The Heart Behind The Dawg House

I grew up on a small farm in Robinson, the last of 9 children to Mary and Joe Dupin. My soil-of-the-earth parents taught us to garden, care for animals, work and pray hard. My 5th birthday gift—a pet lamb named Lambchops—started it all. Cats, dogs, chickens, geese, horses, roosters, raccoons, and countless garden hours are in my blood.

My journey came full circle through a winding path. After graduating from Montour and attending Penn State and RMU with a Corporate Communications degree, I spent 20+ years in pharmaceuticals as a regional sales director and national trainer. Ryan and I married in 1999, had twins Parker and MacKenzie in 2003, and Max in 2005.

That year we built our North Fayette home and I opened Once Upon A Child in Robinson Town Centre. After 10 years I sold the business, continued in sales, and started Top Dog Pet Care Services in 2017. Covid struck, I lost my job twice, but built Top Dog Pet Care to over 300 clients. While working part-time at West Allegheny Library, I stopped by The Dawg House to introduce myself—and the rest is history!