Tammy Hendricks freely admits her favorite breed of dog is the Miniature Schnauzer. “They just fit my personality,” she says. The breed is alert, spirited, friendly, and intelligent, which fits Tammy, who is energetic, creative, gracious, and when she puts her mind to something, resolute.

Tammy creates handmade teddy bears and one-of-a-kind soft sculpture dogs from her shop, sometimes referred to as “The Dog House,” on the one-acre property she owns with her husband in Blanchard, Okla. For Tammy, the shop is her home away from home. “It’s just wonderful,” she says of her shop, “although now it could be a little bigger!”

Her work has been recently featured in everything from Dogs Today, a British dog magazine, to Teddybear Club International, but her journey began almost two decades ago after her mother sadly passed away from breast cancer at the young age of 55. Tammy, one of six girls, was close with her mother. She was deeply affected by her passing, but equally as affected by her mother’s words of wisdom and encouragement that would continue to ring clear in the artist’s mind after.

Inspired by a television program about a local artist making teddy bears from fur coats, Tammy decided to try her own hand at bear making using her mother’s old fur coat that still hung in the closet. “I had never really sewn anything and didn’t even own a sewing machine,” recalls Tammy, who was currently working as a Mental Health Professional, “but that was it, my heart was set on a teddy bear.”

Tammy purchased a $99 sewing machine, some shaggy fabric to practice with, checked out a book from the local library on how to make teddy bears, and got to work.

“It was very difficult and most often frustrating,” says Tammy. “I must say I wanted to give up more than once, but mom always told me I could do anything I wanted to if I believed I could, and to not let anybody—that includes myself—think I couldn’t.”

Tammy was faced with another hurdle: she was born with only one hand, which makes these tasks even more challenging for her. Thanks to her mother’s teachings, Tammy knows that she can do anything she puts her mind and heart to.

“I figured out how to use my toes to hold thread and set the eyes, my knees to hold pattern pieces together and pin—you wouldn’t believe the pin pricks on my right knee—my teeth, my chin, and my chest to help hold parts to stuff, joint, and so on,” says Tammy. “I’m more coordinated today, but basically still make my bears and dogs the same way.”

Tammy created several bears before cutting into the fur coat. Her first bear was encouraging, but her second wasn’t so. “It was a mess,” she says of her second bear, “and I thought, what on earth am I trying to do?” But before she knew it, Tammy, like so many other artists, was hooked.



Tammy presented her bears at local shows, the first in Norman, Okla., in 2000. Her portfolio grew, and she was exceptionally proud of her tiny 6-inch bears called BearBabies. “I would have [BearBabies] at shows, and people walking by would say things like, ‘Oh this looks just like my Buster,’” says Tammy. “It didn’t take me long to realize they were talking about their dogs. Soon someone would say something, and I would know immediately what kind of dog they had, a Bichon, a Pomeranian, or whatever dog I knew that bear might look like. My husband has said I had been making dogs all along, I just didn’t know it. But, from there, I knew I wanted to try my hand at a dog and that was it—I wanted a whole kennel on my table the next time I went to a show.”

Tammy’s Bichons, Pomeranians, and Terriers are so realistic, it is
oftentimes difficult to distinguish them from the real thing. Realism is ultimately something she strives for in each creation. Tammy thoroughly researches dogs in order to convey the breed’s personality into each piece. According to Tammy, she may exaggerate the characteristics at times to emphasize those qualities of a real dog that just melts one’s heart, but mostly she wants “to represent the breed as beautifully as possible.”

From the basic design and wire frame to the finishing details of their plush and mohair coats, it takes Tammy about one week to create a dog, although longhaired breeds often take longer. When nearly finished, Tammy takes a photo of the dog, and this helps her to see the finished, or sometimes almost-finished, canine and decide what needs to be fixed. “There’s either re-doing of the eyes if I think they need to be smaller or larger, wider or closer; there’s making a different set of ears—I have a whole container of extra ears that were replaced by better ears—if I think they ended up too small or large; a shorter or longer tail if I didn’t get that right; anything else that needs to be re-done or replaced,” says Tammy. “The finished result is always so worth it.”

There’s no shortage of inspiration for Tammy’s work. She and her husband have three dogs of their own: Pico and Josie, Miniature Schnauzers, and Toby, a Miniature Poodle. They often keep Tammy company while she works, and according to Tammy, looking at her own dogs as she works helps her to get the noses just right and the ear placement perfect. “They are truly the light of my life,” says Tammy of her dogs, “they have really filled our hearts and home with more joy and love we could have ever imagined.”

For Tammy, the best part about what she does is seeing her work come to life. Each creation is solely unique, with a character and personality all its own. “I hope each dog puts a smile on the faces and hearts of every person that sees my dogs and bears,” says Tammy. “Beyond that, I hope that if they know how I started and the challenges I faced, and face everyday, that they know that regardless of obstacles, they, too, can achieve things they never dreamed of before. I never dreamed of making dogs, it was never my intent in life, but through the commitment and perseverance in overcoming my physical challenge, I did discover a gift, a talent I would have never known I had if I had not tried, and tried relentlessly.”

Tammy Hendricks
www.tammybears.com

Tara is a Coton De Tulear at 15 inches. Her coat is Schulte mohair, and she has an open/close mouth, glass eyes, and poseable body.


Penelope is a life-sized mama Yorkshire terrier, and Rosie
is a Yorkshire terrier puppy. Both have a combination of
mohair colors and lengths, articulated bodies, and
sculpted noses.

Spencer is a life-sized Welsh terrier at 16 inches. His coat is a combination of mohair. He has an articulated body and hand-sculpted nose. Opposite page: This life-sized (15 inches) adult Havanese dog has a wool black and white coat, an open/close mouth, glass eyes, and an articulated body.


Keiko, a Westie, is nearly adult size and measures 13 inches tall and 16 inches long. She has a jointed neck, and her coat is made from long white Schulte mohair. She has glass eyes and a hand-sculpted mouth that can open and close. The collar, which comes with her, reads “Best Friend.”


Pico (left) a baby boy Schnauzer, and Polly is a
16-inch life-sized Bichon Frise. Polly is made
from three types of mohair, has an articulated
body, hand-painted eyes, and sculpted nose.


Princess Mia boasts the long shiny show coat of an adult Yorkie. She is 13 inches tall, is jointed at the neck, and has a strong inner wire frame for multiple poses.


Kara (sold) is a nearly a full-grown Lakeland terrier that stands 16 inches from head to toe. Her coat is genuine hand-dyed Schulte mohair, and her ears are fully wired so they may be positioned up or naturally folded down.


Fritzi, a Miniature Schnauzer, measures 17 inches
high and 24 inches long. His top wiry coat is
imported plush with a dark salt and pepper
appearance, and softer furnishings are mohair.
He has a hand-sculpted mouth that can open
and close.