Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Bendlin.

Hi Julie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Jimmy and I have always been entrepreneurs, and we have always loved dogs. So, we naturally came up with a way to work full time with dogs. First up was learning a new skill, grooming! Off to classes, expos, and watching all we could on YouTube. All our free time was spent learning the trade. We didn’t turn on Netflix, we turned on grooming how to on YouTube. We quickly made a booming business with our spa dog salon and boarding retreat in NW Iowa. After about a year we knew we could make this business anywhere in the country. We started looking into relocating to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Paw Patch, an amazing boarding facility, just happened to be for sale. Even though we didn’t know at the time how we could even purchase the business we took the first step and reached out. God has a way of opening doors even when it doesn’t seem possible. If you have a dream just do it! Take the first step.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely not easy to change your career path, change your family’s home state, and learn new skills. But it’s always worth the work involved. It’s almost like leveling up in life, everything seems better. It’s hard in the transition period, but it will make life easier and more fulfilling down the road. But you hit a point where you could turn back and forget the hard work and troubles of going forward or you can keep pushing through it. Just keep pushing forward. It is the only option. You can’t make your dreams come true sitting on easy street. Sure, it may be easier, but it won’t be what God put you here to do. That takes courage and growth. Our family has had to have a lot of sacrifices for this to work. Together we have grown closer because of it. Lots of hard work ahead and lots more Blessings as well. We are very optimistic of our future here in the Black Hills!

We’ve been impressed with Paw Patch , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are dog care professionals. Dog Spa services /grooming and dog boarding / daycare. Before we did this work, I saw flaws in how regular grooming/boarding facilities were doing it. My dogs are my babies so I knew it could be better. We put a one-on-one spa /retreat spin to the ordinary dog grooming/boarding business. We chose a beautiful blue color to accent the spa. It became part of our branding. We offer dog facials, massage, diamond grit nail buffing, aromatherapy and many more spa services to pamper your pup! For boarding we don’t charge extra for things other places do, such as extra outdoor time, digital photos of your pet, stuffed Kong treat, pup cups, enrichment play like ball pit and scented bubbles, crafts and holiday parties! We stive for your pet to have a good time while they are here. Dogs are so excited to come back. We hear all the time how excited the dogs are to pull into our parking lot. We take caring for your pet very seriously; pets are an extension of people’s hearts. We are essentially caring for the people just as much as caring for their pet.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
As kids we both had a love for animals. I actually wanted to be a vet but quickly decided against it seeing how my family dog didn’t like the vet. Years later I run a dog care where the dogs are so happy to see me! Jimmy and I were both hard workers do it yourself-errs. We met in high-school and have been married for over 20 years. We have always had dogs, adopted our first pup when we were just dating. We both started jobs early. Never been afraid of work. We have this connection where we can bounce ideas off each other and come up with some pretty amazing things. Why not make a living and support our family while enjoying everything life has to offer?!