Scheryl Grant
I have always had a love of animals and enjoyed working with them. My first passion was horses. Two years out of High School I decided I wanted to be a vet. So, I enrolled in a Junior College to start my 2 year pre vet. Living on my own with no help from parents, because they did not believe girls should go to college, I made it a year and a half, ran out of money and was unable to finish. I took a home study course in vet assistance, but was not able to find work with any vet. Therefore, it was back to waiting on tables.
In 1977, I married my husband, Don Grant and we opened a fast food restaurant in a small town in Iowa. Five years later it folded due to lack of business from a slow economy. So back to waitressing I went. We bought a 10-acre place in Bennett and proceeded to start raising Shiba Inus. Looking for ways to train these dogs, my mother-in-law, who lived with us at the time sent for a video, thinking it was how to train your dog at home. When we received the video it was on the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers. We drove to Ohio to visit the school to see what it was, and after learning that I could borrow from my life insurance, I decided to enroll. I graduated in July of 1994.
Working full time and training dogs part time for another year, before I quit my job and started training full time. I started out of my home and I had 17 crates in my house with dogs. So we decided to build a kennel and we now have 34 kennels. This is where Starlite Academy was born. I added teaching tracking classes and Don and I started Search Paws K-9 SAR Group. I am expanding my business to include support dogs, service dogs, drug dogs, and cancer dogs.
I enjoy going to work every day now! The thought of helping someone enjoy their four legged companions, whether it be just a well behaved dog or a dog that aids the person in their everyday life is a very rewarding job.