COVINGTON, Ind. — It wasn’t that Kristy Schroeder of Covington, Ind., didn’t like her job; but the dream of running her own business just wouldn’t go away.

Last year, after doing some research — and some serious soul-searching — she finally decided to combine her knack for business with her lifelong passion for man’s best friend.

The goal? To create a one-stop shop for Covington’s dog owners, offering everything from grooming and boarding to doggy “bling” and organic treats.

“I’m just so excited that what I love is able to support me,” she said about her budding business, Barking Mad.

With a total of seven dogs currently living with her at 931 N. Trojan Complex Road, Schroeder couldn’t have picked a more fitting name for her business. She admits her Maltese, Allie; Jack Russell Terrier, Axle; and Westie/Jack Russell mix, Buddy pretty much rule the household.

“I don’t have any children, so these dogs are my children. With the unconditional love we get from dogs, they deserve the best,” she said.

Three Labradors and a Beagle, owned by Schroeder’s boyfriend Dean Burke and his son, also stay with her at the moment.

Schroeder, a Warren County, Ind., native and 1987 graduate of Seeger Memorial High School, moved to Covington in 2004, when she started working for the Community Action Program.

By the time she had decided to become a professional dog groomer, Schroeder was excited to find out that one of the best pet-grooming schools in the country was located in Carmel, Ind.

Over the course of three months last summer, she learned the ropes of the trade from the academy’s director, Barb Elery, who’s groomed several champions of the Westminster Dog Show.

“She (Elery) was tough. There were times when I didn’t think I would pass the program,” Schroeder recalled. “But she was phenomenal. As much as she intimidated us, she made us good. We had to learn it all, from the basic puppy cuts to the show cuts.”

Halfway through school, Schroeder opened a grooming salon in her home, and her business has been growing rapidly ever since, attracting dog owners from Covington, Perrysville, Ind., Cayuga, Ind., Crawfordsville, Ind., and Danville.

In addition to grooming services, Schroeder has a small retail area where she sells crafts, biscuits, doggy nail polish, jewelry for dog collars and what she calls “foofoo” dog clothes.

“We like to make fun of Paris Hilton, but look what she’s done for the pet industry. People want to spoil their dogs. (The clothes and jewelry) are just a way to let your dogs stand out a little more,” she said, while dressing Allie in a blue-and-white Colts dress.

“I never thought I’d be somebody who’d dress my dogs, but Allie naturally has a long coat and when I cut it off, she gets cold. So I started knitting sweaters for dogs.”

Schroeder also retails treats from Organic Doggy Kitchen and makes some of her own all-natural treats.

“There are a lot of animal byproducts in what I call over-the-counter dog food. I only sell treats that are made with human-grade ingredients.”

This fall, Schroeder and Burke plan to start building a separate, 1,000-square-foot shop for her grooming and retail business next to the house.

The building also will serve as a doggy daycare and boarding facility with six to eight indoor-outdoor kennel runs, and Schroeder vows that her services will be something out of the ordinary.

Aside from getting two walks a day, sociable tenants will get to “romp around” in a special play area.

“When people leave their dogs with me, I want them to know that I treat them just as well — if not better — than my own dogs. And my dogs are treated like royalty.”

Toni Crain, one of Schroeder’s former co-workers at the Community Action Program in Covington, can attest to that.

“She (Schroeder) really loves animals, especially dogs. She always makes sure that if she sees a stray one, she brings it in and takes care of it.”

Crain described Schroeder as a “go-getter” who’s good at whatever she tries her hand at, and Crain thinks there’s a market for her services in Covington.

“I think if somebody needs to have their dog groomed, Kristy is very good and particular. I’ve seen a lot of before and after pictures of dogs that she’s groomed, and she’s very good and caring.”

FAST FACTS

To contact Kristy Schroeder, call (765) 793-0713 or check her Web site at http://barkingmad.samsbiz.com