10/05/2026
🐶5 YEARS OF DAKOTA DOGS 🐶
Five years. I honestly don’t even know how that happened.
When I started Dakota Dogs, my intention was never to build it into what it is today.
After getting my nursing degree, I always had my full-time nursing career while grooming part-time on the side. Grooming was something I genuinely loved, but nursing was my career.
Then we moved here.
I was working bedside, straight nights full-time, and if you know a nurse — or you ARE a nurse — you know exactly what I mean when I say there are times when you just need to step back for a minute.
I found myself really missing working with dogs. I missed the dogs themselves. I missed seeing how happy they were to see me. I missed being able to help them feel better and leave feeling good about themselves. I missed the relationships I had built with the dogs So I decided that, for me, I needed to step back a little and take a small break. I wanted to get back into grooming.
It just so happened that I kept seeing people asking all the time for groomers. And I thought, “Hey… maybe I can take a leap and start a little part-time thing out of my house.” So that’s what I did. A little part-time grooming business out of my house.
And then it just… kept growing.
And growing.
And growing.
Before I knew it, I was working overnights as a nurse and grooming almost five days a week. I was exhausted, stretched thin, and eventually I had to make a choice. I decided I was going to step away from nursing and put all my eggs in this basket.
And wow… what a leap that was.
Five years later, I look back and think about that girl grooming out of her house, and I honestly don’t think she could have imagined what was coming. Dakota Dogs has grown so far beyond anything I ever intended it to be. Today, we have four great team members, we have a full shop out of the garage that once was, we have added a retail area and we are still growing and looking to add more to our team and services.
I am incredibly grateful for the people who show up every day, work hard, care about the dogs, and help make Dakota Dogs what it is.
And then there is our clients.
Every person who trusted me with their dog in those early days, every client who followed us as we grew, every person who recommended us to a friend, shared a post, left a review, supported us, or simply continued to come back — thank you.
You are the reason that little idea became what it is today.
Five years ago, I was just thinking, “Maybe I can groom a few dogs out of my house.”
Today, I’m celebrating FIVE YEARS of Dakota Dogs.
And the part that makes me so grateful is…
This was never my intention. I never planned to get this far.
But I am so damn glad I did.
Five years. So many dogs. So many memories. So many lessons. And so much more to come. 🐾
Thank you for five incredible years of Dakota Dogs. Thank you to my team, my clients, and every single person who has supported me and also those that have taught me a lesson along the way. You are all amazing, and I truly wouldn’t be here without you. THANK YOU ALL!
