Carmel Team
From the individualized care our canine-loving staff provides to playtime with other four-legged friends, your dog has never had this much fun! Our team understands the key elements to a happy pup and we find great joy in incorporating them into our daily activities. We believe every single one of our Campers deserves premier treatment, which is why you'll receive all of the great benefits of Camp at one upfront cost.
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Michele Years Open: 13 Owner
Michele is a graduate of Purdue University, where she studied Retail Management and Business Marketing. She has been involved in the Real Estate industry for over 20 years, and she enjoys staying active in her career. Michele has two children, Lauren and Justin, and she enjoys spending time with both, along with her husband, Paul. One of her passions is home decor, along with watching movies in her spare time. She enjoys staying active in her church, Northview.
What I love most about my job: Working with my kids!
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Lauren Years with Camp Bow Wow: 13 Camp Scout
Skills and Experience
Background: Lauren grew up in Noblesville, where she inherited a love of animals from both parents. She holds a BA in Psychological Science from Ball State University, where she also studied French and Fashion. Lauren enjoys cooking, yoga, spinning, shopping, and spending time at home with her love, Dan. While you may know her as the long-time manager, she recently transitioned to a new position within the camp ans is now the Marketing Director.
Additional Skills/Qualifications: Certified in pet first aid & CPR, trained in dog behavior and play yard management. Lauren also holds a certification as a Camper Care Specialist, part of an extended education program offered by Camp Bow Wow Corporate, which allows her to screen all breeds based upon potential Campers' social skills, behavior, and energy level.
Fun Facts
What I love most about my job: I have made so many lifelong friendships and connections with many of my wonderful clients, the awesome dogs we take care of, and my amazing co-workers! I also get to work with my mom!
My pets: I was lucky enough to enjoy the companionship of a beautiful red Tibetan Mastiff named Bella for 5 years. I am thankful for my short time with Bella!
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Justin Trainer
CPDT-KA Certified
Justin started his canine career path right here at Camp Bow Wow Carmel in 2008! He says back then he considered himself a dog person, but not necessarily dog "literate". After graduating from Ball State University, he accepted a job at the Humane Society for Hamilton County, where he gained the invaluable and gratifying experience of helping to rehabilitate and place hundreds of homeless dogs. This is where Justin's understanding of and commitment to ethical and consensual handling and caretaking really began to come together.
In 2019, Justin and his wife, Shandie started their own in-home pet care and training service and have been successfully growing their base ever since. Most recently, they have elected to take a hiatus from this venture to prioritize preparing to welcome their first baby!
Justin has also serviced and volunteered over 400 hours to the Humane Society for Boone County in the past year. His passion project is finding Kane a forever family. You can learn more about Kane here: https://www.hsforbc.org/dogs.html
My training philosophy:
First things first, I have lived to do every single thing many times over that I advise against and often still am inclined to do as a natural human tendency. I consciously counter those learned behaviors and traditions as part of my commitment to fostering a more fulfilling relationship with companions and students.
I think "obedience" is an icky and antiquated word when speaking about the relationship between humans and animals. In a personal capacity, I consider myself my dog's guardian and not his "owner" or "master". Yes, he is legally my "property" but he can more affectionately and accurately be described as my companion. In a professional context, I consider the dynamic a partnership and our goal is cooperation and collaboration. I prioritize trust and consent over all else. There can be no cooperation without consent. There can be no gains without trust. I do not utilize force, pain or discomfort, intimidation, staring, shouting, threats, "discipline", or "dominance" tactics to get my learner to do or not do the behavior I'm looking for.
The traditional and once-presumably credible training methods of yesteryear and the 2000s tv personalities that popularized them have been particularly effective in convincing the public that you must keep your dog "under control" and to do so you need a heavy hand and/or a stern demeanor. Not only that, but they have cultivated a trend of guardians entering and maintaining adversarial dynamics with their companions. Terms such as "who is boss", "in-charge", "alpha", "dominance", "pack leader", "correct", "break", etc. have really buried the lead in regards to how to successfully and safely coexist with those who have been historically characterized as our best friend.
No, dogs are not "people too", but they certainly aren't simply our subjects upon which we impose our wills and whims with the expectation that they should just give in and comply because that's our prerogative. Our goal should not be to "correct" or "break" our dog of anything. Instead, our focus should be to GUIDE them to desirable/productive behaviors and habits and away from undesirable/unproductive behaviors and habits. It is my mission to do this and impart how to do this in a way that is mutually beneficial for everyone involved!
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“Great staff, professional, friendly and welcoming. Immaculate environment and expert care for your Camper.”
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“I love how comfortable the staff made us feel leaving our Duke there for the first time!! Everyone is so friendly, I know he's in great care when at Camp Bow Wow!! Duke is always excited now before we even get into the parking lot!! I also LOVE the pet cameras!! They really are addicting to watch, but it's so fun seeing him running around and having fun!! We love Camp Bow Wow & can't wait to come back!”
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“A very kind and caring staff! I always feel secure knowing that the staff truly love my dog and that they will make sure he is happy and comfortable during his stay. They are the best!”
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“I absolutely love this place. They take incredible care of my dog. They make her welcome and I feel comfortable knowing she is well taken care of. Recommend to anyone who has a dog.”
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“Staff is always very friendly and knows my dog, facilities are always clean, the webcams allow us to check our dog's activity, and hours cover my work day. Most importantly, my dog LOVES going to Camp! When she hears us on the phone making reservations for play, or hears us say "Camp", she grabs her leash with such excitement she moves furniture in her path as she heads for the door!”
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“Super friendly team of staff! Very kind, caring, accommodating, flexible. They loved my dog and treated her like their own. I will be back!”
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“The staff is always helpful and kind. I know when I leave my dogs at Camp Bow Wow they will be taken care of, have a great time and come home worn out from playing all day. I love the Camper Cams so I can check in on them!”
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“Camp Bow Wow is fabulous...they are passionate about their work, always happy to see our pup, and take great care of her...be it for day Camp or overnight. We love Camp Bow Wow!”
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“We know our dogs are in trusted hands at Camp Bow Wow. They always have fun playing with their "friends" and we love being able to check in on them throughout the day”