Dog Star Ranch is…
beautifully organized chaos.This year reminds me of a time back when I was a teenager when my mom and I decided to drive out to the lake to watch a storm come in, like we’ve done many times before, but this time we were unaware of its size. This time the storm threw large branches in our way, we heard trees falling in the distance, and the sky morphed from bright blue to pure black within minutes. We thought about turning back, but all we could do was keep going forward. We had to take detours when trees blocked our familiar roads and explore new paths we never thought about taking before. And even though it was scary, the thought of turning back from this storm did not feel like an option or us. Once we finally made it to the beach, the view was breathtaking. The waves crashed over the road, the strong winds swayed huge mountain-like trees, beach sand had completely engulfed the road, and in the distance we saw the sunset trying to show us the light. It was a mess, but a beautiful one.
Carol and her trusty sidekick Mika representing DSR in the 4th of July parade in 2006
This year, for most business owners, is like that drive. It has tested us in ways we never though we’d be tested. We have had to change the way we see the world, and our business. It has been one heck of a drive so far, but we are not turning back; we are facing this storm head-on and we believe once we make it through to the other side, we will not only be a better business, but better people as well.
It is amazing when you think that at one point Dog Star Ranch was just an idea. Carol had a dream to help dogs, and in the beginning she wanted to open a rescue. The thought of saving all the dogs who didn’t have homes and giving them a place to feel safe until they found their forever family fueled her passion, but once she started researching rescues she saw a component that was missing. Dogs may find forever families, but what happens to the dogs who find forever families but need more? Dogs struggling with fear-based aggression, excessive energy, or separation anxiety; how could a family possible hope to keep their dog without a way to help their specific needs? Carol wanted to create a community for dogs and their humans. She wanted a place where people could learn and grow with their dogs; somewhere for dogs to gain confidence, comfort and structure. A second family, a Dog Star Ranch family.
Growing up a Dog Star Kid has its perks!
It took a lot to get Dog Star Ranch up and running, and over the years the Yarnold family has grown right alongside it. I, myself, was only twelve when Dog Star Ranch first opened. Our family has personally watched many dogs grow from puppies to seniors over the years, and have had many tearful goodbyes when it was their time to cross the rainbow bridge and join all the others in dog heaven. In the beginning it was only the three of us: Carol, Pat, and myself. Now our Dog Star Ranch family grows with each passing year, and we adore it. It has been almost twenty years and in that time we have added and lost great teammates, each of them leaving a piece of themselves behind that has helped our business grow. As a business we structure our DSR Team to feel and be treated like family, with Carol being the Momma Bear of course.
So how has COVID changed the way we see and run our business?
Well, although the original Dog Star Ranch idea was amazing, it had one flaw. We can’t know everything. This is something that has taken a pandemic to realize. Although Dog Star Ranch was once a one stop shop for all things dogs, the pandemic made us reevaluate everything. We could no longer offer services we once did because they involved human-to-human contact, so we had to sit down and make some very hard decisions. Not only did we just have to make these difficult decisions, we had to make them quickly to keep up with ever changing condition of our state. At first we were terrified. What if we lose clients, what if people are upset, how can we best help the dogs without endangering our DSR family? We reluctantly closed our office doors, built a fence around what was once our After Hours door to ensure that both clients and staff felt safe, and discontinued services that involved human contact, like our private training and the Dog Gone Waggin’.
It broke our hearts to have to make some of these decisions, but we needed to focus on Dog Star Ranch’s core services if we were going to survive. And then something crazy happened. By focusing on the core services of our business, we found that we could actually help the dogs more than we could before. We are currently adding on to our community by finding trainers we know and trust to refer clients to, along with discussing ways to help newly adopted dogs from rescues again, and exploring ways to become more involved with our parks and its members. We use to see Dog Star Ranch as a place to get everything you need, but now we have found a beautiful balance of canine care and community.
What does the future of Dog Star Ranch look like?
Well, if the 2008 recession and the coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it’s this: Dog Star Ranch is here to stay. Our love for the dogs and our pure untamed stubbornness will keep us pushing through any weather, any storm. As far as what Dog Star Ranch will look like in five or ten years, we are honestly unsure. What we do know is that we are enjoying the path Dog Star Ranch is on currently, and our hope is to continue to be a place of knowledge, adventure, and joy; a second home for all DSR dogs, a friendship hub for members, a search engine to get you and your dog what you need, and to give back all the love and appreciation we have received over the years.
The Yarnold family may have founded Dog Star Ranch, but the dogs have taken it over. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
