Meet Dede Croy

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dede Croy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dede, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My resilience is from God alone. The ability to stand my ground and have compassion at the same time comes from a source that is not human. An understanding of direct but love, guided, but not perfect.

My work ethic is straight up from my Mom. She taught me to stay busy, work. That no one could take that away. She is from Taiwan and lived in a poor country. She had no shoes to walk to school in. She showed me to work for the things I have in my life or want in my life. And today, she tells me I work too hard. Not sure what that means, but I told her, “I know no other way, you taught me this”.

I developed my confidence in the repetition of doing what I do over and over again. Self analyzing, self reflection, and repeat better. Confidence knowing I have God watching me and I better do my most best so that when I answer to him one day, I will know his mercy. Confidence comes from the ability to also turn off negative self talk and really hear the truth. If you want to believe the untruth, you can easily be taken too far from yourself, your center, to ever get back.

I believe I am humble in myself. I don’t feel conceided or feel I am better than someone else. I feel my self-esteem is high and strong because I know what I am doing is of light and of goodness. That I don’t waiver and doubt in myself as I try my hardest to choose the path of empathy, love, and compassion, and my self esteem stems from knowing that. I gained the view of myself, from being able to sift through lies, deceit, and hate that I can see as false. To know what is right and real and true versus what is not, allows me a healthy vision of myself.

My generosity came from my Mom and my Dad. Bits and pieces of what I saw them do. My mother, willing to give anything of mine, as a child, to anyone else that wanted it. The visions of always leaving money behind at a family members house, tucked in their night drawer for them to pay bills and buy clothes later. Seeing her always arrive like Santa Claus himself with duffle bags of dove soap, jeans, clothing, shampoo for her family and friends. This carried on throughout my life and hers even until this day. My Dad, always the first to build the best Table out of wood and his hands while serving in the Air Force, making knives as gifts, and using his wood craft, which he taught me to gift many people, from my friends to all his loved ones.

I am not too sure if imposter syndrome ever hit me. If I have doubt, I evaluate and find myself, trying another method. What stumps me, is in the many requests for help to nearly anyone I lay my eyes on, there would be not deliverance. I would ask for help, per say, with 6 rescue pups I have now, from volunteering to walk dogs to just donating to help with care costs and for weeks and months, very little to no support would arrive. It has been so hard. I waiver in my abilities, exhausting at most, and try another angle. I don’t take “NO” very well, and if it doesn’t seem to work, I try another way or a different angle.

I grew up in the Air Force, then served active duty myself. I traveled the world from the moment I was born. From Utah to Japan, maybe 30 moves my whole live so far. I have been in rooms of one, 2 and more. I looked different many times. I do not waiver. If you do not speak you have no one. If you do not communicate you stand alone. I learned as a child, if I did not say hello, I might not have anyone. I never had a problem with this. There still can be a form of fear or anxiety, almost a burst of adrenalin to push the door open in ones movements, mouth, and actions, but I do it. I get up, say hello, be present in the moment. As I believe sometimes, your best friend can be a stranger.

I don’t have the answers to life. But I am open to any answer. I don’t plan for just the best, I plan for the best and the worst outcome in my mind. I know what I want and it changes as I live. I have optimism for the future because I will not stop until God tells me my missions here are complete. I love to help others and that drives me no matter what. It rewards me and gives me strength to continue in so many things I do. To include countless aging hours that I give to everyone but myself. My optimism was born in me and I find my purpose in the rewards of every venture I do for others. Without that, I would feel no reason to exist. The ability to give pets that have been through trauma or abuse from a human on this earth, a hair cut, a simple haircut since now, the pet is aggressive, senior or disabled from it, gives me so much enlightenment that it drives me. That is my purpose at myfavoritegroomer.com and myfavoritegroomer on YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok. I groom pets that have been turned away, harmed, banned due to their aggression, fear, demeanor. I do not give up on the animals that love us so unconditionally, that they are like God himself. I am there if you call and I allow the owner to sit, wait, watch and assist in all I do to ensure you see all things that happen, because if you could see all the things of the past, your pet wouldn’t be here with this condition to begin with.

Thank you for allowing this of me. Thank you for letting me share my story. Thank you for what you do. Thank the Lord for his mercy on me. God has been so good to me. I hope to help as many pets as I can in my lifetime. And along the way, maybe even some people. Please Subscribe, Like, Share my YouTube channel and help me help as many as I can. Take stride in this life and know in comfort that you may not get to say goodbye. So, love daily, say I love you daily, and take the life not for granted but like a gift each day, each hour you are here.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Dede Croy. I am a Air Force Veteran, hold Bachelor of Science in International Business, a Realtor in the state of Texas, just for fun, but mostly, Owner and Aggressive Pet Groomer with My Favorite Groomer on YouTube, and all social media. I love what I do. Being needed and being able to provide the opportunity for a hair cut to senior, disabled, and aggressive dogs and cats. It’s an amazing feeling. The struggle is real. I allow the owner to sit, wait, watch, and assist. Our furry loved ones love us unconditionally. We should give them the same respects.

I love helping animals so much that I have 6 rescue 6 month old pups from a rescue dog I picked up Nov 2022. I would love them to find amazing homes if you can help whether you have a home or can donate to help offset food and veterinarian care, we would be so grateful. www.myfavoritegroomer.com/donate

I can’t wait for the future to get here. I have always wanted to have the land and place to run the biggest non profit no kill animal shelter the world could see. Take the reigns away from the shelters that still put animals down when there is overcrowding and eliminating animals euthanizations for those that are aggressive or aggressive tendency breeds. I can’t do it alone, I can dream my dreams alive but I need support, love, and you.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) Whatever age you might be, you might know God. You might have heard a little or you might know a lot. Everything the way it happens is defined from God alone. You may not know why you did this today, but months later, you see why. God was beside you, holding, you guiding you the whole way, and everything does happen how it should and from God above, if you can know that, you will be confident and at peace with life and decisions that you can’t control. Pray! And Pray hard and pray daily. You may want something so bad and you may want it now. Know it will happen all in it’s own timing and how it should for good reason. Accept this and allow the pieces to fall. No forcing, just a nice, peaceful, gradual, path will be in front of you and it will be yours and it will be easy to see if you allow it.

2) Do not take No for an answer even from your friend or family when it comes to your life, your dreams, your future. Let no one bring you down or tear down your dreams. That is negative talk and they may not see your vision, if you believe, you push through the negative and the toxic and get there!

3)Never stop dreaming. Dreams get you there. That big house, that land, that ocean, your dreams will be delivered if you keep dreaming and moving forward.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

David L., My partner for over 6 years was a huge influence for me.  He had the ability to live by the edge of the chair, doing what he loved and disregarding the worlds talk that isn’t uplifting.  He had the ability to touch something and help it grow and he made a huge impact in the work he did and the work he taught me to do which impacted my growth on YouTube and his skills jump started our lives on social media.

He taught me resilience and to keep my head up amongst hate, haters and bullies that still to this day spread lies and hate and attack at no cost. He taught me to ignore those who trespassed against me. He taught me to keep moving forward and to live each moment like it was my last. He taught me to safeguard my life and belongings and to prepare for the future in a way I never thought. I will always love you David, my beloved May 1995 – Sept 2023.  Your life is seen throughout my work and YouTube and all of my social media.  When I now feel David apart of the work we built together, I see him in every part of my work.  Thank you David for teaching me so much and for allowing me to learn the life lessons between us that will help me help others.  I got lucky that I got to show you an undying kind of love for a few years, before God took you home to heaven.

I loved being apart of a Toastmasters group in my 30’s when I worked at the FAA. I got up to being president for a short time and that taught me so much about myself and others.

Understanding others and life, many books helped me in my younger years, Lizard Music taught me to dream, Five Love Languages taught me how I wanted to be loved and how to understand how to love others, 1001 Ways to be Romantic, taught me the most flourishing of ways to show love to many people, the Bible, I never read back to back, but I often find that a scripture is in my head or adviced from a friend, and I can find answers to life in that book!

I would love to collaborate with others. Definitely contact me. It could be in a million ways. Just call me!

My number one obstacle right now, 25 Sept 2023 is I have very little physical help from people that can arrive, that can really come help. From many people interviewed, or even hired to stay a day or not want to work, help, or continue being a constant, as a volunteer or a worker. I find it hard to do more because I have little help. Send me helpers pretty please.

Right now, I am challenged with again, doing it alone. I have 6 puppies and a huge business I run alone. I would love the rescue pups to find loving homes. I would love a Team of people to be here helping me in all kinds of ways run this business so it can be more available to people.

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was give me the strength to stand on my own, to learn to rely on myself, to teach me how to work hard and provide for myself, to give to others, wow, that’s more than one things isn’t it, lol, …. They taught me so many things. It’s been most impactful learning to not give up.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
My Favorite Groomer LLC

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