommend them.

Amy A. - Both of our dogs LOVE coming here for daycare and boarding. All of the employees are very friendly and we've never had any problems.

Judith S. - Our Dusty Rose was well cared for and the staff was friendly and appeared to like our pet… She was clean and glad to see us when we picked her up..Appeared to be well cared for and staff appeared to like her and said we could bring her back anytime.. they said she was a really sweet dog.. I will make Mis Amigos our go to place and recommend to our friends!

Shar W. - I am grateful for the services Mis Amigos provides from social/doggy day care to the boarding and grooming services. We have used their services several times a year since we began taking our furr baby there.

Linda O. - Staff was professional & friendly. They took good care of our dog. We requested playtime for him during his stay, which he was having when we arrived to pick him up. He was loving it!

Sandy D. - They take care of your pets, like it's their own. Caring and concerned about and changes, and they call you if they note any change in the pet.

E. E. - My rescue puppy has been going to doggie daycare for a while now and I also have boarded her there for a weekend. They are great with her and caring and truly keep an eye on her. They are great with all the pets.

Sharyn M. - Mis Amigos staff is always happy to see me and my dog. Until he was 5 months old, he only knew his own family of dogs. Since he had not had more exposure to a wider world, the staff carefully introduced him to other dogs and watched over him during playtime. He has also benefited from puppy training. A year later, my dog is a happy member of the doggie day care family. Hillary has groomed him several times and he is always clean, beautiful, and perfectly clipped. Leaving him there during my days out of town is never a problem as he has this "home away from home" that he is so comfortable with. I highly recommend Mis Amigos for all aspects of pet care.

Mara M. - We have used Mis Amigos' services since we moved here 7 years ago. I am so grateful for the help I have received with several dogs. Before moving here we adopted an Australian Terrier who came with many issues. He was very reactive to other dogs and had severe separation anxiety. With Gail's help, he has now become the welcoming ambassador for the many rescue dogs that we have fostered over the past several years. We can take him anywhere without worrying that he will attack any dog we happen to meet on our walks. And, although the separation anxiety is still an issue, we are now able to leave him at Mis Amigos for day care and he actually enjoys playing with other dogs. This is nothing short of a miracle! Additionally we work with one of the breed rescues and have had to board a rescue on short notice while we make arrangements for the dog to be fostered until placed. Mis Amigos has always accommodated us and even helped us evaluate the dog's personality and behaviors so we could find the right home. Their observations and guidance has benefited so many of the rescues that we have placed over the years. We have a new rescue coming in tomorrow and we've already made arrangements for him to be boarded while we evaluate him. I look forward to working with Mis Amigos again. I recommend them highly!

Mary Y. - They love dogs at Mis Amigos and my dog loves going there.

Jeremy B. - They treat my rescued American Bulldog with great care. Worth the price.

Donna W. - Thank you for taking great care of Homer and Dante during our recent visit!

Karen B. - I have five dogs and three cats. I trust Mis Amigos implicitly with my kids. The receptionist are super friendly and caring. Reminds me when the kids shots are due too. Groomers love my dogs and remember their individual personalities and health issues. Boarding Kennels are well run. Love the underfloor heating. They get heaps of daily attention and play. If you have to leave them behind when you go away, this is the place. They never hesitate to call if there's an issue. Seriously, what more could you want?

Connie S. - Sid (the dog) like this place. He must have played all day as he slept all night. Lots of play area for different size and tempered dogs. Very friendly people. All seems to really love animals. Would use this doggie day care again when visiting Silver City.