Daryl Miller Davey was a wife, mother, and dog trainer, specializing in big dogs with special problems. Her clients were upscale residents of the San Francisco mid-peninsula, who loved Daryl and swore by her as a trainer. She also ran volunteer or low-cost seminars and classes in a local Atherton park. Folks remember her daughter, little Devon, asleep in the shade of the big trees, while her older brother, John, helped demonstrate the lessons with Daryl's German Shepherd, Beowulf.

Daryl took dogs into her home to correct particular behavioral problems, kenneled dogs while clients were on vacation, and often took dogs to the vet when their working owners couldn't.

She was often seen with her charges, running the pathways under the trees that canopy the roads of Atherton. She never stopped looking for the best leash, the best choke chain, the best water bowl, the best food.

Daryl foresaw the change in working demographics, with both parents away during the day, and the need for what she called Doggie Daycare Centers, and was planning one in the last year of her life when cancer took her from her family and friends at the age of 45. She chose a name for her business: The Good Dog Company.

Oakland artist Dan May does limited edition monoprints. Daryl had been given one of his prints, a goofy dog with a halo, and received May's permission to use it as a basis for her company logo. The final artwork was done by her husband's sister, Kit.

Two months after Daryl's death, a memorial service was held at Holbrook Palmer Park. Hundreds of friends, clients and their dogs came to say goodbye.

Daryl's and Beowulf's ashes are scattered on a hilltop at Big Sur.

This Website is a tribute to Daryl from her children and her husband, John. Although Daryl and her dogs are no longer with us, Daryl's "Beowulf" booklet Bringing Home a Super Puppy, her love of a healthy lifestyle, her love for her family, her love and concern for dogs, and her dreams, live on.