About Us
Who We Are
A family-owned dog care service rooted in trust, experience, and community.
Neighborly Leash is a family-owned and operated dog care service offering professional, personalized care right here in Waxhaw.
With a background in service-dog nurturing and training, and an intentionally small client base, we provide dependable, relationship-driven care that truly feels personal. Because we believe the best care comes from people who know you, your dog, and your neighborhood.
Rebecca Vreeland
Founder & Director of Dog Care
Rebecca Vreeland is the heart behind Neighborly Leash, with a lifetime of experience caring for and working alongside dogs. Before founding Neighborly Leash, she worked with Project 2 Heal, a service-dog nurturing nonprofit, where she served as a Puppy Development Specialist/Dog Trainer and Assistant Manager.
That experience shaped her calm, consistent approach to dog care and deepened her respect for the trust pet parents place in those who care for their dogs.
Richard Vreeland
Operations & Training Support
Richard Vreeland is the biggest supporter of Neighborly Leash and a familiar helping hand behind the scenes. You may even spot him on your door camera from time to time, lending support wherever needed.
By day, Richard teaches Math at Weddington Middle School, bringing patience, structure, and a calm presence to everything he does—qualities that translate beautifully to working around dogs. He shares the same deep love and respect for dogs that inspired Neighborly Leash and is always happy to step in when an extra set of hands (or treats) is helpful.
Richard’s support helps keep Neighborly Leash running smoothly, and clients can rest easy knowing every dog is surrounded by people who genuinely care.
Charlie Petrizzo
Training Advisor
Charlie Petrizzo is the founder of Project 2 Heal, a respected service-dog nonprofit supporting children with disabilities and veterans. With more than 20 years of experience breeding, raising, training, and donating English Labrador Retrievers as service dogs, Charlie brings deep expertise in canine development and training.
His life and mission are featured in the documentary Charlie’s Scars, and he is the author of 7 Lessons for Healing the Hurt, where he shares the heart behind his work.
Charlie actively supports our training services at Neighborly Leash—helping design programs, offering guidance, and overseeing progress when needed. We also operate on his property, a space intentionally designed for canine training and enrichment.
With Charlie involved, our clients receive training rooted in decades of real-world service-dog experience—not trends or one-size-fits-all methods.