Simba Ranch

It is with a heavy heart that I log my last shift ever at Simba Ranch this afternoon. It’s true that I was only here for a little over a year and a half, but I think I can say without much doubt that the previous 18 months have been some of the most formative of my adult life. When I moved to Colorado, I was convinced that I wanted to be a writer or a journalist, and the decision to apply to Simba was really only an afterthought as I struggled to support myself financially. After only a few days of working here, however, I knew that I had been wrong about my calling in life and that I was destined to work with dogs.

Never before have I been privileged to work with such an incredible group of people or to get to know so many beautiful animals on a personal level, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have had this opportunity. I am so lucky to have stumbled upon this amazing place at this point in my life, and as I move forward with my dog walking business in Boulder and my future plans to start my own boarding facility somewhere down the road, Simba Ranch will always have a special place in my heart and the experiences that I had here will always be in the back of my mind.

Thank you so much to Michele, Darren, Hallie, Tracy, Peter, Mike, and all of you who entrusted me with the care of your dogs over the past year and a half. I will miss all of you terribly and I wish you all the best in the future.

- Patrick

One of Simba Ranch’s longest-standing employees, Patrick Bergman, made the move from Nederland to Boulder recently. While he still joins us once a week for his regular shift, he has been forced to find additional employment closer to home in order to stay afloat. “My initial thought was to try to find a similar job with a boarding facility or pet-sitting service in Boulder,” he says, “but after looking around for a couple of weeks, I came to the realization that no one cares about their clients or their employees as much as Michele does. I was spoiled by Simba Ranch, and I can’t work for someone who justs looks at dogs and employees in terms of dollars and cents.”

The only solution that Patrick could think of was to start his own business inspired by the Simba Ranch experience, and so, the Take a Hike! dog walking service was born. Take a Hike! specializes in park walks and trail hikes in the Boulder area, and although it’s not meant to be a substitute, it’s a great way for your dog to get a little extra exercise and mental stimulation in between visits to the ranch.  We at Simba Ranch are proud to support Patrick in his new endeavor and wish him all the best in the future!

We are thrilled to be hosting another Tenderfoot Training Clinic on Sunday September 14th!! Now is your chance to experience the training technique that the Simba Ranch Team is always raving about!

When: Sunday September 14, 2008 10:00am-2:00pm

Where: Gilpin County Community Center, in the Event Barn

250 Norton Dr, Golden, CO

http://co.gilpin.co.us

Learn how to create a GREAT relationship with your dog based on love, trust and respect; No choke chains, halter collars, shock collars, or clickers. A relationship based on clear communication and partnership, not on bribery or devices.

Become skilled at reading your dog’s body language, and understand how to do just enough, more importantly–as little as possible to get results. Understand what the ‘blink of an eye’ or a ‘lick of the lips’ can mean to your everyday communication with your dog.

Discover how you have taken part in creating your dog’s bad habits and gain the skills and understanding to fix them.

For Reservations please call Simba Ranch at 303-258-3023 or email at info@simbaranch.com

*Tenderfoot Methods will be demonstrated on 4-5 dogs with varying temperaments/ages. For more information on Tenderfoot Training go to www.tenderfoottraining.com

We hope to see you there!

The Simba Ranch Team

It’s been an extremely busy couple of months here at the ranch, and we are amazed at how quickly the summer is flying by! We hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather as much as we are, and wanted to share some more photos of our recent visitors to the ranch (Click on the thumbnails for larger versions):

From Left: Smila Colton, Hallie Bauernschmidt, Elizabeth Simpson, Michele Taluba, Doug Simpson, Tracy Koivisto, Patrick Bergman

In the spirit of continual education and the constant effort to improve the quality and safety of the Simba Ranch experience, we all gathered this past Saturday with Doug and Elizabeth Simpson of Tenderfoot Training. Tracy, Michele, Hallie, and I all got a chance to ask lots of questions about frequent behavior issues that arise at the ranch as well as observe how Doug and Elizabeth would handle a pack if they were in our shoes. All in all it was a very informative afternoon, and the four of us have been discussing our new found knowledge every chance we get. Thanks Doug and Elizabeth!!!

TenderFoot clinic at

Simba Ranch

Now is your chance to experience the training technique that the Simba Ranch Team is always raving about, right here at the Simba Ranch dog camp!

When: June 7^th, 2008

10:00-1:00: Tender foot clinic with Doug and Elizabeth Simpson.
1:00-2:00: Picnic lunch and questions with Doug and Elizabeth

Where: Simba Ranch dog Camp
700 lump Gulch Rd. Rollinsville, Co

Price: $60.00

Learn how to create a Great relationship with your dog based on love, trust and respect; No choke chains, halter collars, shock collars or clickers. A relationship based on clear communication and partnership, not bribery or devices.

Become skilled at reading your dog’s body language, and understand how to do as little as possible to get results. Understand what a “blink of an eye” or a “lick of the lips” can mean in your everyday communication with your dog.

Discover how you may have taken part in creating your dog’s bad habits and gain the skills and understanding to fix them.

For more information call (303)-258-3023 or e-mail info@simbaranch.com

So, it’s great to be here at Simba Ranch, I’m looking forward to a great summer with our clients… canine and human alike. It’s just Smokey, Jackson, Bella, Mischief, and I this morning; A small but balanced group. We are getting the ranch ready for spring and summer. There’s lots of snow to shovel and winter/x-mas lights to come down, but the pups are great helpers. Enjoy the day! Peace.

-Erik Gasner

It probably goes without saying that Simba Ranch’s website has been completely renovated and after months of painstaking writing, editing, and testing, we are finally ready to present it to the public!! In addition to a whole host of new information and photos, we have also begun regular posts for our “Dog Blog” to keep you up-to-date on the latest goings-on at the ranch no matter where you are in the world. Don’t forget to check back periodically for even more updates and new info!

For now, please take a moment to look around and familiarize yourselves with all of the new pages and posts and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or (heaven forbid) problems viewing our new site.

Also- If you have not already received our Spring Newsletter by email or snail mail, please take a moment to download it now and learn about some of our plans for the coming months!