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Our Story
Hello and welcome to Featherburry. We are Kimberly and Jessica Schoolcraft.
What began as a mother/daughter endeavor, five years ago, has been shifting to Jessica taking more of the lead while I do more work as her support so I can garden on the side. We continue to work together towards our shared dog related goals.
We each have strengths and weaknesses and we do a great job compensating for and with each other so that every need is met.
Jessica oversees the Featherburry Facebook page and manages all breedings and sales. I maintain our Instagram and this webpage.
That we have always enjoyed doing things together is just an added bonus.
Here is how our story began. This is an image of me, Kimberly, at near two years old, with one of the puppies from a litter my family accidently had. I have clear memories of the happy feelings I had while being with these puppies. I never interacted with another litter of puppies until I had a litter of my own over 48 years later.
Heavily influenced by Rin Tin Tin, any movie with a German Shepherd in it and Lassie, I would often dream about the future litters I would produce from my pairs of German Shepherd and Rough Collie dogs.
While my deep love for dogs, existed inside of me, I did not grow up with many pet dogs. The one in the photo to the right, named Peaches for taking several bites from a box of Peaches, was the single dog I had the most exposure to. Sadly, she only lived to be 9 months old. Gotten at an animal shelter, by an older sibling, she happened to kill some chickens she was housed next to and my father deemed that accident unforgiveable. Needless to say, at only 9 months old, her time with me was short but profound. She was beautiful, charming, intelligent and my very best friend.
This event in my life impressioned me to do everything in my power to ensure that any puppy I had any influence over was given every opportunity to succeed. That desire would come full circle when I began creating litters of my own. Where I could positively influence the development of the puppy then support and guide the new owners to help them all reach their full potential.
After marriage and becoming a military spouse, for the next 25 years, we had German Shepherds, mutts, children and even a Shiba Inu.
We successfully made every military move without having to give up any of our beloved pets. At our first duty station, upon the adoption of our first purebred German Shepherd, I gained my first mentor. Pre-internet, and books hard to find, she made a huge impact on my puppy raising by teaching me how to use a crate in a positive manner. As a stay-at-home mom I was able to use it, as a tool, to prevent creating common unwanted puppy behaviors.
Once we settled back in our home state of Washington we started a small hobby farm. We began with rabbit breeding and showing, which is where the name Featherburry was first used, as a name for our rabbitry.
We later found ourselves being a rescue before rescues became so prevalent. Our neighborhood was a dumping ground for unwanted puppies. We would meet their needs and find their forever homes. We also began hiking and camping where the dogs also carried packs. **Which does require some knowledge and proper fitting to do so safely.**
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As our lives progressed, we found ourselves wanting a softer dog who would adore children and monitor, yet never compromise, the safety of the animals on our hobby farm.
One day, reminiscing with Jessica about my childhood, we began to question why Collies had not been a part of our lives. To this point I had only met one Collie in my entire life, not even at dog shows we visited. Research brought us to Old Time Scotch Collies and Scottish Collies. I realized they were producing the type of Collie I fell in love with as a child, and they met the criteria we were looking for.
While raising a litter was a life goal of mine it was Jessica who insisted that we prioritize health, temperament and structure before taking the leap to become breeders. This was and still remains the foundation of all our breeding choices.
Jessica often states that she takes a lot of pride in breeding dogs that in fifty years she will still want to own. With a goal of making each generation healthier than the one before.
While my children were surrounded by many dogs only one shares the deep love of dogs that I have had. Actually, her love of all animals knows no bounds. Jessica found every opportunity to turn schoolwork into some kind of animal related project. She has enjoyed raising, miniature horses, a cow, goats, chickens, pigeons, rats, ducks, geese, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, shrimp, hermit crabs, peafowl, Parrots, guinea fowl, pheasant, turkeys, quail, doves, cats and dogs on our very small farm over the last 25 years.
Jessica grew her skillset by volunteering at vet clinics, sled dog races, working for a big show dog breeder and in the pet industry. She is often called upon for medical advice due to her education and experiences with animals.
Then at 29 Jessica had a life-changing event occur. She had an autonomic nervous system disorder surface suddenly. This health challenge limits the physical activities she is capable of doing and limiting what activities we can do together as a family.
In March of 2020 Jessica made a five day trip to Minnesota to pick up two puppies who would help set the foundation of the dogs we breed. In this photo you will see Holiday, one of the puppies we picked up that day.`
As for my son, he now shares a great love for Scottish Collies too. While he states he was never tempted by any of our previous litters, or any dog for that matter, he did find one single puppy that he felt he couldn't live without. Known, now Chaffee, from our Affirmation Litter in 2024, is now his best friend and he can't imagine life without him!
Fall of 2024 a decision was made to turn my long-time love of flowers and gardening into something more. Into something I could share with other flower lovers. Our Cut Flower Garden opened Spring of 2025.
We look forward to meeting you!
~ Kimberly and Jessica Schoolcraft