By Nancy Dewar
Donny Knowles and Tara Datro of Knowles Tree Service, based in North Hampton, are all about bark…in more ways than one. Their business is based around bark, focusing on tree removal and all-natural mulch products, to name a few of services provided. And much of their personal lives focus on bark too; that is, their three beloved dogs who are with them most of the time at home and at work. All are rescues and embrace their blended family wholeheartedly.
Donny grew up in North Hampton and Tara in Brentwood. Both had family dogs throughout their childhoods. They met 4 years ago through mutual friends and have been together ever since. When they met, Tara had Baya (a huge English Mastiff) and Rudy (a Boston Terrier). Donny had Ms. Lola (a Blue Nose Pitbull). “We started dating and the dogs got along really well. Now the dogs are all best friends. We’re all best friends and the dogs are with us most of the time,” Tara said.
Ms. Lola on the Road
Ruby came into Tara’s life as her elderly ‘parents’ were going into a nursing home and couldn’t keep her. Tara’s son found Baya via a Facebook post. She came from an abusive situation where she was over bred for years. Donny has an enormous affection for Pits and got Lola from a friend who could no longer keep her. He also had his Pit named Crazy at this time. “Everyone in town knew Crazy,” Don stated. “He went to work with me for
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It’s All About the Bark
many years. He was a magnificent dog. 75 to 80 pounds, was totally ball-obsessed and loved to swim. I lost my Dad and Crazy the same year and told my Mom that losing Crazy was actually harder. She responded by saying, “You were with him all the time.”
The largest portion of Knowles Tree Service’s business is tree removal. They also have a neat machine called a mulcher that is like a huge mower that can easily clear out large overgrown areas of land. The business caters to both landscaping companies and the residential market. Other core products include all-natural mulch and landscaping supplies such as compost, loam, stone and stone dust. Their mulch, branded as “Outta My Tree…wicked good mulch,” should be of great interest to people with pets. It’s totally natural and contains no chemical additives which can be toxic to animals. The mulch comes in a few different colors, and Donny and Tara encourage people to come in to
