Our Family Update

The Story of Divinity Grace: A New Chapter

Over the last several years, our family has experienced many changes, and with those changes comes a new chapter for Divinity Grace Cavapoos. This blog post contains our update but also our family story about why we started Divinity Grace Cavapoos.

The beginning: Divinity Grace Cavapoos began in 2017, when my sisters and I were still living at home. We all fell in love with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel after watching The Age of Adeline together while still in high school. It would be a few years before we brought home our first Cavalier and a close friend that had Mini Poodles would later introduce us to the adorable Cavapoo! It’s still funny to look back and remember how we spent our summers out of school picking and selling blackberries and doing odd jobs to save enough money for our very first Cavalier puppy.

Our journey began with three Cavaliers: Emma Grace, Katie, and Cinnabun. Their puppies were born in our bedroom and raised alongside our family. We’ve always enjoyed naming every puppy that was born into the family and writing them into the Divinity Grace family journal. Once they found their new forever family, their new name and new family were written down underneath their “litter name” and details. Our dogs and puppies have always been part of our everyday lives, and each one has always held a special place in our hearts.

Finding the perfect name: The name Divinity Grace came about during a conversation between my sisters and I about just how sweet our puppies were. As a whole pile of sleeping puppies were cuddling together, I remember saying, “As sweet as Divinity candy!” Our aunt had recently sent us a package of divinity candy from Florida, and we all agreed it was the perfect way to describe our puppies. The name Grace came from our beloved Emma Grace. We also loved the deeper meaning behind the name: the gift of God’s divine grace through Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” — Ephesians 2:8–9

Divinity Grace was a name that beautifully reflected both our love for our dogs and the faith that has always been important to our family.

Divinity Grace became especially meaningful to our family during a very difficult season of my life. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and after a neck injury, I spent years struggling with debilitating symptoms related to Craniocervical Instability (CCI) causing a Chiari Malformation and resulting spinal fluid blockage. I was bedbound for three and a half years before finding answers from Dr. Patel at MUSC. In October 2020, I flew to Charleston for life saving surgery. Recovery was extremely difficult, my mom had to take several months off work to help care for me, but I slowly gained my life back. It was a true miracle.

Our family began raising puppies in part to help with medical expenses and the cost of traveling for appointments. The financial support was certainly a blessing, but the puppies brought us so much more than that. During the times when I was confined to bed, caring for our puppies gave me something to look forward to. There was nothing quite like having a whole pile of puppies cuddling and playing happily in bed. They brought so much joy into a season filled with pain, uncertainty, endless appointments, and countless unanswered questions. In many ways, they were a bright light during one of the darkest chapters of my life.

Through Divinity Grace, we also met so many wonderful families and people who took the time to learn about my story. Many of them offered encouragement and prayed for me and our family. I will always be grateful for those connections and for the kindness we experienced along the way. When I began feeling better after surgery, one of the things I enjoyed most was finally being able to take our dogs to the park. In 2020, I also started our website and social media pages. Many of the early photographs featured were taken by me while I was still bedbound. I was so excited to buy our first camera, and watch the photography gradually improve over the years.

Growing and changing as a family: One of our family’s dreams was to move somewhere on the east coast, where our family has roots and where there are doctors more knowledgeable about EDS. We have a dream of having a beautiful farm, with some farm animals and a garden. In 2022 an opportunity seemed to arise, and we initially made plans for our family to move to Georgia together. Sometimes, however, our plans look different from what God has planned for us. Ultimately, we found ourselves back in California.

 I (Shaylin) got married in 2023, and between 2023-2024, my husband and I welcomed our daughter through adoption. Since 2023, four of the five siblings in our family have gotten married, and with everyone beginning their own families, working, and establishing homes of their own, moving away has become increasingly difficult to imagine. My mom now has five grandchildren and another granddaughter due in February. It seems California is where our family is meant to be for the time being.

Today, with all my sisters and I married, and two of us have children. Our lives look very different from the days when we all lived under one roof, worked together, and shared in the daily responsibilities of Divinity Grace. While we will always cherish the time together, we recognize that our program needs to adapt as well.

Looking ahead for Divinity Grace: Our love for raising sweet Cavapoo puppies has not changed. We still believe there is something incredibly special about these affectionate, loving companions and the joy they bring to their new forever families.

Although I am doing so much better after surgery, I continue to manage symptoms. I still need to travel for appointments with a knowledgeable A.O. chiropractor who can help stabilize my upper cervical neck and help with symptoms related to instability.

When we first began, we had the support of the entire family under one roof. Everyone had a role in the household, and I served as the primary point of contact for our families. As my sisters and I moved into homes of our own, it has become increasingly challenging to manage all those responsibilities while helping everyone stay connected and involved. We have been considering how best to move forward. After much thought, I have decided that I need to take a step back from the responsibilities for Divinity Grace for a season and prioritize my health and three young babies.

I still support the mission of raising sweet puppies and will be available by my phone number (530)321-5467 and our family’s email. I will also continue to help with website updates, photography and enjoying the sweet Cavapoo puppies that are born into the family home. I will be adding my mom Sabrina’s number as the direct point of contact. Our family will remain connected through her about updates, and we will continue to work together to support our future puppy families.

Our mission: One thing has never changed and that is our dogs being family first. As many of our original Cavaliers have retired, they have remained with family members or trusted friends. We do not use outside guardian homes, because keeping our dogs within our close circle of family and friends is important to us.

Divinity Grace has been about family (both human and dogs), faith, perseverance, and finding joy in unexpected places. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us, welcomed one of our sweet puppies into their home, and taken the time to get to know us and follow our journey. We look forward to continuing to post updates and connect with families. Thank you for reading our story and extending grace as we continue to grow and make changes. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by phone or email. (530)693-7179 or divinitygracecavapoos@gmail.com

With gratitude,

Shaylin, Sabrina & Divinity Grace Cavapoos