ASHEVILLE, NC. (WLOS) — Ruff Life Dog Training has moved to a new location after their previous building was damaged when Helene tore through.
In this week’s WNC Heroes News 13 visited Tessa Sternbach’s business and learned about the journey to reopening.
Sternbach started Ruff Life back in 2018. The program includes dog training, boarding and group classes to learn basic obedience.
She considers their business a one stop shop.
With a passion for dogs, she built a community through her business working with the easiest of dogs to the ones that have severe behavioral issues.
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She’s lived in Asheville for the last 14 years and has always had the common thought of the mountains protecting us when it comes to severe weather.
Their business was located on Thompson Street in Asheville, just across from the Swannanoa River.
Sternbach said she always knew there was a potential of flooding near her business and originally thought when Helene hit, they would possibly get 4 to 5 feet of water inside.
Nothing protected the building when the storm tore through, as her business was damaged by Helene.
“I do remember we had gotten out of our neighborhood and gotten to a spot where there was phone service and I just remember talking to my first team member and just bawling my eyes out,” Sternbach said.
Thankfully, her entire team was safe and they evacuated all dogs prior to the storm.
But in the midst of dealing with the loss of her business, Sternbach said she had bigger worries as her wife was 40 weeks pregnant.
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“My focus quickly changed to, ‘I’ve got to get my wife safely out of Asheville,'” Sternbach said.
They evacuated to Charleston and had a healthy baby boy.
After about a month of enjoying being a family of three, it was time to figure out where to go from there.
“There was one point where I was like, ‘I’m going to give it all up,’” Sternbach said.
Sternbach said she knew her heart needed this business and with a lot of support she began to look for options.
Scrolling through Facebook one night she stumbled upon the building they’re in now. She signed a lease in February and opened a new facility on Fairview Road.
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Downsizing did mean a smaller operation.
“It’s still something I struggle with daily of we’ve gone from working with anywhere from 30 to 45 dogs a day to now 10 dogs a day,” Sternbach said.
She said business has been steady since people always need help with their dogs.
While it can feel normal now at times, she said there’s still a lot of financial hardship that snaps her back to the abnormal that Helene brought.
Now, 9 months since the storm Sternbach said it’s getting better every day. Sternbach tries to see a silver lining in it all and is thankful for a fresh start.
“I’m very grateful for my community and all my clients and family and everything,” she said.
To learn more about Ruff Life Dog Training you can visit their website here.
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