Katrina Lewell's love of animals leads her into two business opportunities

Katrina Ledwell, owner/trainer at Oakley’s Adventures 101 , had animals growing up but her first pet as an adult was a fox. Unfortunately, the fox died at a fairly young age due to complications from surgery, but her love for the fox did make Katrina long for another. She then chose a puppy, Oakley, who is now 4 years old. "Once Oakley, part huskie/part lab came into our family’s life, I knew she was going to be a big girl, and I wanted her to be able to enjoy adventures with us," Katrina said. "I didn’t want her jumping on people at her size or having any other undesirable habits.

She began researching dog training and reached out to a friend in Canada, Dylan Beckelman, who is a professional dog trainer and behaviorist specialist."I began posting my videos of training Oakley on my own Facebook page, and friends started contacting me about training their dogs. At that time, I just wanted to practice and make sure this was something I really wanted to go for professionally. I soon resigned from a job where I worked for 10 years to be able to pursue something I truly loved," she said.

Three years ago Katrina and her family decided to offer another service to the community: boarding."When going on vacation, I did not want to leave (Oakley) somewhere that was not staffed overnight, and I wanted to make sure she was let out regularly and played with. We love Oakley going along with us, but we cannot take her on cruises and similar vacations, as much as she would prefer to accompany us.

That's when the family decided to build a kennel on their property in Kimbolton.

"We are 20 steps away from the kennel, and, to dog lovers, it is a comfort knowing their dog has people around all the time to see to their needs," Katrina said.

You can find Oakley Adventures at Newcomerstown Now's pop-up shop at 132 W. Main Street every Wednesday for the next two months. "I am happy and grateful for the additional exposure, and the opportunity Newcomerstown Now is offering to small business owners."

"This pop-up space allows them to offer personalized dog training sessions in a unique and engaging setting, demonstrating their training techniques, and connecting with dog owners in a dynamic and interactive environment," said Jess Moore, property manager for Newcomerstown Now, an organization dedicated to revitalizing Newcomerstown.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Katrina Lewell's love of animals leads her into two business opportunities