In 2007 we were devastated when we received our sons diagnosis of autism. Little did we know at the time that that diagnosis would grow our faith and lead us to where we are today. After a two year battle with the local public school district refusing to keep my son enrolled in school due to his behavior issues, he was enrolled in a private Christian school with the local public school paying his tuition since they did not have accommodations for “that type of child” in their district. Our prayers were answered, our son was flourishing in his new school. Finally,  praise God….life was normal at last. But, our story had only begun.  In 2010 we learned our sons school was closing due to lack of enrollment as our economy in Northeast Ohio was declining due to a major employer in our community, General Motors, closing it’s doors and relocating. The failing economy also started to affect my job and my husband’s job.

At this point we felt God was closing doors for us, so we prayed and began seeking what to do next. Our prayers led us to East Tennessee,  living close to family. We enrolled our children, daughter Bailey age 13 and our son Logan was 10, in the local public school. We decided to try our son in public schools since we were in the bible belt, and we had heard good things about the school system.  Logan was going into 5th grade, and I requested he not be in regular classes due to his past struggles in a large public classroom. Logan started 5th grade enrolled in the ABC class, Academically and Behaviorally Challenged. After several weeks of what I thought was a successful school year, I got the dreaded call from the school principal. I was accustomed to getting these calls, so when requested to schedule a meeting…I was well prepared. As usual the meeting included the principal,  the teacher,  and of course myself. “Please God, don’t let him get suspended, I don’t know if I have enough fight left in me…..I don’t want to go through this all again.” Much to my surprise,  the meeting started with “we love having Logan in class,  but he needs to be in a typical classroom with positive role models. His issues are too mild for him to be in the classroom environment that he is currently in”. Excited but scared, I did not fully trust God to give Logan the ability to handle this on his own. So I decided to look for ways to help Logan. I found the perfect solution, a service dog for kids with autism.  And I thought God so conveniently placed me in the same town where they train service dogs for autistic kids. Perfect, we love dogs, this was the answer, this was God’s plan all along.Nope, Logan wanted nothing to do with a service dog. He wanted to be “normal” like the other kids. But how do I tell him that he is not like other kids,  what will I do when he fails again….I need to have a backup plan….because I need to be in control. I mean, I trust God….but, what if???? So instead of getting a service dog for Logan, I just signed up to foster and train a dog for the agency, Wilderwood Service Dogs. That way when things fell apart at school, I was one step closer to having the answer to Logan’s problem.

As the year went on,  our foster dog, service dog in training,  Pearl,excelled and completed her training. Once she turned a year old, it was time to give her back to the program to finish her training to be a full fledged service dog for a child in need. It was a sad but rewarding time in our lives. We eventually got to meet the child and his family that received the dog we helped train….we had closure and all was good for Pearl and her new family.

Logan was excelling in school in his “normal” classroom. He liked school and was making friends. Just what I had always prayed for.
Loving life but missing having a doodle in my life…I started looking for a doodle for me!! I came across an ad for a Bernedoodle. I had never heard of one, but all doodles were alike…right! Nope…it turns out that Bernedoodles were magnificent….and perfect candidates to make great service dogs. They are large, strong, smart, loyal, loveable and low shedding gentle giants. I quickly purchased my first Bernedoodle, Rocky. Rocky proved to be everything I thought and hoped he would be. Rocky is currently a certified therapy dog for UT’s program H.A.B.I.T.Human Animal Bond in Tennessee. Next I purchased a standard poodle female named Lilly, who currently is also a certified HABIT dog. I began breeding my own dogs. I currently have two of my past puppies, Lola and Micah, who are serving their owners as Service dogs.

I am so proud of my dogs, and so thankful for where I’ve been, and for where God has brought me and my family.
​My goal is simple…I want to produce the healthiest and best temperamented dogs in the world….and make them available for people with all kinds of needs and desires. It is fun to raise them, and hard to let them go. But in I Peter 4:10, it says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful steward’s of God’s grace in its various forms.” I truly believe that it is no coincidence that God brought me here to East Tennessee, and it’s no coincidence that he gave me my son, and that he provided people in my path to help me to where I am today. I believe that it is my calling to breed, raise , and share these incredible dogs. It is my passion and my ministry. I love helping others, and plan to continue to volunteer with Rocky and Lilly as we visit nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. And I hope to continue supplying people with great dogs whether they are pets, service or therapy dogs.

Our puppies are very well socialized as babies, they are a very important part of our family.