About us
Hello , my name is Samantha Howe and i’m a dogoholic!
Having been brought up with dogs and worked in kennels in my younger years , it has always been a dream to own and run a boarding kennel the way i wanted it to be, and i knew that when we moved to Crabbs Green Farm in 1993 that this would be the perfect place to create my dream kennels, as from the age of 4 ,i grew up in the cottage just a bit further down our lane where i had the most wonderful free childhood to roam, make camps and go on adventures with my childhood dogs, so now some 30 odd years later, i still disapear across the fields, through the woods and go on adventures (maybe not so much camp making now !) not only with my own dogs, but now with all my doggie guests, i cannot put into words how much i love my job , i say job/work but not for one second does it feel like work, this is my way of life and if i won the euro millions i would never give this up cause i am living my dream already!
After having 2 children, it was a case of waiting til they were grown up so i could really throw myself into caring for dogs, a few years ago i did start home boarding and had some great dogs stay of which im glad to say still come here on holiday.
It took us 2 years and a bit in toll from submitting the plans to the local planning dept to opening day which was the 1st Dec 2009, it seemed a lifetime, we had to have newt surveys, bat surveys, historic digs etc as we are situated within a conservation and nature area, but in the end we got there , and i must say a huge thankyou to my mum and dad as for without their help it would all still be on paper!
Things i love in life are My family, my job, as with dogs all the time, my dogs, pigs, horses and chickens, the feeling christmas gives you, cheese all kinds not fussy 
, snowy /frosty winters, log fires as it makes me feel cosy, where i live, spring/autum , our lane is beautiful in the autum, being outdoors, walking through woods/forests, camping next to lakes/rivers , driving off the beaten tracks through different countries in my landrover , funny films, the darling buds of may, river cottage and Benidorm, I don’t dislike many things but spiders, fennel and rude/ mannered people is what i don’t like!
Our daughter Stephanie works full time and is also a ‘dogoholic’ she is very interested in what makes dogs ‘tick’ so to speak, and has been from a small girl, she see’s the wolf in every dog and why they act or do what they do, she finds wolves and the ‘dog’ incredible creatures, Steph is also a huge fan of Ceasar Milan and hopes to meet him one day so she can pick his brains (even though she has read every book and watched every dvd he has ever produced!) Steph is a very laid back, gentle person and has such a strong precious bond with her Alaskan Malamute ‘ICE’, they go out scootering ( he pulls her on a scooter, like a BMX bike but you stand on it if anyone was wondering what that mean’t) and they both love it, but its more than just having fun, he needs to scooter to release energy as malamutes can become bored and start misbehaving! Steph loves all dogs, ferrets, theme parks, going to the cinema, photography ( especially of dogs) arts and crafts, shopping, the seaside, her friends and driving her car .
Ricky, my husband, produces the best firewood in our area! i would call him a ‘logoholic’! he almost nutures his wood, it has to be seasoned the correct length of time, won’t cut it up if its raining, and only buys in the best type of wood for burning, its delivered on a huge artic lorry in long lengths, 26 ton at a time, late winter/early spring this lorry will visit us about 5/6 times maybe more and he stacks it all up ready for the next season. Ricky helps Steph and i with the cleaning and also does digger work, fencing etc.
Jack our son is also full time and loves dogs, Bulldogs being his favorite breed, but his passion is cars, he is currently rebuilding a landrover 90 as this will be his first car when he passes his test hopefully spring 2013, He loves watching Top Gear, Wheeler Dealers ,Ice Road Truckers , Ax Men and of course playing on his Playstation! He learnt to drive and had his own mini at the age of 5. Jack is a very helpful lad and gets stuck into the log processing and fixing/servicing his dad’s machinery, he also helps out with cleaning our kennels, walking and playing with our doggie guests.
