⊹ 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔 - A prefix of Greek origin, meaning: ‘beside,’ ‘near,’ ‘by’.

⊹ 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗞𝗜 (may-rah-kee) - Greek: to do something with soul, creativity, and love. A very strong desire to do something but also the intense feeling of love and affection when engaging in a favorite activity.

⊹ 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗞𝗜 - To engage in a meaningful and creative activity motivated by love and affection for the one by my side. My Fawkes, the companion of my soul. This is all for him.

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This venture began in heartache and desperation – but through determination and the reinforcement of generous support has now become a joyful and fulfilling livelihood. Thank you for being here, for encouraging us, for caring about Fawkes.

Let’s back up a ways… The first year of Fawkes’ life (2018-19) I was intentionally unemployed for the purpose of being with him full-time. I dedicated myself to raising him, to our training, and to forming our relationship. After spending that first year with Fawkes, I floundered vocationally. That’s not to say I idly sat around, I worked very hard at a number of projects/jobs. But for unknown reasons none of those situations ever panned out.

At the end of 2022 Fawkes started showing signs of pain/injury in his hind end. We went to great lengths to assess the situation. After weeks of appointments and evaluations an x-ray finally showed us he had minor injuries to his back and leg that would become severe if we didn’t address them right away. So we did. We did everything we could and more. This was an expensive journey that we couldn’t practically afford but there is nothing I wouldn’t do for my boy. Whatever Fawkes needs to be healthy and happy he will have, no matter what sacrifices I must make.

This is where the story of Para Meraki begins.
For quite a long time I had been searching, unsuccessfully, for a new job. So as the bills for Fawkes’ rehab stacked up I cleaned out closets, selling all non-essentials to pay for the help he required. One day I pulled out some old craft supplies and decided to make a couple collars. I then pleaded with the dog community on instagram to buy them so I could start paying our vet bills. Because of these incredible people, all the collars sold right away. There was far greater interest than I expected. The support we received was unbelievable - the “dogstagram” community is truly something special. It was such an enormous relief to our situation I thought, maybe just maybe, I could sell a few more collars while we worked through Fawkes’ injury. In that way I could meet his needs and be able to stay home to care for him at the same time. I kept making collars… and you kept supporting us. In March of 2023 Para Meraki launched as an official business.

When at last our hard work was successful and Fawkes was mostly healed, I began to reassess what I was doing here with this micro business. Those of you who know me, know I try very hard to be purposeful about everything I do. I had to decide if I should quit Para because we achieved our initial goal, or if I should dive further in. How could I go back to looking for a job away from home? A job I’d probably hate, that would decrease our family’s quality of life, and cause complications to the simple life we’ve aimed for.

I started thinking maybe I could do this well enough to maintain it full-time. After significant consideration and conversation I decided to continue pursuing this surprising path. Para has taken on a life of its own and I’m amazed at how rewarding and fulfilling it is. I’ve started to envision more clearly dreams I scarcely dared to acknowledge in the past.

From the beginning the goal has been to take care of my beloved Fawkesy Bear and provide the best life I can for him. That is what the goal of this venture will always be. Thanks to your ongoing support and encouragement I have the opportunity to achieve that goal in bigger ways than I could have imagined.

Having the opportunity to be home with Fawkes every day…
Having the opportunity to set my schedule so that although I work 10+hrs a day I can still prioritize his needs…
Having the opportunity to bring in a viable income by creating things with my hands, products I deeply enjoy making, for individuals who I have the pleasure of interacting with personally…
These opportunities I simply cannot express my appreciation for.

Thank you for making this possible.
Thank you for purchasing our gear or sharing it with others.
Thank you for helping me provide Fawkes with the life he deserves.
The impact you have on our little family is profound and we are forever grateful.