"Hi! My name is Nicole Lakich.
My entire life I dreamed of animals. Any animals. What did I want to be?
"I want to be a vet!
"I want to be a horse rancher"
"I want to be an animal rescuer"
"I want to be a dog trainer"
Those are all real answers I gave (and I laugh now at the "horse rancher" part).
But really, I would have given anything just for a moment with an animal. I watched Victoria Stilwell and Steve Irwin and Animal Planet all day, begging my parents for a pet bird, dog, and yes, horse.​
Our Story
​When I was 20, I was diagnosed with multiple illnesses, that explained some struggles I had been having. I came to the realization that a service dog might be beneficial to me, and into my life came Sadie.
A backyard-bred, $200 mutt, that became my entire world, as I spent every available minute training and teaching her. She was my best friend.
Through her, I learned how to really take care of a dog, I learned proper ways to care for her coat, her nails, her skin, her ears... and when Covid was at it's peak, I decided to reach out in a local facebook group, offering those services for less-abled people who may be struggling to care for their own pets.
​
That was almost five years ago, and business has been steady, and an important part of my life, keeping me healthy and happy.
I also began offering pet sitting services, and have made some wonderful friends along the way.​
In the beginning of 2025, I discovered the world of Dog Sports. I really only wanted to get a CGC on Sadie, but I discovered rally, obedience, fastcat, and more. And the pursuit began.
I had also been looking into getting another dog, a service prospect, to allow Sadie to retire when the time comes. And January 8th, I got the news that he was born.
​
In came Lucci, a small, but also large for a puppy, pure wellbred Standard Poodle pup.
I figured we would probably have the same fun with sports as Sadie, when he got older, but one weekend when I was taking Sadie to a Rally trial, I decided to enter Lucci in a conformation show. Just for fun, as I really didn't think I would enjoy it.
Boy was I wrong. Lucci took Reserve Best Puppy In Show, and I was hooked.
I dived into everything there was to know about grooming, structure, health testing, pedigrees, and breeding.
When I learned that Multicolor poodles had long been neglected, I was hit with an ambition.
​
Lucci is still young, and not yet fully health tested, but it is my hopes that everything pulls through for us, and we can start our own little breeding operation.
That is where the inspiration for this website arises.
A place to document my journey, my dogs' achievements, and my business pursuits.​​
I want to say thank you to every person so far who has helped me get to where I am;
My wonderful husband Phillip, who drove me to every single appointment when I was unable to drive, and handles all our shenanigans,
Our breeder Aleana and Rhonda Yocum at Legacy Poodles, for entrusting me with such a gem as Lucci,
My friend Mandi for answering my never ending questions without judgement, and always being the voice of reason,
and every single client who took a chance on me, even when my skills were not very... refined.
​
Finally, Sadie. There is something special about your first dog, something special about the dog you get in your 20s, something special you can say about any dog... and they all apply to her. She has been with me every step, traveled across the country with me, licked the tears from my eyes, and brought tears to my eyes. She is the definition of a Heart Dog. I owe my life to her. I am so excited to have her join us all in this new chapter of our lives, the Northern Lights Kennel project.
