Trudy and Daryl VanArsdale, two of Adair County's leading registered dog breeders, have opened Dog Gone Classy, an upscale doggie pampering center, at 210 Burkesville Street, Columbia, in the Dreamland Motel complex.

The VanArsdales continue to operate D & T Kennels near the Milltown Post Office on Hwy 61.

Puppies from D & T Kennels and other Dog Gone Classy-approved breeders are on sale at the new store, which will also offer premium dog foods-IAMS and Euchanaba, and dog supplies.

Mrs. VanArsdale has completed a 400 hour course of study at Nash Academy of Animal Arts in Lexington. She maintained a 95.6 GPA and received a perfect attendance award and her diploma. Along with learning to identify the breeds recognized by the American Kennel Association, she also had to learn breed standards and the different hairstyles for the different breeds.

"I have always just loved dogs," Trudy VanArsdale says. Opening the store meant quitting a full time job with the Adair County Board of Education, but it enabled her to realize a dream, she said.

Mr. VanArsdale works in the business, but on a part-time basis. He continues to work in the VanArsdale family's Dixie Cash & Carry building supply center, located conveniently for him on Hwy 61 between D & T and Dog Gone Classy.