About Us
Old Salem Kennel, Inc. is a unique boarding facility located in Watkinsville, Oconee County, Georgia, where boarding active dogs is our specialty. Old Salem Kennel is owned and operated by Todd & Janice Harvey. The kennel is located at the Harvey residence where the dogs receive 24 hour supervision and care.
Old Salem Kennel was established in 1992, opening it's doors to the public in 1996. As both owners and professional trainers of retriever and versatile dog breeds, Todd & Janice Harvey are extremely knowledgeable of the unique needs of active dogs.
From the young age of seven, Todd has been training and enjoying dogs. There were various sporting dog breeds for various purposes. Todd is blessed with the God-given ability to understand ("read") dogs of all kinds, understand which methods of training and communication need to be used with the individual dog and then implement that given method to achieve the desired level of success. We observe this remarkable skill on a daily basis, in training sessions and in Todd's interaction with the boarding dogs.
In the early 1990s, Todd and Janice purchased their first Labrador Retriever, Bailey. Todd began Bailey's training to be an obedient pet as well as a hunting companion. By 1996, a passion had turned into profession. In the beginning, our focus was on AKC retriever competitions. We also provided gun dog training and obedience training.
By 2005 we had completely stopped competing in retriever events. We continued to train gun dogs and work with obedience training, and was boarding on a limited basis. Then the LORD began to speak to us about moving the direction of the business to boarding and some obedience training. We were not sure how we felt about this change. We could not imagine becoming a "boarding facility" - lots of dogs in kennels all day, not knowing our clients by name. It just was not the way Old Salem Kennel functions.
Then the LORD brought to our remembrance a time years earlier when one of our personal dogs experienced a minor field injury. The vet who treated the injury preferred to keep animals with injuries such as these in his clinic until they were completely healed. This was a foreign concept to us. We always took care of our own dogs. Just clean up the injury, give us the medication and we'll take over. But we trusted and respected this vet, so followed his recommendation leaving our dog in his care. Well about 7 days later, we brought our little German Shorthair Pointer home. We put him in the fenced area to run around a little. This guy ran, and ran, and ran. He ran non-stop for 45 minutes. And after a short break, ran some more.
Through this incident, we realized that many people have dogs with this type of energy level. They would be miserable if they were left in a kennel for a week or longer. A walk on a leash would not do these active dogs justice. They need to run! And they need to run more than once a day. We finally realized we didn't have to be like a normal "boarding facility" and quickly caught the vision. So in 2008, we discontinued our gun dog training services to focus solely on our boarding and obedience training clientele.
Old Salem Kennel offers boarding for all sizes and breeds of dogs. Any dog who enjoys playing outside a couple of times a day, is a welcome guest at Old Salem Kennel. We strive to give individual, quality care to our clientele and their dogs at a reasonable rate.
The number of dogs boarded at OSK are limited to eighteen (18) to ensure each dog receives quality care and lots of attention. It is Old Salem Kennel's goal to make your dog's stay an enjoyable experience. We want you to have comfort in knowing your dog is safe & happy while staying with us. Often our clients tell us when bringing their dogs back for another visit, that once their dog recognizes they are near our kennel (usually 4 -5 miles away), they get so excited. This brings us joy because we know we have meet our goal once again.
We thank the LORD each day for the wonderful privilege we have to do what we do. It is a true honor to serve you.
Todd & Janice Harvey
Joshua 24:15
Old Salem Kennel, Inc.
Todd & Janice Harvey
2122 Old Salem Rd.
Watkinsville, Ga. 30677
706-769-0010
Old Salem Kennel is conveniently located to: Athens, Watkinsville, Bogart, Bishop, Farmington, Madison, Greensboro, Winder, Atlanta, Augusta and Macon, Georgia. The University of Georgia. Including the following counties: Oconee, Clarke, Morgan, Greene, Walton and Barrow County, Georgia
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