Marie’s Bed and Biscuits of Charlotte, Michigan Wins $25,000

Thanks for everyone's help and comments. Our story caught the eye of our local papers, The Lansing State Journal!http://tinyurl.com/6o6j7w4Check it out!

Thank you Intuit for recognizing Marie's Bed and Biscuit as a worthy business in Charlotte.Jen and Brad (and staff) Congrats on winning the grant. You really deserve it. I hope you receive the additional grant too!You have worked so hard to make Marie's Bed and Biscuit a safe, friendly home-away-home for my dogs and it shows.As you know, I have had my dogs groomed and boarded at other facilities but they never, ever received the love and individual attention they receive at your kennel. Even my "difficult" child was given that special care. I was very surprised that on their second visit you and your staff knew the names of my dogs and their quirks.I happened to be there a few times when a dog comes in who is not quite sure of how they will be treated. When I first saw you in action, I was impressed with how much time you spent letting the dog get to know you. You didn't rush the dog; you took as much as the dog needed before the owner left. I thought it must be a special circumstance that you spent so much time with one dog. After the second time, I realized that you treat all dogs the same way - special! That convinced me that I would never use another groomer or board my dogs elsewhere. Considering all the dogs you see, I am constantly amazed that you personally know the names of the dogs, their owners, what that dog likes and doesn't like, and what you need to do to make a dog's stay more comfortable - all without even looking it up. I have seen for myself how you plan in advance for each dog's visit to accomodate each dog's needs. I truly admire how much time and effort you are willing to put in to make sure each individual dog has the happiest experience possible at the kennel.Your kennel has the only door my dogs actually run to and are not afraid of. In fact, they love it there so much I have to pull them out of the office after a stay at your kennel.I can't wait to see how you remodel the kennel to make it even better than it is right now.Other people reading these entries who are not familiar with Marie's may think we are exaggerating but trust me we are not.

Thanks for everyone's help and comments. Our story caught the eye of our local papers, The Lansing State Journal!http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111002/CHAR01/110020330/Charlotte-kennel-stands-win-big-contest?odyssey=mod%%7Cnewswell%%7Ctext%%7CCommunities%%7CsCheck it out!

I love Marie's B&B and believe it is the best place for my dog Sophie to get her grooming. All the staff are pleasant and caring of her fears (she absolutely does NOT like her baths, even here at home). Nevertheless, it is what it is and she just has to deal with it. I so appreciate the cleanliness and the high standards for all pets to be up-to-date with required shots. Thanks Brad and Jen for making it work so well. You do a great service for all of our "kids".

I love Marie's Bed and Biscuit! I have taken my previous and current dogs there for grooming and boarding. I can tell that Jen and Brad love animals and really get to know your pet during their stay--whether for a short grooming or a longer boarding. My (slightly anxious rescued) dog likes to go there and is very relaxed when she comes home. They are the pet boarding place that I trust. Congratulations on your well-deserved grant.

Our dogs Suki and Jake, love going to Marie's, they think they are on vacation. As soon as we pull into the parking lot they are all excited and can't wait to get inside. We have used several other kennels over the years and they have always tried to follow us back to the car. Not at Maries....when they are taken to their "rooms" they don't even look back at us. Now, I would never take our "kids" any place else. Thanks for having such a great facility and taking such good care of our dogs. We can always relax knowing that Brad and Jen are watching them. Congratulations on the grant, it is most deserving.

Dr. Jamie Snow.....we couldn't do it without you!

I have known Jen & Brad for several years now, and love their business! They have always gone above and beyond for their clients and pets.When they bought Marie's Bed & Biscuit, they took the time to learn about what to look for when pets are ill, and to find out what to do about it. They also had their entire staff trained in pet first aid! I have worked in the area for many years, and no other kennel even pays attention to the animals!Above all, I believe that Marie's Bed & Biscuit is a GREAT local business and deserves the help of a grant. They are a great asset to the community.Jamie L. Snow, DVM

Ahhh Anna :-) Thanks! We love you too!Jen

I started working for Brad & Jen at Marie's Bed and Biscuit when I was a sophomore in high school. The job turned out to be perfect for me in many ways. Brad & Jen were more than happy to work with my busy schedule that included school, tennis, and other after school activities. I am currently a Junior at Central Michigan University and Brad & Jen continue to be great bosses. They allow me to work at the kennel during Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring, and summer breaks. I am SO thankful that I was given the opportunity to work for Brad & Jen. Not only are they loyal to their clients they are also extremely supportive and caring to their employees. I have learned a lot from working at then kennel and feel that working there has helped me grow a lot as a person.The atmosphere at the kennel is always fun and energetic. Our number one priority at the kennel is, and always has been, to make sure that each and every dog is happy and healthy. Brad and Jen truly go out of their way to make sure that all dogs and owners leave our business having a positive experience.I know that this grant would give our business a huge opportunity to expand and become a great resource to our community.-Anna Sloan

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments! It's clients like you and your pets that make it all worth it!Jen Stanke

It all boils down to how well they treat their "guests." They do a great job. We will continue to leave our Gracie there whenever we leave town. They genuinely care about the pets entrusted to the their care.

Great family owned small business which is much needed in our community. Brad and Jen's place is the only place in town where you can board you dog because everything else has closed. Don't know what we would do if they weren't operating anymore. Not only are they much needed because there isn't much else but because they are the BEST in the area...including Lansing. They are so devoted to making sure all the dogs in their place are happy. Everyone in town loves them and wouldn't go anywhere else. The only problem is that because they are so loved it is impossible to get in, especially last minute. It would be great to have them expand to add more space so we could get in and not be on a waiting list. Guess that's what you get when all the veterinarians in town refer dogs to the same place!!!! We really hope they receive the Grand Prize because they are such a great business and great people!! Love Gracie

Marie's Bed & Biscuit is a great place to take your dogs. It is a clean facility who provides great care. My dogs are always happy when we pick them up, and pull me to the door when we get there! They know my dogs just as well as we do and are always quick to point out anything new with them. Our previous dog, they noticed a new lump we had missed. It ended up being nothing but if it had been, at least we would have caught it in time. They love our dogs just as much as we do. We wouldn't take our dogs anywhere else!

Brad and Jen, are two exceptional people, who are extremely passionate about their careers. Their strong love for dogs is a reflection of the long hours they spend at the kennel, including primarily weekends and holidays. As a previous employee at the kennel, I had the opportunity to see first hand how important each individual dog is to them. The amount of love, and care, that each dog receives is out of pure sincerity. To put it simply, they have huge hearts, and would do anything for their employees, customers, and of course, their number one priority, the dogs. As a owner of two labs themselves, they understand that it is very difficult for many clients to leave their companions behind when they must temporarily leave home. I remember looking at every client's body language before they exited the door. It always put a smile on my face when I would see each person feeling a sense of relief when dropping their dog/s off at Marie's Bed & Biscuit. This is because they do everything in their power to make every dog's stay at the kennel as similar to their lifestyle at home. This is proof that every act of kindness goes along way. I believe that this pure act of genuineness is the reason that Brad and Jen have created such a great reputation in our home city of Charlotte. They are very deserving of this grant because their passion for dogs has a very positive influence on the local community.

Wonderful deserving folks who do so much for our community. Two years ago we had to find a new home for our dog because we were moving out of town. Jen went above and beyond searching for the right home for Coco. She loves all of the dogs who come there like they were her own and wants only the best for them. She made sure Coco was ok in her new home also by checking in on her and giving us updates. What an amazing person. She even did this in the midst of taking care of her twin boys who were two months premature. I know Brad and Jen have had a rocky two years trying to keep their business afloat while concentrating on getting their boys through their prematurity and deserve this more than anyone I know. They are not only thinking of themselves and expanding their business but also how to help our area youth and 4-H. I also talked with Jen and she said she just wishes she could do more to help. As I said before they are amazing, always thinking of others! Thanks for all you do for us Brad and Jen.

Brad and Jen are the two hardest working people I know. They are open seven days a week for us to drop our dogs off or pick them up and they walk each dog on a leash! There is always someone out walking dogs when we are there. They have always gone above and beyond for us and our dogs. One night Jen even ran down at 11pm to put our dog in her crate during a thunderstorm because Jen knew that is where she liked to be during storms! I know with this grant they will only continue to expand their business providing the Charlotte community with the best place to take your dog in the area! Now I hear they are also going to help give back to the youth of our area by helping out our local 4-H clubs. What a great family to have running a business in our city who really care about their clients, the dogs, and our local youth.

How rewarding it is to read how one generousity leads to another. Marie's Bed and Biscuits of Charlotte planning to giving back to their customers, their local 4-H clubs and expanding local community and youth education, truly accents the value of LoveALocalBusiness' philosophy.

Intuit,Wow, what a whirlwind these past two weeks have been since the announcement of our grant! We would like to thank you for this amazing opportunity. As you heard from Brad when you called, we have been struggling to keep the business open the last few years in a difficult Michigan economy. Yet our clients are very loyal and supportive and have kept us going.We have been thinking for the last two weeks what can we do with this gift we have been given. We have decided we would first like to give back to the clients who have given so much to us by adding additional services we have previously been unable to afford. These services include larger runs, more outdoor play areas, and private suites for dogs with special needs.We also would like to take the opportunity to give back to the organization who gave so much to Brad and I, our local Eaton County 4-H. Brad and I both have very fond memories of our years in 4-H. Our experiences in 4-H helped us grow and become the people we are today teaching valuable life lessons through working with our animals. The local 4-H clubs are working hard to teach area youth about dogs through obedience training and showing, yet have limited spaces to practice. Many use barns or riding arenas to hold meetings and do most of their work in the cold winter months. We would like to build a large multi-purpose room where we could use it during the day for doggy daycare and open it up for 4-H groups to use at night for practice.An additional use for this building would be to hold other community educational events and youth events. Several youth come wanting to work at the kennel to learn more about dogs and gain experience working in the animal industry yet we do not have enough work for everyone. We would like to give youth the opportunity to learn about the pet industry through different classes and work studies.One of the most important uses of the new building is to educate our community about dog bite prevention. Many people are unaware of the signals dogs are giving to show they are nervous and may bite. We would like to be able to teach people the signs to look for to prevent a bite and most importantly how to protect children from dog bites.We are overjoyed at the opportunity receiving this grant has given us by allowing us to make our dreams reality. Thank you again Intuit for your generosity!Brad and Jen Stanke

That's pretty awesome! Congrats on winning the $25,000. If I want to nominate one of my clients, how do I go about doing that?Thanks!