Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Cline.
Hi Caroline, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi! My name is Caroline Cline. My husband, JT, and I own MS Flyway Retrievers. As long as I can remember, I have always loved animals. I received my first dog at the age of 10. I decided to take a few basic obedience training classes with her, and I believe that is where my love for training dogs truly began. Fast forward 10 years, JT and I bought our first Labrador, Rye. We have always loved duck hunting together, from being friends, dating, and now married for two years. We knew we wanted to train our first dog together to be our duck dog so we went all in, buying books, DVDs, and anything we needed to train him.
After months of working with Rye, we took him on his first hunt, and I remember these moments like they were yesterday. As soon as Rye retrieved his first duck, we both glanced at each other and knew we were hooked. After that duck season, we started training him even more in-depth. The bond we have formed with Rye is one we do not take for granted. While attending a community college close to home, a friend asked me if I would be willing to train his dog to become a retriever. Training Nelli gave me the confidence to know I had the ability to train other dogs, not just my own. The summer after my first year of college, I agreed to train four dogs while I was home. Once again, this boosted my confidence greatly. I then chose to attend Mississippi College to finish my degrees in Psychology and Marketing. After a long three years in the books, I graduated from MC in 2020.
I ultimately knew what I wanted to do with my life– train dogs. However, afraid of the commitment and rigor it takes to jump into starting a business, I decided to go a different route. I worked an office job for nearly a year and was very grateful for the experience this provided me. After much prayer and consideration, I chose to leave this job and begin my MS Flyway Retrievers journey with four dogs to train. I had the privilege of working beside multiple professional trainers during this time. Since then, I have moved locations, added my husband as co-owner, and grown the business greatly.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Taking the leap of faith to open up one’s own business is an obstacle in itself. It can be scary and exciting all at the same time. There have been many moments when I have second-guessed myself and wondered if I was making all of the correct moves forward. When you are the owner, any of the business’s downfalls fall on you.
Finding trustworthy employees who love dogs like we do can also be a challenge. We are very blessed to have Lily Redd and Casey Bass as part-time employees. They are vital components in the reliability of this business. I truly feel like I am living the dream alongside my husband due to the unending support of our family, friends, employees, and clients.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
MS Flyway Retrievers offers gundog and obedience training for most breeds as well as boarding. On our gated 18-acre property, we have our 1260 square footage building enclosed along with a 2-acre pond. We offer our regular kennels and climate-controlled kennels. Our facility has commercial-grade fencing, airing yards, custom-built kennels, a 24/7 surveillance system, and temperature monitoring.
The large airing yards are great for dogs to stretch their legs, take a bathroom break, and meet lots of new dog friends. Everything we have built was thoroughly thought through with your dog’s well-being and safety in mind. Cleanliness is a top priority at our facility. We communicate with the owners on a weekly basis and give lots of updates with pictures/videos. Our goal is for our client’s dogs to feel like they are a part of our family when they are here. We would love to train or board your pup!
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
As followers of Christ, ultimately we measure our success by being the hands and feet of Jesus even through working with dogs.
We strive to make His name known through our words and actions with our clients and dogs. We desire to further His Kingdom through our work in MS Flyway Retrievers.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ms_flywayretrievers
- Facebook: MS Flyway Retrievers
Image Credits
Out Yonder Media
