We caught up with the brilliant and insightful McKenze Ocampo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, McKenze thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?
I truly believe every job and/or volunteer position I’ve ever held has guided me to where I am today. A Goldendoodle Breeder wasn’t something I decided to do on a whim, if you know me at all you know thats not really my vibe. For most of my entire adult life I’ve worked in the dental field. Which requires a high level of patient education, a willingness to explain things in a language the average person can understand, having compassion for peoples emotions, and honestly a little bit of thick skin. Most people do not express fear/pain/stress in a positive way. When my husband and I decided to grow our family. I had a pretty undesirable birth experience with my first & after being told “You can’t just breastfeed a baby, they need more than that” HA! did I ever prove them wrong! I spent many years after deeply involved with helping other mothers succeed in nurse their own babies! I also learning about natural birth and postpartum support along the way! Being apart of the birth world taught me so much about life! When my children were babies I also became very interested in the Montessori pedagogy. I learned everything I could about it. I loved how everything was done with loving intent. That every step along the way was a building block in nuaturing and respecting the whole child. The “prepared enviornment” really sang to who I was as a mother. Then fastforward and our house felt like it was missing something speical. A DOG! The journey to getting our first Goldendoodle is a stoy of it own. I feel thankful for all I learned and experienced because each has helped me so much as I now support my Mama dogs during pregnancy, whelp litters, raising puppies, and supporting families in their new puppy was just a wonderful combo of everything I’ve ever loved to do in my life!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Man that’s a packed question, and may have answered most of it in the previous question! But let’s see…. My name is McKenze, I am a Goldendoodle Breeder in Dallas, Texas. I came into this in a pretty uncommon way. Most breeders either were born into a family who has a history of dog breeding, or they decided to do it and ask the person they purchased their dog from if they wouldn’t mind (some breeders don’t ask and just do it!). I however, was asked by my breeder if I’d ever considered being a breeder. Which the answer to that was YES. I found the entire process of his upbringing for his first 8 weeks absolutely fascinating. Like I said before, it was like watching all the puzzle pieces of my life slip together into one beautiful picture.
Standing apart from the masses, and let’s be real there is a massive amount of breeders in 2024. The funny thing is I don’t feel the need to stand apart, my goal is to stand together. I have high standards for myself when it comes to ethical breeding. I’d rather support, educate and inform those who don’t than bash and belittle them.
I’m the most proud of myself when I’m able to see, understand and make changes in the areas in which I’m struggling. Instead of ignoring them, I take them on head first. I’m not ashamed to struggle. I’m honest to a fault but my customer is my Why! I want them to not have a single doubt I went above and beyond for them, I gave them every bit of information I possibly could to help them make the decision of which puppy of mine is right for them.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I almost quit before I ever started! Not all dogs aren suited for breeding, they could have every quality you’d want but part of my ethics is insuring a dog is physically sound before breeding. This involves a number of tests done by veterinary specialists. After I decided to breed and had obtained the Rights to breed from both my dogs breeders (aka paid them more money for the dog!!). I started doing all their health testing required to be a Blue Ribbon breeder with the Goldendoodle Association of North America. Sadly my only female at the time ended up failing her hips, she was found to have hip dysplasia at just 12 months old. Her breeder unfortunately did not hold up his end of our contract, which stated he would refund the full purchase price of the puppy if she was found to be dysplastic within a year of purchase. So there I was THOUSANDS of dollars spent on a dog who I could not use for breeding, I’d been lied to, and seriously wondered if it was even worth trying!
Thankfully my determination & God doin’ his thing I quickly found myself with 2 amazing females that replaced her!
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I don’t have a business partner or co-founder so I’ll shift this question to highlight the wonderful and inspiring breeder friends I’ve made on this journey. I never stop being poured into by some of the most spectacular women. There are too many to name but they truly are the reason I’m still here. They give me a space to vent, cry, learn, mess up, and be open about everything. I am grateful for the support, love & patience they have shown me.
Contact Info:
- Website: TwilightDoodles.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/twilight_doodles
- Facebook: Facebook.com/twilightdoodles