Community Connect: Cynthia and Jerry Winegard, Tabernacle Farms
By Sheila Duncan
If you drive down Tabernacle Road in Brent, you will come across a charming place called Tabernacle Farm, run by Cynthia and Jerry Winegard. I had the privilege of speaking with Cynthia and asking her some questions. Let’s see what she had to say.
Tell Us about Yourself:
My husband Jerry and I have 5 adult children, their spouses and 11 grandchildren. While I grew up here in Bibb County, Jerry did not. He was born in Florida but has lived in many different states with his parents and his brother. We lived in Jemison for a few years before we started an RV Ministry. We lived in our RV and traveled all over the United States. We returned to Alabama and Bibb County in 2012. We built our home in 2018 in Brent with Tabernacle Farm Pet Boarding following in 2019. We have since added onto the business to double the size.
Did you have any pets growing up that influenced your career choice? And What inspired you to start your animal pet service?
While Jerry and I both had lots of pets growing up that really wasn’t our inspiration to start Tabernacle Farm Pet Boarding business.
The pet boarding business was 100% Jerry’s vision. He realized after we had a bad experience with a pet boarder for our Miniature Schnauzer, Roosevelt, that there were no pet boarding businesses in our area with a higher quality of facilities and care. We knew that we loved our pets and would be willing to pay extra for them to be well cared for and treated like family, so we assumed others felt the same way.
Jerry built the first kennel building from the ground up and it opened officially in June of 2019 with 7 kennels. It didn’t take long to realize that this was a much-needed service. In July of 2022 we purchased a building, modified it and made the exact number of kennels as the original building had. We exactly doubled our boarding ability for dogs. We have also added doggy day care. We found that this was a much-needed service in our area also.
Not to leave out anyone’s kitty, we purchased a separate building and Jerry modified the inside with 4 cat condos. The new facility opened in January of 2020.
All our buildings are climate controlled with heating and cooling as needed. We have a total of 10 – 4×4 kennels with a doggy door leading out to each kennel’s own private run area. There are also 4 smaller kennels that also have a doggy door and their own private run area. These kennels are for smaller pups. We do have some 2×3 crates for special needs dogs (blind, walking issues, etc….). As a general rule they are rarely used. We have 4 large, fenced in play areas that the dogs play in multiple times a day.
What’s a typical day like for you running an animal pet service and how do you handle pet owners might be nervous about leaving their pets with you?
The day-to-day routine of our business rarely changes. Key word, RARELY. Occasionally there is a bump in the road. Our business hours are 8 am – 6 pm so I generally start the day between 6-7 am depending on the number of dogs we have boarded at the time. I rotate each dog into the play areas. While they are outside, I clean anything that is in their run area. I then go inside and check to see if their kennels needs attending to. Sometime their blanket may have gotten wet, or they have gotten food on the floor. On occasion someone may have gotten restless in the night and chewed their blanket or toy so that has to be cleaned up. I then feed and water each pet. Then out I go to rotate the next set of
dogs out until I have done this for each one. The building itself is cleaned everyday so I do that in the morning. I make an effort to have this all finished before 8 am. Drop offs for doggy day care usually come first, then if we have anyone picking up their pet that also happens in the morning. Once pets are picked up then that particular kennel has to be cleaned and prepared for the next drop off. Drop offs are usually in the afternoon and we want to be sure to be ready. Throughout the day the dogs are let out in the play areas to get some extra running and play time.
If we have cats in the cat condos, they are also taken care of in the morning. They, of course, are never let outside but they do come out into the building while I am feeding them and cleaning their litter box. The cats are in a 4-level cat condo with their litter on the bottom, a scratching pad on the wall of another level, food and water bowls attached on another level and their nice, comfy beds on the 4th level.
It can be stressful for pet owners to leave their dogs and cats for an extended amount of time. Imagine dropping your child off for day care. We try to reassure them by allowing them to come into the boarding facility to see where their pet will be spending it’s time with us. We also point out to them that both kennel buildings are equipped with cameras that we can see from our home office and on an app on our phones. We also let them know they may call or check on their pets during regular business hours. There have been times when a dog was particularly scared, not eating and staying crouched in the corner. Jerry will get in the kennel with the dog, talk to them, pet them, and sit there with them to try to calm and relax them. We want every pet that stays with us to have a good experience.
Can you share a heartwarming story about a pet and its owner?
One of the most heartwarming things that has happened in our time pet boarding was when an owner dropped off their daughter’s dachshund and told us that it absolutely did not like men! Well one hour later he was laying on Jerry’s shoulder loving on him.
What’s the most rewarding feedback you’ve received from a client?
We get almost daily comments from our clients about their dog’s experience at Tabernacle Farm. One of our regular doggy day care pups, Buddy was dropped off just this week by his owner. She said, “Buddy isn’t feeling too great. He has been laying around all weekend and hasn’t eaten much.” The next day when I spoke to her, I let her know that Buddy ate all of his canned food she brought him and some of the dry. She said, “I think Buddy missed being here.” I consider that a complaint to the care we provide. We have another dog, Jericho that his people say that at home they don’t say the word “Tabernacle” unless they are about to walk out the door to bring him here because he gets so excited and runs to the door. When they drop him off, I take his leash from the owners and Jericho never looks back.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your business?
Having a business on the same property as your home can sometimes be a challenge. Setting regular business hours and sticking to them is the key to keeping a work/home balance. The second challenge is having to tell someone “Sorry, but we don’t have availability during the time you need.”
How do you handle difficult or aggressive dogs?
We have been blessed with boarding mostly easy, non-aggressive dogs and cats. There have been a few that are more difficult than others. Each of the 14 kennels have food and water bowls that are attached to a mechanism that swings out of the kennel. So as far as food and water, if a dog is aggressive, I never have to go inside the kennel. Cleaning the outside run is a little more difficult. One person usually lets the dog in the play area while another does any necessary cleaning in the run. We board a few dogs that their owner has told us just to feed and water the dog and don’t let it out ever. Of course, this is not ideal, but we do honor their request.
What are some unique services you offer that set you apart from other pet services?
The most unique service that we offer that really sets us apart from other pet boarders is the kennels with the dog having a doggy door to go out to its own private run area. When we were making plans to build the facility for our business we checked around and you would be surprised how few facilities like Tabernacle Farm that are available. We have clients that bring their dogs from Birmingham and Montgomery because of that one thing.
Do you have any pets of your own? Tell us about them!
Our own pets are 2 Miniature Schnauzers, Elly May and Rosie Belle. They are inside dogs. When we built our home, we had a doggy door built into the back bedroom so they have access to our fenced in back yard. We have 2 cats, Monty and Alice Copper. They are supposed to be outside barn cats, but they discovered the doggy door and now are considered inside/outside cats. We also have Mr. Black, a cat that stops by multiple times during the day just to eat. He knows he has a warm bed even on the coldest nights. Not sure if ducks, turkeys and chickens are considered pets but we have a lot of those. We enjoy taking care of them and certainly enjoy the eggs that the chickens provide. I would say that life is good if you are a pet that lives on Tabernacle Farm.
What’s your favorite part of working with animals?
There are so many great things that come from working with other people’s pets. You get to become a part of their life. They recognize you and know that they will be well taken care of while they are at the Farm.
If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why?
If I could be an animal for a day, of course it would be a cat. And you guessed my reasoning behind my choice. A cat has nine lives, and I am still on number one!
What’s the funniest thing a pet has done while under your care?
The most unusual thing a dog has done while it was in our care was to jump/climb a six-foot fence. Once you are over the fear that they escaped it does become funny. No one has ever escaped or been lost from Tabernacle Farm.
Do you have a favorite movie or book? Why?
Jerry has a fond, yet sad memory of the classic book “Old Yeller”. He read that as a child, and it has stuck with him all these years. I on the other hand really don’t have a favorite.
Exploring your community allows you to uncover its hidden gems and forge meaningful connections with your neighbors. Thank you, Cynthia and Jerry, for taking the time to answer our questions so that we may get to know you and your family on a more personal level.
