About Us
Meet Karissa
Born & raised in the metro, Karissa Schreurs has always called West Des Moines her home. A graduate of Drake University, with an M.B.A. in business, Karissa was bred to run her own business.
Karissa grew up showing & training horses as well as caring for dogs her entire life. Following Drake University, Karissa ventured into a corporate sales position in Eastern Iowa, where she furthered her business knowledge & built strong interpersonal communication skills, which ultimately empowered her to venture to the world of small business ownership.
While working in corporate sales, Karissa, a proud fur-parent, was transporting & dropping her pups off daily at an area daycare facility. She found the business intriguing & started to discuss with friends & family the need for such a business in the West Des Moines community.
After what seemed like years of research, meetings, conferences, red tape & more, Karissa broke down the barriers to open Canine Country Club, West Des Moines’ first all-inclusive doggy daycare, boarding, grooming & training facility.
Since 2010, Karissa has continued to grow her business, expanding not only the service offerings, but the physical space at CCC, to now more than 11,000 square feet of puppy play space.
When Karissa isn’t playing with pups at daycare or snuggling your four-legged children at boarding, she is continuing her active role training competition dogs in the phases of tracking, obedience & protection. A fur-parent of many pups, Karissa is particularly fond of the Belgian Malinois and owns three of her own. She is also passionately involved with various non-profits across the nation, such as the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Second Chance Dog Rescue, the American Working Malinois Association, the United Schutzhund Clubs of America & many more.
Karissa, like everyone at Canine Country Club, is extensively and professionally trained in Dog CPR & First Aid and The Dog Gurus Knowing Dogs 101 & 201. She is an expert with dog behavior, pack management, dog body language, correctly breaking up a scuffle or altercations, and deeply instill those philosophies with everyone working at Canine Country Club.
Karissa’s Accomplishments
Owner of Daneskjold Omax – “Omu” | ||||
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Schutzhund BH | ||||
Schutzhund IPO1 | High IPO1 in trial | |||
Schutzhund IPO2 | 2018 United Schutzhund Clubs of America Mid Central | |||
Region IPO2 Regional Champion | ||||
Schutzhund IPO3 | High in Trial | High IPO3 | High Protection | High Obedience |
AKC Canine Good Citizen | ||||
AKC Canine Good Citizen Advanced | ||||
AKC Trick Dog Novice | ||||
AKC Trick Dog Intermediate | ||||
Owner of Top Gun’s Dara – “Honey” | ||||
Schutzhund BH | ||||
Schutzhund WH | ||||
Schutzhund APr1 | ||||
AKC Canine Good Citizen | ||||
Therapy Dog International | ||||
American Temperament Test Society | ||||
Owner of Gisarme de Alphaville Bohemia – “Chivava” | ||||
Schutzhund BH | ||||
AKC Canine Good Citizen |