Changing Lives - 4E Kennels Badass Breeder Healing Hearts

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeanette Forrey, Owner of 4E Kennels Badass Breeder Healing Hearts, located in Pahrump, NV, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

What started as one business has branched off into a second business and a nonprofit, all centered around the core value of the power of a dog. From breeding quality dogs that met the standards for service, facility, or therapy work to training breeders how to raise empowered puppies and raise standards while also giving a puppy a voice in their placement to founding a nonprofit where we donate fully trained dogs to those in need of their heart healed or life saved through the power of a dog. It all starts with honoring our puppies for who they are, respecting them enough to raise them on a curriculum that aligns with their sensitive developmental benchmarks, and then evaluating them for their temperament, which gives them a rightful say in their placement.

By mentoring and teaching other breeders to do the same, I can have a much larger impact on our dogs and our humans. We (the public) all want the same thing for our dogs: well-bred, cared for with the highest standard, empowered to be the best they can be, given the opportunity to be raised in an empowering way where their needs are being met, and they are given the critical foundation that the world is safe, people are kind, and dogs are friendly. Puppies that believe in their own abilities are then loved and honored for being them. No strings attached.

This essential information is then handed to their new humans to first decide if it is a proper fit for both. Can they meet the needs of this puppy, and just as importantly, will the needs and desires that they want from a dog also be encapsulated in this pup? When this love language aligns, and humans are allowed to select a puppy based on their innate needs, a beautiful thing happens. Dogs’ needs are met, the human's heart is fulfilled, and their souls become intertwined as one. And that is when we get that “once in a lifetime” dog. But why not have a second-in-a-lifetime dog? And heck, why not a 3rd? It is that match that makes it magical. And the education and information regarding what that puppy needs to be its best. Going into any relationship with a willing heart and open communication is key.

My program, as well as my breeding program, Empowered Badass Breeders, ensures you have the tools you need to raise a puppy through respect and love, with the ability to communicate with them correctly is our mission. Knowledge is empowering. And until we realize that good breeding is required and necessary for our beloved canines to thrive, we will be stuck in this vicious cycle (that doesn't make sense) that the only dog of value is one that is rescued, which almost always is gained by the proxy of an ill-intentioned breeder.

Empowering Breeders
Empowering Owners
Empowering Dog

And for the first time, we unite to create a community all on the same page because our dogs deserve more.

Tell us about yourself

I taught middle school for ten years and was feeling burned out. Unable to reach my at-risk as I felt it was desperately needed. I was working with my little poodle every Thursday night at a long-term care facility and loved it. I also saw how much one dog could have an impact on so many people, let alone an entire building. I had a crazy idea! What if I have a dog in the classroom full-time? So, I made it happen and what I saw was a beautiful thing. The environment did shift.

Kids did improve in attendance and academics, and the entire community benefited (staff and parents) from this one 10-pound dog. The problem was that my dog did not love being at school. He didn't appreciate all the swooning (he could only tolerate so much) and the unpredictability of a middle school, from intense human emotions (extreme highs and lows), fire drills, pre-rallies, etc.
I knew I needed to honor him and replace him. This was when I got my first experience dealing with breeders, and I was surprised that so very few were working puppies on a curriculum, let alone evaluating temperament to ensure proper placement. After wallowing in a little bit of pity, I decided to have one litter.

Raise them the way I felt they should be raised and then choose the one puppy that I felt "applied for the job" through an evaluation. However, what was supposed to be one litter, has turned into three different avenues of my business, and I have resigned from teaching. What I found was a great need for dogs to be honored through an evaluation and raised in an empowering, enriching environment. I, to this day, have yet to keep my "one" puppy. The ability to be the voice for our puppies and now teach other breeders to do the same is what motivated me each day. I have been given a special gift of being able to read and understand what a puppy is telling us, and it is my obligation to share, teach and inspire.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is producing a dog that literally has saved lives, the book I have written that have changed breeder's lives, a software. I developed that has given breeder's the first opportunity ever to keep all their program in one place, and most importantly devised a breeding program that is changing dogs' lives. I have had three different segments on National News (Good Morning America) which was powerful to be able to have a breeder represented in a positive light.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The decision fatigue, the isolation, the necessity of having to make life and death decisions sometimes, the weight of having animals and staff that count on me, the pressure of clients and mentees having succeeded and thriving, and the trolls/haters on social media. I do tend to shut down sometimes because it does get overwhelming.

This is a business that carries some very opinionated statements, judgments run thick, death threats have been made, and some days I just don't know that I am the person to push for an industry change. But when I fall. I always rise. The power of a dog has saved me and changed my life, too, and all I want is to give back to our dogs and provide the same comfort to other people I have had in my darkest times.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Make sure you take the time each day for self-love. It is so easy to lose yourself when trying to grow. Set boundaries for when you are available and when you are off the grid, so to speak. You do not need to be 100% available to people just because our cell phones allow it.
Make short goals and tackle them first rather than large, sweeping goals that cause burnout and frustration. It is the little victories that continue moving you forward.
Give yourself permission to fail. You will be told no. Ideas will not come to fruition. Mistakes will be made. It is easy to be able to look back and say, "If only I would have done this instead." Do not get trapped in that unhealthy cycle. Instead, take every failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. A chance to be better and better. Ultimately, I must tell myself that I am just not quite ready yet. Continue working, seeking clarity, and improving. And then try again. Or maybe even evaluate and pivot. You must be adaptable and flexible while also maintaining a fierce determination.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.4ekennels.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4ekennelsbadassbreeder
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4ekennels/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/4ekennels
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/4e-kennels-b1533b15a/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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