By Robyn McKinley
Katie Novello started a new life journey in 2008, known as owner of Canine Camp. Canine Camp was established by its original owners in 1997. Katie had always wanted to own her own “camp”, so when opportunity knocked, she answered it.
Katie and her husband were from Chicago, but the kennel became well known to them because they would board their dogs there when needed. While living in Chicago, Katie was semi-retired and her husband worked as a maintenance man. Once her husband retired in 2004, they moved to Jacksonville.
Canine Camp is a family owned business. Katie’s brother, David, and his wife, Debbie, are a part of the Canine Camp team as well, in fact, they are the managers. David and Debbie also live on the premises, so somebody is there 24/7. Do you remember as a kid how much fun going to camp was, or even the excitement building up to it? Your pets will love camp just as much as you did as a kid, especially if you take them Canine Camp.
Canine Camp offers just about any kind of service imaginable to take care of your four-legged family members. Some of these services include-grooming, nail trims, and individualized play time. The camp sits on 10 acres of land, but the animals only get to see about an acre of that land when they get play time in the fenced in play area. To see all the services that are offered, you can check out their website (www.canincampboarding.com) or you can check them out on Facebook as well (Canine Camp Boarding). Besides the grooming services, Katie offers discounts for family emergencies, VIP grooming-after 10 grooms, get 1 free, she grooms service dogs at no charge, military discounts, and multi-dog discounts (if one family brings in multiple dogs to be boarded). She has also taken dogs to the vet and she will pick-up and drop-off upon request. The kennel has enough room to board 56 dogs and the cat condo, they like to keep a maximum of 4 cats. Besides the services offered, they are an exclusive retailer in Jacksonville for Nutri-Life pet foods. Nutri-Life is a Holistic food for the animals. More information about Nutri-Life can also be found on their website. The Canine Camp also sponsors the 4H dog award for Morgan County and they are members of the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Katie’s ultimate goal when starting the business was to just be the #1 choice for boarding in Jacksonville. “I don’t try to compete when it comes to the grooming part, because I’m pretty sure Lori’s grooming beats me on that part, which is ok with me!” To Katie, her goal has not changed since opening. “I think we are right where we want to be.”
When Katie does get the opportunity to have free time, she enjoys reading, camping (which she doesn’t get to do much anymore), and making trips back and forth to Chicago.
After my visit with Katie and family, you can tell they truly enjoy what they do. It’s obvious to me that they will take great care of your four-legged family members! Give them a call, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
