About
Clara
My grandma Barb with their family dog,
Shoeshoe, in 1979.
My twin, Mariah, and I
with sweet Clara.
My sister, Micaela, with my grandma Barb, our Westie Snowflake, and Clara.
Why Clara's Dogs? Who is Clara? Is your name Clara? Why not use your own name? For a long time I was trying to come up with a name to hopefully use for a kennel some day. And for awhile I was trying to find a name to match that but to use for a dog sitting business right now. (As dreams and passions have changed a kennel was always a dream of mine from a young age.) You may be asking yourself those questions or questions similar to those above. So let me tell you a little about Clara.
If you're anything like me you have an inspiration in your life. For me, I have many people that inspire me in different aspects of my life. One inspiration I had growing up was my Grandma Barb. She joined our Heavenly Father when cancer took her when I was 13. Lots of things come to mind when thinking about her. Things like her faith, cooking, had such a style (she raised us to always be proud of a good sale rack find), a HUGE heart, and dogs are just the beginning. Growing up and going down to "Grandpa and Grandma's Farm" was always a highlight. Big yard to run in, ice cream for breakfast, evergreens to find asparagus under for supper, a pond to catch frogs in, hills to roll down, and always DOGS.
My grandparents always had dogs. One dog in particular, I grew very fond of and remember the most. She was a beautiful Golden Retriever who loved about everyone she met. She had a heart of gold just like her coat color and of course my Grandma's heart. Her heart and my Grandma's heart, being so similar in charm, were just the beginning of explaining how radiant they both were. They both were so gentle, kind, patient, but yet had spunk to them. They shared inside beauty as well as outside beauty. They possessed a grace that I can only try to describe.
So in honor of my Grandma Barb and sweet Clara, the first dog I ever remember loving, I give you the name of my business. Welcome to Clara's Dogs where I hope to give your dog and the dogs I raise the love Clara and my grandma Barb would give everyone.
My Story and the First Part of Clara's Dogs...
In Home Dog Sitting and Dog Walking
I was born into a family I am so thankful and blessed to call mine. I am the middle daughter between two beautiful sisters, one whom is my twin although we get mistaken as triplets. I am a Christian, a fan of Dukes of Hazzard thanks to my dad, love spending time outside, enjoy Sunday mornings, and have not met a dog I haven't fallen in love with right away. As long as I can remember I have loved dogs and they have always been apart of my life.
I graduated high school in 2018 and opt not to go to college. I wanted to do something other than the norm and make my own path in the world. I have learned a lot from books, the people around me, and experiencing things in the real world hands on. My parents operate their own business and I am blessed to have been able to learn a lot about that world from them. I believe education is a good thing but if you work hard towards what you want in life, that can get you just as far as college would.
My plans have most definitely changed since graduating. I have gone from being super excited working towards opening a dog kennel to focusing on in home dog care that I so enjoy doing. After I decided to do in home dog care to start saving money and gaining clients while searching for a property for a kennel I quickly decided how God placed this opportunity in my life for a different kind of service other than somewhere to take your dog but instead leave your dog in the comfort of their home. It has been a blessing to me and thankful God continues to direct my path. So the idea behind Clara's Dog Care was not the beginning blue print but I am so thankful it is where we landed.
and the Second Part of Clara's Dogs...
The Joy of Raising Dogs
In the summer of 2019 was the first time I ever fell in love with a boy. He was so handsome, sweet, majestic, I mean true love from the start, and did I mention gave the best kisses? Oh, I should probably start by saying his name was Champ and the cutest puppy, haha! My uncle called me down to their house one day and said "Mal, you gotta meet this puppy!" They had some good family friends over and their son had just gotten this Bernese Mountain Dog. At this time they still were not very popular dogs so I had only ever seen them on AKC or dog shows. Well I met Champ and went home and read about every possible thing I could about this breed. I knew I eventually wanted to breed Goldens at some point but wanted a breed that felt right to me and my own path as silly as that sounds. I started looking for Berners and searched and searched for one that fit all the health requirements to be a good healthy dog to breed and start a bloodline with.
One day I came across a little Amish farm in Missouri that did their absolute best to breed to the best interest of mom, dad, and puppies. That is when I came across this sweet, pure, loyal, one of a kind, beauty I named Mabel. She only grew my love for this breed and their history and I have promised myself to only every breed to honor their breed and do all that I can do to make sure I am doing my part in producing good, healthy, and happy dogs. Never to overbreed but to breed quality over quantity. Fast forward, Champ's owner found out I was going to start raising Bernese Mountain Dogs and was interested in meeting the dogs up, Mabel and Champ quickly grew to love each other and it was a perfect match. So for my love for my Mabel and my love for my Grandma's Clara, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Golden Retriever puppies will hopefully forever be a part of my life. The joy that Mabel and the rest of our dogs have brought me, I hope to bring that to others through raising healthy, beautiful dogs you can call family.