Patrick and Samanntha Stout
Owners
Patrick and Samanntha have always had an affinity for animals. Having five dogs of their own with three of them being rescues, along with a donkey named George, cats, cattle, chickens, turkeys, ducks, peacocks, and guinea fowl. The Stout’s love ALL animals. Their journey started in the pet industry with grooming dogs shortly after Patrick’s retirement of 20 years of proud service in the U.S. Army in 2014. Personal Paws Mobile Grooming was created and continues to grow where it now services over 13,000 animals each year. During this time, customers of Personal Paws had concerns regarding the local facilities that provide daycare, boarding or training. Their concerns, just like the Stout’s were similar regarding wanting a facility that was clean and safe while allowing the dogs to be dogs and not just sitting in a cage while pet parents are away from home. Patrick and Samanntha decided to create something different that didn’t exist in the tri-city area and exceed the needs of customers in the tri-city area. Columbus Boarding and Training was built with your dog in mind, giving you peace of mind while you are away.
Bryan Page
Certified Groomer
Bryan was from a military family but landed in Decatur, AL and graduated from Decatur High School. His love for animals started at a young age and continues to be proven through his compassion and patience while grooming today. Bryan is a Certified Professional Groomer (CPG) through the International Pet Groomers (IPG) and certified in Advanced K9 First Aid and CPR. He participates in yearly continuing education training to include classes on proper coat and skin care, safe and compassionate handling of difficult or senior dogs, and staying up to date with new and trending styles.
Izzy Belton
Operations Manager
Izzy graduated from Smiths Station High School in Phenix City, AL. As an upcoming senior in high school she began working at Maringo Creek Farms, not only a farm but a dog boarding and training facility, through the co-op program. This sparked her interest and began her passion of caring for the over-wellbeing of dogs. She quickly became a manager and apprenticed under the owner Stewart Harvard, a world-renowned dog trainer with 45+ years in police canine training and family obedience training, for 2 years. While working alongside her mentor, she also became a Lead Dog Trainer for 3 years. She has trained a wide variety of breeds of different ages with different backgrounds and circumstances for on-leash and off-leash obedience training. After her time at Maringo Creek Farms, Izzy joined Personal Paws Mobile Grooming for a year to gain a deeper knowledge of the health and well-being of dogs. She is a Certified Professional Groomer (CPG) through International Pet Groomers (IPG) and has her K9 CPR certification. She also has an associate degree in general sciences from Snead State Community College. She is currently working to obtain her Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) credentials through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers endorsed by AKC and Canine Good Citizen Evaluator Certification (CGC) as well as her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Damon Morris
Assistant Manager
Damon grew up in a military family and lived in a variety of places including England and South Korea. He graduated from Menwith Hill High School in England in 2014. Upon graduation, he moved back to Maryland where he attended Carroll Community College and received his associate degree in journalism.
Between 2016 and 2020, Damon dog sat for friends of family. In 2021, he joined a daycare facility where he supervised 25 dogs per day in an open play environment. In 2023, Damon moved to Columbus, Ga with a lifelong friend and joined the team here at Columbus Boarding and Training. He is pet-first aid CPR certified.
In Damons spare time, he enjoys watching movies and sports with his favorite cold beer. In the future, he hopes to continue to care for and meet new dogs, wherever he goes.
Cara Obert
Social Media Content Creator
Cara is from Phenix City, AL, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production Management from Auburn University. With over 2 years of professional experience in social media and digital marketing, she is passionate about creating engaging content and building connections through digital platforms.
Cara has always had a deep love for animals and is a proud dog mom to her Maltese, Sophie, who has been with her since childhood. In her free time, Cara enjoys playing soccer and pickleball, and she loves bringing Sophie along with her wherever she goes, tucked in her purse.
Josh Pulley
Assistant Manager
Originally born in Columbus, Josh mostly grew up living in Augusta, GA. His passion for dogs is a life long one, as he’s always had at least two of them since the age of 3. After attending Augusta Technical College for Videography and Communications, he spent several years in the restaurant and hospitality industry before he decided to turn his focus to pet care, working at at boarding kennel for a year and a half until the Covid pandemic slowed things down in 2020. He then spent 4 years working as both kennel attendant and adoption counselor for Animal Ark Rescue in Columbus, where he gained a more hands-on understanding of the various needs and situations that can arise in the caretaking of abandoned and neglected dogs, cats, and other varieties of pets. The thing he loves most about boarding and training is that it helps dog owners to keep their pets easier to manage and ultimately helps keep them in homes. He is pet-first aid CPR certified.
Outside of work, you can usually find Josh in a hammock with a good book, wandering around in nature somewhere taking in the scenery, or curled up on the couch with his two black lab Rottweiler mixes, Luna and Lucille.
Mackynzie Born
Assistant Manager
Mackynzie is from Smiths Station, Alabama, where she was always the go-to pet sitter for family and friends. After graduating from Smiths Station High School in 2021, she gained extensive experience in the service industry, from cleaning vacation homes to working in a high-demand restaurant. These roles helped her develop valuable skills in responsibility, time management, and customer service. While those jobs taught her a lot, Mackynzie felt drawn to work with dogs. Having grown up around dogs her entire life, joining the team at Columbus Boarding and Training felt like the perfect fit. She is pet-first aid CPR certified.
In her free time, Mackynzie loves spending her days with the people and pets she cares about most, especially her nephew and her yellow lab, Mave.