For the first forty years of its existence, the members of the Wenatchee Kennel Club met at a park, a restaurant, someone’s home, or one of the many “meeting rooms” available in the area.
Then in 2002, the club members began to talk seriously about having a Wenatchee Kennel Club building. It would be a place where the members could bring their dogs to meetings, have training classes and practice sessions, store files and equipment, post announcements, and maybe have a phone and answering machine.
After searching for several months, the current building in East Wenatchee was leased for two years to see if this new venture could work.
At that time, the building was in bad shape. Several of the rooms, including the restroom, had been trashed and the loft area was a dark maze of plywood storage lockers. The walls and ceiling of the future training room were simply bare steel which offered no insulation against the summer heat, the winter cold, or the street noise outside. There was a heater mounted on the ceiling but when it was turned on it was so noisy it drowned out any attempts at conversation.
But fortunately the club members were not discouraged. Negotiations with the landlord and a lot of volunteer labor resulted in many improvements. Today the WKC training center has:
- Heat and air conditioning
- Finished, insulated walls with large mirrors
- Modern dropped ceiling with plenty of light
- Floor covered with ¾” thick rubber mats to give the dogs firm footing and to protect their joints when jumping
- Restroom
- Small kitchen area
- Carpeted office
- Board room for small meetings
- Loft with matted floor for private lessons or very small classes
- Lending library for our club members
- Storage for frequently used equipment
- Parking for our dog show equipment trailer
Having our own space has made a huge difference for the Wenatchee Kennel Club. The indoor training area has enabled us to offer classes to the public as well as train our own dogs year round for shows and trials. Being more visible in the community has resulted in a 4-fold increase in our membership. And having our own “home” has created a stronger sense of community resulting in deeper friendships and a greater sharing of knowledge.