Sam Larson; Customer Service

~ Customer Service Department ~

Lars Larson RA APDT RL1 AOE1 CGC

    Lars is the newest addition to The Garden Consultant office! He was born in Macedon, New York on December 2nd, 2007. His registered name is Deerwood's Larson Bravo Zulu RA APDT RL1 AOEL1 CGC and his breeder is Pauline Karalia of Deerwood Rottweilers. Lars comes from impeccable working lines and his parents are highly accomplished in Obedience, Tracking, Herding, and Agility. Here's the link to his litter's webpage on this grandfather's owner's page (Esmond Rottweilers) - Deerwood's "L Litter". He was the green ribbon and the smallest puppy in this litter. Lars came home with me on January 25th, 2008 and has assimilated himself very well with our family and Sam. Sam wasn't sure what to think about the new puppy but after a couple of weeks, he deemed Lars to be okay to play with and acknowledge.

    At just over two years old, Lars has already accomplished quite a bit! He has shown in confirmation shows and, as you can see from the photo, has done pretty well! He earned his AKC Rally Advanced Title, his APDT Rally Level 1 and Award of Excellence Level 1 and his AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate which is quite a feat for such a young dog. I have great aspirations for the littlest "L Nino" (the nickname Pauline gave to the pups.) His intelligence stupefies me. He has been excelling in rally obedience in many different organization and has earned several perfect scores of 100 as well as several placements and an award of excellence. His talent in agility has been something people have been taking notice of and he has the potential to be outstanding for a breed that isn't known for agility. We're hoping to start showing in agility the summer of 2010 and in competitive obedience in the fall of 2010.

    As for Lars' position at The Garden Consultant, he has moved up the food chain and has become an official customer service rep. He has been accompanying me on all sorts of jobs, meetings, and excursions. He's following in the foot steps of Sam and is a wonderful people dog and loves to meet all of my clients, colleagues, and everyone else in between! He's been developing quite the fan club and people are very disappointed when I don't bring him along on our jaunts. So, perhaps someday, you too may have the pleasure of meeting the talented Mr. Lars!

Sam Larson, CD RN CGC TDIA

11/98 - 8/12/09 - Rest in Peace sweet boy.

     Sam Its 5 Oclock Somewhere, CD RN CGC TDI or "Sam" has been with me since the beginning of my private landscape design business. He came to be with us from the Cranston Animal Shelter in April of 2000. Sam is a 10.5 year old Rottweiler. He was at the shelter because when he was three months old he had been hit by a car and broke his pelvis. The people who bought him didn't want to pay for his vet bills. He had been bounced around from home to home due to no fault of his own. Sam had to be returned from one home because his new Dad was diagnosed with bone cancer and couldn't take care of him. We "interviewed" him and found he had a winning personality, was a real people pooch, and all of the qualifications for the job of personal companion. He has since increased his qualifications by being dual titled with AKC obedience titles of Companion Dog (CD) and AKC Rally Obedience Novice (RN). He also has his AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate and has passed the Therapy Dog International test (TDI). Sam has earned one first place, three second places, a third place and one fourth place at the 9 obedience and rally-o trials he has participated in. He has been continuing his education by attending Open and Utility Obedience classes and Rally Advanced and Excellent classes with a local obedience club. These classes would be like his Masters and Doctorate in Competition Obedience and Rally Obedience if he were a person.

     Since the fall of 2006, Sam spends his Wednesday afternoons visiting the residents of a Warwick assisted living facility right down the street. He really enjoys this new job of his as do the people he visits. He made 50 therapy visits and received a Therapy Dog International Active (TDIA) certificate in the winter of 2007/2008. Due to Sam's age and some health issues he had this past year and a half, Sam is retired from the show world, therapy work, being on the road with me. It's okay though, he is thoroughly enjoying his couch and new life of leisure.

    Sam is a great customer service representative. He is a fabulous listener and will try to make everything all right with a big rottie grin on his face and his little nubby tail wiggling. He is an very active member of The Garden Consultant. Sam spends countless hours with me in my office helping me work. He comes with me to various suppliers and retailers to look at plant material or other landscape supplies. Sam accompanies me on missions to the copy shop and the office supply store. He meets all of the landscape contractors who we work with, all of which have Sam's paw print of approval. Sometimes, Sam will even come to the job site and meet the client to make sure the customer is totally satisfied. Every client Sam has met, he has won them over, been invited into their homes, and even has been asked back for a follow up visit on numerous occasions. The photo to the left is of Sam making sure of the highest quality control of this project in Newport. As you can see, that big Rott'n smile says it all about the job being done!

Cristin M. Larson; The Garden Consultant and Landscape Design