From a fear of every dog to running a growing small business that surrounds her with man’s best friend every second of her day. This has been the reality of Rebecca Price ever since she looked into the one shining blue eye of a puppy.
“I don’t know that I chose Joran; I think that dogs choose us. When we met, I just fell in love, and he chose me. It was love at first sight, really” Price said.
While she knew Joran would be an integral part of her life, she didn’t know how much he would change it forever. Price has run a business called Dalmatia BnB since 2021, where she trains, boards, and cares for the dogs in her community. However, there is another facet of her business that came from her less “furry” family.
“Years down the road, my kids decided that they wanted puppies. So, we looked at different breeds and decided we wanted Dalmatians. Then we got Dalmatian puppies and we now breed Dalmatians” Price said.
She not only wants to provide care to someone’s favorite canine friend, but also gives people the friend they didn’t know they needed. All this work is beneficial to those in the community, but also helps her after being in the Military.
“I found that working with dogs keeps my mind and my hands busy. I can’t lie around and be depressed. So, it’s just a line of work that helps me therapeutically and helps other people, so it’s a win-win situation” Price said.
After realizing how much dogs have helped her after service, Price decided she wanted to do what she could to pass it along. She just started a non-profit known as Battle Buddies. In this, service dogs will be trained for veterans at no charge, helping them grapple with issues such as PTSD or a physical disability.
“I’m a veteran myself and have PTSD. I know how therapeutic dogs can be in helping through these trials. I’m really excited to give back. I have the skills to do it, so I wanna help” Price said.
The program not only helps the veterans but also helps rescue dogs. Dogs in the program are carefully chosen from local shelters to give them a new purpose and a forever home. All this work is completely donation-based, and if you want to donate, you can do so at the Dalmatia BnB website.
After all of this, many would think she has her hands full, but she still has other programs that help those in need. She helps train dogs recently adopted from a shelter for free if the family is considering sending the dog back. She shoots videos for the shelter dogs to help them find their new home. She even works with a program called BESTY to take care of dogs for families in difficult situations such as families in the Ronald McDonald house or women in domestic violence shelters.
“It’s free for the client so they can get through their ordeal and have peace of mind knowing their dogs are being cared for” Price said.
This is enough charitable work for a lifetime, but Price has one new venture she just started on May 29th. Price and her dog Faith are now certified to do therapy work at Golden Valley Memorial Hospital in Clinton.
“We will go there every Thursday to work with patients. We will also be going to Clinton Healthcare and Rehab to work as well” Price said.
This work has kept her busy, but there are many other aspects to her life. She has her master’s degree in psychology and organizational development, has traveled to Germany and Costa Rica, and was in a firing squad salute in Verdun, France. However, she says nothing tops the relationship she has with her kids. They do activities such as rock climbing, she is going to Greece with her newly graduated daughter, and loves going to the firing range with her son. She has four children, and they are about as close as you will find any family to be.
“I’m just really proud of my connection with my kids” Price said. “A lot of moms don’t have that, and I feel really blessed that my kids can come to me with anything. We just have a really strong bond.”
A growing, successful business that she loves, multiple fulfilling charity endeavors, and a loving family. For many, that sounds like a dream life and for Price, she says she could not be happier.
“I always say this, I love my job, and it loves me back,” Price said. “I wish everybody could come to that point in their life where they love what they do every day because it’s such bliss. There is no other way to put it. It’s just beautiful.”
