Love for animals turns into a doggone passion

TAYLOR TERRY

Taylor Terry went became a dog breeder after adopting Kaya, a cockapoo, when she was a student at North Carolina A&T State University.

Taylor Terry helps match people with their perfect furever friend.

Terry is a full-time cockapoo and goldendoodle breeder who became attached to the breeds after adopting a cockapoo as a student at North Carolina A&T State University. Pups range $3,500 to $4,000.

“It’s just my passion,” Terry said. “This is what God called me to do, just to help animals, save animals, create animals, give them to families.”

Terry, 26, who grew up in White Plains, New York, graduated A&T in 2020 with a degree in animal science. She moved to Charlotte shortly thereafter.

“I always had love for animals, even as a kid,” Terry said. “I had any animal you can name – dogs, cat, rabbit, fish, turtles. Like everything.”

As the world coped with the Covid-19 pandemic, Terry saw an opportunity to kickstart a career that could generate steady income.

“Everybody was stuck in their house trying to figure out how to make money and I already had a dog,” she said, “so I bred her, and it just honestly took off from there.”

The business took off thanks to Tik Tok, an app that grew in popularity among people looking to engage and stay entertained during the pandemic. Terry created an account called Charlotte Doodles and became social media famous by using the platform to find homes for the pups. She also uses an Instagram account, Myyforever.bestfriend, to grow her business and create a community.

“I have almost 130,000 followers,” she said. “I try to post every day. Post behind the scenes and things like that. I think that is why my business is so successful, because I show a lot of my life behind the scene, how my puppies are taken care of.”

Terry said though it is a difficult process, the animals are loved and taken care of. She said the most difficult part is the quantity of dogs at her home, but she still ensures they go to good homes.

“Having males and females makes a little harder, and then puppies they do have a puppy room, so they have their own area where they stay,” Terry said. “I do, when they get older, take them outside and take them around the house.

“Taking care of the puppies can be a little harder when it comes to them pooping, not being potty trained. When they get older, they’re always crying in the morning to let them out, so it can get overwhelming, but they’re very loved and cared for.”

When puppies are ready for a home, Terry maintains a close connection with clients that extends after adoption.

“My clients … are in a group chat, so they do talk back-and-forth, or clients will read out sending me update pictures and things like that,” she said.

Though this work is near and dear to Terry, not everyone approves of breeding animals and think is a dangerous activity.

“I’ve been told that like ‘you’re [adding] to the shelter population by breeding dogs and there’s a lot of dogs and shelters with that,’” she said. “My dogs come with a contract, so let’s say a family no longer want one of the dogs. The dog must be returned to me so none of my dogs go to shelters.”

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