Charlie’s Canine Camp’s new plan and new ideas

By KSENIA LOWRY- NEUFELD

fltimes@fltimes.com

PHELPS — When two people’s dreams come together they also can come true. Just ask Lauren Burdsall and Amy Hayes.

Ten years ago, Burdsall was an at-home dog sitter and dog walker when she met Hayes who was a part-time dog groomer and trainer for 15 years. As their friendship developed over time, they realized that they both had a dream of opening a pet care facility and through lots of thinking and planning they made the decision to go for it About six years ago they opened a joint checking account to save some money for the future business. They competed in pitch competitions to try to earn some money and throughout the process they also attended local expos to gain some publicity for their business.

In 2020, they purchased a former horse farm on Hayes Road which has been their main address for the business. Currently, they are in the process of getting everything together to start construction and renovations to a horse barn so it can be more accessible and better fitting for the pet care facility. Their goal is to start construction next month and they plan on opening it to the public in October.

Right now, Charlie’s Canine Camp is going to the dogs. They are driving to the owners’ home to dog-sit, but once all the renovations and construction is complete, the clients will be coming to them. When it comes to the day care, they are also offering boarding for cats, so a section will be dedicated for cats just like there will be one for dogs. They will be adding many more services to their name once the construction is done. In addition to day care, the women will offer boarding, grooming, training as well as educational seminars.

The seminars will be offered about once a month. They will be 90 minutes long. People will pay a small fee to learn things like what breeds might be right for them, if it’s the right time in their lives to get a puppy, and information on other pet topics.

“We are definitely all about educating,” Hayes said while talking about the educational seminars and the benefits that she thinks will help people and make for more content canines. She hopes these seminars will help make sure dogs are placed into homes that are best for them the first time. It will reduce the number of times that dogs are in and out of shelters because the home wasn’t a good fit.

Burdsall owns Cloud K9 Services, which consists of in-home pet sitting and dog walking. She services Geneva, Seneca Falls and Waterloo but once the construction is done, Cloud K9 Services will be merged into Charlie’s K9 Camp.

But who is Charlie? “Charlie was my first Newfoundland who made me realize that I had a passion for dogs and that is how Charlie’s Canine Camp came to be,” Hayes said.

She has many hopes and goals for the business and per their slogan, their one true goal is “creating tail wagging happy campers.”

Amy Hayes (left), Lauren Burdsall and their dogs. The two women are launching Charlie’s Canine Camp’s new location on Hayes Road in Phelps. That means instead of going to their four-legged clients, the pets will come to them.

Photo provided