JEFFREY

‘Kindness matters’ was Jeffrey’s motto. Adopted from Manhattan ACC on August 24th 2010, his slated euthanasia day, Jeffrey set his paws on a path to change the world. Being a rescued Pit Bull/bully breed, it was important to Jeffrey’s person, Michele, to advocate for the "underdog".

At first, the family’s goal was for Jeffrey to earn the CGC (AKC Canine Good Citizen) certificate. Encouraged by the CGC examiner, they explored the possibility of therapy dog training and in a short amount of time, his highest achievement possible in the sport of Rally Obedience. Jeffrey retired from World Cynosport Rally Obedience competition in September 2023, at the age of 14 ½, as the highest achieving pit bull in World Cynosport history.

When Jeffrey began therapy work in 2012, they realized that children in certain areas, viewed dogs that look like Jeffrey in a different light. They were afraid of him so the following week, Michelle painted his nails bright pink with a non-toxic canine ‘nail polish’. That was enough for Jeffrey to appear less ‘threatening’ in the eyes of the child, resulting in smiles, giggles, much petting which he loved and an overall feeling of joy. From then on, once a week, one child got to whisper their favorite color into Jeffrey's ear resulting in the following visit beginning with children waiting eagerly to see the color of Jeffrey's new manicure!

Wanting to do more, after unthinkable tragedy affected their community in 2012, Jeffrey hosted a donation drive which turned into an annual event under the banner Annual Jeffrey's Joy of Giving; his way to give back and uplift the community he dearly loved. He has raised thousands of dollars for non-profit charities, tons of pet foods and supplies for local pet food pantries, tons of non-perishable food items, winter coats and necessities as well as toiletries for local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

Jeffrey was given a chance to have a great life and it’s been a life of grace and resilience. In turn, he hoped to have not only encouraged others to adopt dogs from shelters, but to accept all others, human and canine, as individuals, worthy of love and respect. Sadly Jeffrey passed away in July 2025

Jeffrey's Achievements:
AKC Canine Good Citizen
Complex rated Pet Partners Registered Therapy dog
REACH K9 Level Up Levels 1-5
APDT Canine Life and Social Skills, B.A., M.A., and PhD
AKC CGCA
AKC UCGC
AKC Novice trick Dog
2018 Pinups for Pitbulls Inc. Calendar COVER Dog
World Cynosport Rally Obedience
Levels 1, 2, 3 and Veterans titles **All with Award of Excellence designation
Levels 1,2, and 3 Champion titles * Currently Level 1 x 11, Level 2 x 9, Level 3 x 8, and Veterans x 17
ARCH (All Rally Champion)
ARCH-X (All Rally Champion Excellent)
ARCH-EX (All Rally Champion Extraordinaire)
ARCH-MX (All Rally Master Champion) x 6!!!

Two time recipient of the Paws 'N Effect "Heart & Soul of Rally" Award
2021 World Cynosport Invitational Level 3 Champion
Recipient of The 2022 Chase Memorial Award, Reach K9 Richmond, Virginia

WCRL Rankings:
2018: #2 Level 1 team, #1 Veterans team
2019: #2 ARCH-X team, #3 Veterans Championship division team, #10 OVERALL United States
2020: #1 ARCH-MX(Master Champion division) team, #5 OVERALL United States team
2021: #2 OVERALL United States team and #2 ARCH-MX+ Master Champion plus division team
2022: #18 ARCH-MX Master Champion plus division, #6 Veterans Championship division
Ranked 26th in WCRL Lifetime Achievement *as of 2023
Other titles:
Happy Ratters RAT Title
C-Wags (Canine Work and Games) Obedience Title