Kennel club finds new home

The Kenai Kennel Club finally has a doghouse of its own, or more specifically a 60- by 80-foot building to call its own.

"Everyone is still pitching in on the new building, but we expect to start class by Sept. 13," said Jane Dullum, the club's president. "We can't wait!"

For years, the KKC has rented the building at the Alaska Army National Guard Armory off Forest Drive in Kenai, but the space had drawbacks.

"At the armory we were really limited," Dullum said. "We could only have Monday nights for training. We couldn't leave our equipment there between classes, and it was quite expensive to rent."

Dullum said about a dozen club members began the search for a place they could call their own, where they wouldn't be as limited to scheduling.

After several months of looking for a place that would meet the their needs, they found a spot off the Kenai Spur Highway in the C Plaza, in the building that was formerly Inlet Card and Craft, next to the Moose Family Center.

"We looked around for quite a while," Dullum said. "We needed to find a building big enough to meet our needs a building big enough to hold our 50- by 50-foot ring that we use for conformation, obedience run-throughs and for agility in the winter."

Dullum said club members have been doing a lot of work to get the new facility ready.

"We had to tear down a wall, we've been doing some painting, and getting the Hallmark stuff off the glass took a long time, too," she said. "We've also been putting in equipment like jumps, mats, tunnels and weave poles."

Dullum said the new facility will make things easier for members.

"Now we can bring in all the equipment and leave it out, which was something we couldn't do before," she said. "We can also have a varied schedule, not just one night a week."

Dullum said the additional nights are much needed, since interest in agility and other canine classes is starting to blossom in the Kenai-Soldotna area.

"(Agility is) a fun thing for dogs and owners to do together," she said.

Dullum said most of the funding to lease the building came from club members and through their efforts of putting on conformation shows and obedience and agility trials and through classes.

"We're not a big club, so that makes it even more of an accomplishment," she said.