Jan's business experience actually began at about age eleven when she purchased a Poodle. At the time few people in where she lived had Poodles so there were no dog grooming shops. Jan wanted her poodle to look like the fancy ones she had seen at dog shows so she studied photos of well-groomed dogs in books and magazines and then decided to try grooming the dog herself. Within a short period of time she discovered she had a knack for dog grooming. Word spread and soon other dog owners were bringing their dogs to Jan for grooming. She continued to develop her grooming skills on poodles then expanded to other breeds like Terriers, Cocker Spaniels and Bedlingtons. By her early teens she had a thriving business.
Very early she had a vision to be a breeder of show-quality dogs
so she invested the profits from her cottage industry into more dogs. Jan sharpened her
business skills by breeding and selling dogs, constantly improving the quality of her
stock. When her family moved to a country location a complete dog kennel was added to
accommodate Jan's hobby-turned-business. Her stock expanded to include Skye Terriers,
Cairn Terriers, Dachshunds and even more Poodles. At one time she owned 45 dogs.
Her greatest success as a young handler came when she
won the Best Junior Handler Award at the Chicago International Dog Show with a Skye
Terrier. She traveled the country with her dogs and has even shown at the at the
Westminster Kennel Club Show at Madison Square Garden. She owned many champions.
Today the top dog in the Sanner home is
a three pound
Yorkshire Terrier named "Gidget".
Her "job" is to look cute, but she also provides love and
companionship for whole the Sanner family.
This business experience as a young person not only gave Jan financial rewards but valuable lessons in negotiations and working in our great free enterprise system - skills she still uses today as a real estate professional.