One of the very first things I remember about the week that I met my husband John was that he LOVED his dog and that he had the most well-behaved dog I had ever met. At the time, his first love was a Rottweiler named Kacie. John has had a connection with animals since he was a young boy, hired to train his neighbor’s dog at just twelve years old. 40-something years of experience later, he still has that same confidence that can’t be taught and a passion and connection that you can only be born with. His talents have spanned from dog training to horse training, and believe it or not…even duck training. He’s the kind of guy who reminds you not to take life too seriously, to have a little fun, to go a little further, and to do a little better than you thought you could the day before. 

So where do I come in?  My Master’s Degee in curriculum and instruction has allowed me to put words and validation to the methods that John uses. Hours and hours of watching his connection with dogs and seeing their success has allowed me a front-row seat to apply the principles of shaping behavior and to interpret how he breaks down instruction into measurable and achievable steps that work. My role is to narrate his training, empower and educate our buyers, and help them find their Best of the Best Friends Match. Additionally, I love to communicate, research, plan, think ahead, perfect things, and check off boxes… critical tools for good breeding practices and healthy dog care. 

Together we share good business sense and an entrepreneurial spirit with a passion to help others live their Best Lives. We own two pediatric therapy clinics located in Orland Park and Aurora, IL and have been honored to serve families whose children have delays or special needs through that business for more than 20 years. We also own a horse boarding facility in Peotone, IL. Our connections to those businesses have taught us a great deal about customer service, the importance of people and families, and the humane and ethical treatment of animals.

Over the past 25+ years, we have raised four incredible adult children, all of which play a critical part in our businesses. We LOVE our family and we LOVE what we do. Three businesses and four children? So how do we do it? Well, we don’t sleep much. We’re just having too much fun to find time for that. So we are able to do it by the grace of God and with the support of our amazing family, great mentors, and teammates who love, love, love what they do. We truly believe that if you do something you love with someone you love, you’ll never work a day in your life… and that becomes more true for us every day. Whether we are working with the dogs at our ranch in Peotone, IL or in our home in Mokena, IL it all feels like a blessing and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to do what we do.

We were recently asked if we would still have as many dogs as we do if we weren’t breeding and training, and we just couldn’t even fathom what it would be like to have a one-dog household again. The answer is yes, we would still want to spend our days and nights doing exactly what we do now…caring for amazing dogs and helping really great families because…

Quite honestly, this is our dream. 

Thanks for getting to know us and for taking the time to learn about our breeding and training program. We can’t wait to get to know you better and learn how we can help!  

Best Life Vibes,

Janis Bautz