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‘Castle of Dogs’ unites city folk with rural sensibilities

By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent

TIPPECANOE, Ind. — It’s exactly 112 miles from Tippecanoe to Chicago, and Perry Olshein knows every inch of the route by heart – he makes the round trip twice a week to pick up and deliver dogs that his wife, Kathy, will train, groom or board at MarKay’s Castle of the Dogs.

How did an upwardly mobile couple choose to sell two successful businesses in Chicago – a city with a population of nearly three million – to start a new business on a five-acre farm a few miles from a town so small its population is unlisted in atlases or on the Internet?

The answer, according to Perry, the self-styled pooper-scooper/administrator of the thriving business, is simple: They like it.

Truth is, they bought the five acres – which came complete with a house, a century-old barn and a handful of outbuildings – as a weekend retreat from the city, where Perry owned a successful delicatessen and Kathy was a sought-after dog trainer and breeder. When they realized they no longer looked forward to returning home in the city, they sold everything and invested the proceeds in a deluxe quarter-million-dollar kennel.

It sounds easy, but according to the head pooper-scooper, they had a lot to learn.

“I was working in the city when the architect called and asked me where I wanted the kennel,” Perry said. “I told him to put it right behind the silo. There was a long silence. Finally, he said, ‘You don’t have a silo; you have a grain bin.’ I said, ‘Okay, put it there.’”

Following suggestions from the architect, the couple opted to connect the grain bin to the new structure and, since the bin created an illusion of a turret, they named their new business Castle of the Dogs. (The name MarKay is a combination of Kathy’s name with a former partner’s name. The partner became allergic to dogs and is no longer involved in the business.)

The couple didn’t simply move to the country; they embraced it. Perry is a member of the Tippecanoe Fire Department and Kathy is an EMT.

“We believe doing good deeds is more important than just talking about them,” Perry said. “We’re part of this community. It’s our responsibility to give back.”

They’ve even found time to spread their wings. He now takes painting lessons from an area artist and Kathy studies piano. Dogs, however, continue to be their business, with 95 percent of them coming from Chicago, thanks to Perry’s semi-weekly pickups and deliveries.

“We’re not everybody’s kennel,” Kathy said. “Our clients come by referral. We interview them.”

Each dog is treated as an individual and evaluated to see who plays well together in the Castle’s two 5,000 square-foot fenced play yards – one lined with wood chips and the other with grass turf.
Dogs are housed in separate pens with individual runs power-washed daily. Each has its own food bowl, stash of preferred kibble and access to filtered water. The kennel’s temperature remains at 72 year-round since its boarders are accustomed to heat and air conditioning.

Add to that special music, a vet on call 24/7 and what Perry calls the largest septic system in Marshall County, and, voila: The Olsheins’ recipe for entrepreneurial success, with the added twist of pickup and delivery.

Add in return sessions for lessons forgotten and training options that include small group classes, private lessons, doggie camp and even phone consultations, and learn why the Olsheins say, “MarKay’s Castle of the Dogs is the next best thing to home.”
Even better, the dogs and the couple all enjoy being in the country, where the Olsheins feel at home.

7/15/2009