On October 3rd, Seven Lakes Kennel officially became owned by FoxFire resident Neil Copeland.
Neil was born in Springfield, Missouri and was a medic in the military before settling down in Moore County. He has been residing in FoxFire for seven years with his wife, Lori, and their three children: Riley, Brayden, and Charlotte.
“We love it. The people are wonderful,” Neil said. “
Neil has been working with canines for the past twenty years, fifteen of which were spent doing dog training. He also worked for seven years with K2 Solutions.
“It’s a passion of mine,” he said.
When the opportunity came along to purchase the Seven Lakes Kennel, Neil decided it was the right move for his first business.
“I just want to make sure people understand that this is a place going to maintain same service,” Neil said.
Neil hopes that by serving locals, he can continue to grow relationships with new friends and neighbors.
“I want to be part of the community,” he said. “Growing the business is always a focus, and I’m allowing a little time to dictate what those goals are going to be.”
One additional service Neil is adding to the Kennel is his dog training expertise. While puppies and dogs are boarding, they can receive individual training that is specific to the owners’ needs.
“They can bring the dog in for an amount of time so I can lay a foundation for an owner,” he said.
Once the dog has been introduced to training by Neil, he will include the owners in training sessions to ensure that they understand what has been developed.
“I want to make sure they understand how to work with the animal and understand the foundation,” he said.
Puppies can receive basic obedience training starting when they are four months old while adult dogs can be brought in at any time.
Owners may want to bring their dog in for training if it is demonstrating unfavorable behaviors such as pulling the owner when on a walk.
“You can bring them in for training if you’re tired for being pulled down the road. If it feels like they are the boss more than you are,” Neil said.
With puppies, it’s important to be consistent from the beginning to avoid the formation of bad habits that could require training as an adult.
Soon, Seven Lakes Kennel will offer group training classes for dogs and their owners. They will also continue to work with organizations such as the Farley Foundation and Caring Hearts.
Seven Lakes Kennels is located at 347 MacDougall Dr. in Seven Lakes. Their hours are 8:00AM-5:00PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hours are 8:00AM-12:00PM on Wednesday and Saturday, and they remain closed on Sundays.
For more information about Seven Lakes Kennels, call (910) 673-2060.
