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 Carlene King, Owner: My name is Carlene King and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. If I think about taking my own dogs to a boarding facility, I would most certainly be interested in learning about the owners. I want this to read exactly what I would want to read if I were checking out a boarding kennel. Yes, I have credentials. I am a certified Master Groomer. I graduated from Colorado Career Academy in 1991. In 1997 I moved to Warroad, MN where I opened my own Pet Store and Grooming Shop. Four years later I sold this business and moved to Grand Forks ND. I started working at All Pets Hospital where I soon realized how many dogs were totally out of control and how many people were looking for training. The area had very little to offer and in many cases family pets would end up at the Humane Society. In 2004 I attended Triple Crown Dog Academy in Hutto, TX to become a certified trainer. I graduated in 2005 as a Certified Canine Behavior and Training Specialist with a goal to help the canine population in Grand Forks. On returning from Texas I took over the boarding facility of All Pets Hospital working extremely hard to build my name and a good reputation. Working out of those two trailers was a constant struggle but I am thankful for them today. I started this business the old fashioned way. Out of every dime that was made about nine cents went back into the kennel. Along the way we made as many changes as we could to improve the facility, attempting to make it not only look better from the outside but also add more kennels. With limited space I could only train during the spring and summer ? weather permitting. This made is very difficult for me to make that huge difference in the canine population that I had dreamed of. I helped as many dogs and their owners as I could given the limited circumstances. It was a very frustrating time. We had the knowledge, the hard work, and care and commitment that I believe anyone would look for in a kennel but were lacking a professional facility. Not only one that was pleasing to look at on the outside but one that could offer new and spacious kennels with ample indoor and outdoor play areas. We knew though that if we just kept working hard and kept saving hard we would be ready when the right time came along. In November 2008 we found the perfect property and I knew that I could now realize my dream. I am very proud now to be able to offer the knowledge and professionalism which I believe everyone encounters when they visit Wag n Train. My passion is dogs, pure and simple. Caring for them, grooming, training and loving them. When you visit our facility you will see myself and Jo working every day including holidays. I believe that even on a holiday your pets deserve care and attention, maybe even more than on a normal day. For example, this last Christmas our day started at 6.00 a.m. We left at 8.00 p.m. spending only twenty minutes during the day to grab something to eat. This is a normal holiday schedule at our facility. I cannot impress upon you the love I have not only for my dogs, but yours as well.
I want you to meet mine and Jo?s immediate family. First let me start with Radar. He is 4 year old German Shepherd assigned to me during my training at Triple Crown from the Austin German Shepherd Rescue Center in Texas. Next is Lilly. She is a Welsh Terrier given to us by a client that just could not handle her any longer. Then there is Muffin. She is a Yorkshire Terrier who also came to us from a training client. She could not be housetrained and we discovered that she had a horrible urinary tract infection. At the end of training the client decided Muff would be better off living with us and within six months her ailing owner had passed away. Tanker is next, he is a four year old Chocolate Lab Jo has had since a puppy. Dexter is a little Shih Tzu that Jo and I both decided on getting from a breeder in Fargo. Diego is a Rottweiler that we purchased from a breeder in Minnesota and then Duncan found his way into our hearts. He is a 4.5lb terrier cross we recently adopted from the Circle of Friends Humane Society. Finally, the last addition to our family is the terrier cross Tramp. He came to the kennel from the Circle of Friends Humane Society as part of our Help for the Homeless program. While working with Tramp we discovered his outstanding ability to learn just about anything. We completely fell for him and decided to make him part of the King clan. He has earned his stay by being our "spokes-dog" for our training programs. You may have seen him showing off his abilities at the 2009 Home Show. Yes, we have a lot of dogs and they go everywhere with us and are a huge part of our lives. We spend fifteen to eighteen hours a day at the kennel and the dogs come along every day. They play and get plenty of exercise so once we are home we can enjoy a peaceful rest of the evening. My extended family is your dogs, and I truly mean that. I treat all dogs that come to our facility with love and understanding. We watch them and pay attention and try to notice if there are any health problems or concerns so that we can relay these to you when you pick up. You are always welcome to call and I Jo and I have promised one another that we will only rescue dogs from now on. There are so many that need homes and end up in a shelter or worse. Still wishing to fulfill my goal in helping the canine population and now having this wonderful facility, I have decided to donate one or two kennels per month to the Circle of Friends here in town. These kennels will be filled with dogs from the shelter, preferably ones that have been there a long time. During that month they will be part of our boarding school participating in obedience training and working on manners and social skills. This hopefully will give them an extra push in find their ?forever homes?. It is my goal to help twelve to twenty four dogs per year. These dogs will be featured on our web site so check out the ?Help for the Homeless? page and pass the word on that yes, there are obedience trained dogs available for adoption through the Circle of Friends. Walking through the Humane Society I have to give everyone that works there a lot of credit. It is heartbreaking to see all the dogs that have been surrendered for one reason or another. The employees and volunteers at the Society take in all these dogs and do the very best they can for them. All of us at Wag n Train would like to pass on a huge thank you to the Circle of Friends. All of our employees are knowledgable about canines. The wonderful thing is that this knowledge is coupled with a love for them that is real. You will meet the rest of the staff and from their own bios? you will be able to tell what kind of facility you will bring your pets to. I give my promise that your pet will be in a clean and sanitized environment, will be fed, watered and given more than enough exercise regardless of whether they join the play group or not and enjoy a stay that we will ensure is as stress-free as possible. I welcome anyone to tour the facility. I only ask that you call ahead to schedule a day and time. We are very busy taking care of the dogs and want to allow enough time to show you around, explain how we operate and answer any question without being rushed. Make an appointment to stop on by and spend a little time getting to know us. I promise that it will be the best decision you have made to leave your loved one with us. |
never mind telling you how your family member is doing. It is my promise that your dogs and cats will be taken care of as well as if they were at home with you. I make sure this facility is run so that I would feel comfortable leaving my own dogs here, and I do. When we have to leave town our seven dogs stay here. I hate saying good bye to them. Not because I don?t think they will be taken care of but because I honestly miss them.